New Norcia (29/4/14)

We were all heading back to Perth today so we were up early to make sure we had plenty of time to get home. Sandra and Geoff were going a direct route home but I wanted to see some of the towns on the way so I left before them at about 7.30am. My first stop was at Dongara and Port Denison as I hadn't had time on the way up. There wasn't much specifically to see but I had a ride along the road by the harbour and the beach, and saw a couple of memorials and stopped at the info centre to get a map. I then headed back to the Brand Highway and then followed signs to Mingenew along Midlands Road. This alternative route I had taken was going to take me along the original route from Perth before the Highway was built and I would pass through all the old towns along the way. The road was much more interesting and winding so it kept my interest up. I passed through Mingenew and stopped at a couple of towns along the way for fuel but generally spent the time enjoying the sun, which was now much cooler than it had been as it was now Autumn in the south, and the scenery along the way. All the towns in this part of WA are farming towns growing crops so each one has absolutely massive silos and giant tarpaulin covered bins that store the crops once they've been harvested. I stopped for lunch at Moora and ate my sandwiches in a small garden they've got in the middle of town. After lunch I rode out of town and soon picked up signs for the Great northern Highway which would take me to New Norcia. New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia and has had a Benedectine Mission there since 1847. Since then the town has grown and now includes two boarding schools, the abbey church, an old mill, a wine press, a hotel, and the monastery itself. Most of the buildings are now used for other purposes but they still retain their historic architecture. The town is pretty much entirely monastic based so there are very few standard residents living there giving loads of space between buildings. As I rode into town it was like riding onto a movie set with grand Spanish style buildings lining the road. It was very different from any other town I'd visited and full of history. I stopped at the museum and had a look round there to read about the story of how New Norcia had been started, look at some old artefacts, and see some old paintings (including one of a very freaky child), before heading off round town to see some of the buildings. There weren't any tours being run while I was there so I couldn't get inside some of the buildings but they were still impressive just from the outside. It's a very peaceful town but this was probably helped by the fact there weren't any large groups of tourists walking around. Just the odd one or two people dotted here and there. The only thing breaking the peace were transportation trucks heading to and from the mines further up north, as the highway passes through the town. I couldn't leave town without trying a glass of Abbey Ale so after all my walking I rode up to the hotel where it is exclusively on tap. It was a very tasty beer which is very strong and my small glass was definitely enough without being over the limit. I sat outside in the late afternoon sun to enjoy it but knew it would soon start getting dark and I didn't want to be riding the country roads then because of kangaroos. So I was soon back on the road and left town about 5.15pm. My ride home continued along the winding country highway through the hilly landscape and I enjoyed an awesome sunset on the way. The only downside of the journey was the amount of flies that were now squashed on my visor. I eventually hit the outskirts of Perth after dark and pulled over to try and wash the flies off as I had smeared them with my glove and the headlights from oncoming vehicles made it difficult to see. With my visibility increased I followed the now busy roads back to where Sandra and Geoff live and eventually got home about 7pm a little cold as the temperature had dropped but glad I'd returned without incident. My aunt and uncle were starting to get worried as it was later than we'd said I would probably get home so they were relieved to see me. I'd sent them a text whilst enjoying my beer but they hadn't seen it. Just after I got through the door we sat down to dinner and after that I did a small degree of unpacking before relaxing for the evening with Sandra and Geoff and then went to bed at a very reasonable hour knackered from my journey. And what a journey it had been. Since I'd left Perth I'd covered about 6,000 km which to me doesn't sound like much but my arse would argue otherwise. For reference though it is approximately 1,350 km from Lands End to John O'groats. During my trip I'd had some bad times but I'd also had some unquestionably amazing times and seen some incredible things. Would I do it again? Yes. On a motorbike? Probably not. In a car with other people? Definitely. I'd recommend it to anyone. Just make sure you have a good vehicle. I'd been incredibly lucky nothing major had gone wrong with the bike as that would have changed the experience entirely. I had achieved what I'd come here to do but it has given me a thirst for getting out there on the bike and so I was confident this wouldn't be my last trip in WA. I just had to sit down and work out what it had cost me and whether I could afford another trip. But at the end of the day, it's only money.