North-West Australia road trip

New Norcia, Great Northern Hwy

The monastic complex of New Norcia was founded by Spanish monk Dom Rosendo Salvado in 1846 as an Aboriginal mission. It is still home to a community of Benedictine monks, who own and operate its 65 buildings, 27 of which are classified by the National Trust. Call in at the visitor centre in the New Norcia Museum and Art Gallery (08 9654 8056, daily 9 am–4.30 pm), where you can join a ‘behind the scenes’ guided tour (11 am and 3.30 pm), or pick up a Heritage Trail map for a self-guided walk around the complex. The Museum and Art Gallery (daily 9 am–4.30 pm) houses an extensive collection of religious heritage, including paintings by Spanish and Italian masters, as well as historical artefacts and displays. These tell the story of New Norcia’s time as an Aboriginal mission and of the farming activities, based on wool- growing, agriculture, horse-breeding and the production of wine and olive oil, that enabled it to become a self-sufficient village.

Cable Beach, Great Northern Hwy

Clear tropical waters and a 22-km arc of white sand make Cable Beach ideal for swimming. This is also a particularly popular place to watch the sun set over the ocean — from the back of a camel if you wish (contact the tourist office for details of camel safari operators). The beach is so-named because it was once the terminus of the underwater telegraph cable linking Broome with Java (Indonesia), and therefore Australia with the rest of the world. The Malcolm Douglas Broome Crocodile Park (Cable Beach Rd, 08 9192 1489; Mon–Fri 10 am–5 pm, Sat–Sun 2 pm–5 pm), operated by the well-known adventurer, is home to more than 5000 reptiles including saltwater crocodiles, alligators, caimans and freshwater crocodiles.

Boab Prison Tree, Derby Hwy off Great Northern Hwy

This enormous, hollow boab has a girth of 14.7 m. It is believed to be more than 1500 years old and was formerly used as an overnight stop when transporting prisoners into Derby. This site is of cultural and religious signifi cance to the local Aboriginal people; visitors are requested to respect this and to not climb into or approach close to the tree. The Boab Prison Tree Interpretative Pavilion, located on the site, has further information on both the Prison Tree and nearby Myall’s Bore (see entry).