Odometer:00135.3
Date: 17 November 1997
A week later than planned we finally left Perth with the Panther stuffed to the proverbials. We had thought we'd head East first and leave the top end 'til the end of the wet, but with our March deadline that'd mean travelling through NT and the Kimberly right in the thick of cyclone season. As tough as the ol' Landy is, didn't think we'd really enjoy driving through 10ft flooding rivers, or spending weeks stranded in bushtuckerman country with only a few crocs to keep us company. So, with everyone telling us that " its the wrong time to be going North" about as often and as annoyingly as they say "hot enough for you" on a 38 degree day, we decided to head for them there red hills. Just as a note to all non Aussies amoung you ( poor bastards) 'the wet' is one of the two seasons in the North of Australia, the other being, you guessed it: 'the dry'. November to March is discustingly hot and humid with wicked thunderstorms and several cyclones a year. The wrong time to go North.
Being avid readers of our humble travel coloumn aka: How not to travel Australia-100 handy hints, you'd know that we've just been up the West coast only a month back. Not wanting to retrace our steps, as that may lead to us actually having some clue as to what was going on, we started out on the only other road North: the imaginatively named Great Northern Highway which bisects WA and comes out at the coast around Port Hedland. First stop being Australia's only monastic town: New Norcia (ODO: 000156.3).
The Boy's College at New Norcia. For reasons known only to their superiors, some poor Italian Benedictene monks were sent to the central wheatbelt of WA in 1846 to set up a monastery, and help those savage barbarian aboriginals understand the wonders of their beloved religion. A pretty amazing place considering the harsh climate, and must have looked just like a piece of Spain in the late 1800's. Being a nine day walk to Perth, and even longer coming back laden with provisions, they became basically self sufficient, with large orchards, a winery that produced up to 17 thousand gallons of wine, a four mill, and olive groves to make their very own Olive oil. The town is still wholly owned and run by the monastery, and was the site of both a girl's and a boy's catholic boarding school until the early nineties. If we could have afforded the $80 donation to stay the night at the monastery, it would have been a great experience, although 12 hours of silence over the night would have been tough.Instead we camped behind the petrol station for $6.
Alan being a goof on a tractor. Behind is the oldest working flour mill in Australia. Michelle looking holier-than-thou. This altar was carved in Spain and shipped by boat to Perth, train and horseback the rest of the way.
