The ground floor has the 19th century New Norcia display, a gift shop and the visitors centre. Upstairs are the displays of church memorabilia, an exhibition which presents the era of the girls’ orphanage, a collection of Charles Austin Gardner botanic drawings and the art gallery - housing one of the largest collections of moveable religious art in Australia.


Museum and Art Gallery Entry Prices - Unlimited all day access
Adults $12.50
Concession $10.00
Primary School students (up to age 13) $7.50
Children under 5 Free
Family (2 adults and 2 primary students) $30.00

Open daily 9.30am - 4.30pm (closed Good Friday, Christmas Day & Boxing Day)
Daily Town Tours: 11am and 1.30pm

Over a series of interconnecting galleries, a mixture of significant artworks, furniture, objects and personal effects tell the surprising, complex story of Australia’s only monastic town. Founded in 1847 by Spanish Benedictine monks the site has been a large, imaginative mission for Aboriginal peoples, the centre of a vast pastoral enterprise, a place of education for both Indigenous and European children and a site of distinctly Mediterranean culture and devotion.

The complex also houses two special permanent exhibitions. Life at St Joseph’s tells the insider story of Aboriginal girls and Benedictine Sisters who were the building’s first residents. The Gardner Room features the collection of Charles Austin Gardner, the pioneer West Australian botanist and early advocate for the state’s national parks.

Download the brochure here.