New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia, owned and run by the Benedictine Monks. We pulled into this beautiful little town late one Friday afternoon, and, on seeing everything closed for the day, headed to the local hotel to see if there was anywhere we could stay.

We chatted to the bartender, and she informed us that we could camp on the edge of the sports oval just across the road. We stayed for a drink, then they brought some bar snacks around, then we got chatting to a lovely Dutch couple Ann & Ben who were sitting next to us, then we had another drink, then there were more bar snacks, then Ben starting telling funny stories, then there were more snacks and drinks, then before you know it, it was 10pm. We finally set up the camper in the pitch black, after estimating where we thought we should be camped (and praying we weren't in the middle of the field, not a good look for Saturday morning sport).

The next morning we were up and packed quite early, due to a looming rain shower. We spent the morning in the coffee shop watching the rain fall, then did a guided walking tour of the town. It was fascinating to learn of the evolution of New Norcia, from 2 monks walking out from Perth into the wilderness in the 1800's to try and convert the natives, to the town it is today. Slightly weird to have the story told by a young Scottish lass, who kept talking about the "moonks" and their "sin-ging", but she was a hoot.

We got to see inside a lot of the buildings in the town, which were exquisite in their detail, and we even got to sample some of the wares of the monks' bakery. We stayed after the tour to look through the museum and art gallery, which were both full of amazing artefacts and artworks.

Time to hit the road once more, Perth is calling us.

L & L