THE NEW NORCIA RIVER WALK
3. Piggery
Pig keeping was one of the many farming pursuits
developed by the monks. There is a pig keeper’s
cottage and the ruins of a piggery on the bank to
the south. For safety reasons they are not open to
the public.
7. Apiary Landscape Setting
The mature olive trees around the enclosure
remain from the Monastery gardens. The trees
inside the enclosure provide shade and flowers for
the bees.
8. Bishop’s Well
This well is the largest surviving example of the
stone wells built under the direction of Salvado.
4. Well
The stone well in the bank beside the path is one
of the many wells constructed by the Benedictines
under the direction of Bishop Salvado.
5. Moore River
11. The Farm Road Bridge
This bridge is the main river crossing for the farm.
It is still in active use and should be approached
with caution.
12. The Olive Workshop
This building was built as a new workshop for
olive oil production in 1926-27. It is still in use for
olive processing each year. The olive workshop and
the adjoining maintenance workshop are part of
the working establishment; they are not open to
the public.
9. The Apiary
The Apiary was built in 1918 as an open timberframed structure to house bee-boxes on its
shelves. In 1938, the bee-boxes were taken
outside, and the ground floor was bricked-in to
house the honey extraction process.
13. Blacksmith’s Shop
This building was built to replace an earlier smithy
that burnt down in 1869. Conservation work was
completed on this building in 2010. It is currently
not open to the public.
The river was named after George Fletcher Moore,
an Irish lawyer who arrived in the Swan River Colony
in 1830 and explored this region in 1836.
1. Old Geraldton Road
This south-north road was originally the
main route through New Norcia from Perth
to Geraldton. It ran in a straight line from the
Moore River crossing, past the front of the
Monastery and up the hill to the Courthouse.
10. New Norcia Olives
2. Old Road to Wyening
The River Walk follows the track from the
Convent to the Moore River. This was once the
road from New Norcia to Wyening. At the stile,
the walk trail enters the working farm. Visitors
are requested to proceed with caution and keep
to the marked pathway.
6. Ford and Weir
The existing ford was made into the river crossing
for the Heritage Trail in 1986. The stone piers
remain from an earlier weir wall. North, up the river,
is the ruin of a floodbridge that once connected the
Monastery with extensive orchards and vegetable
gardens on the east side of the river. The river banks
north of here are not open to the public.
Olive trees were introduced to New Norcia on
a small scale in the 1850’s. Extensive planting
began in the 1860’s. Oil production was
established in the 1880’s and continues today.
To the north-east, beyond the farm road and
paddocks, is a large grove of mature olive trees
- the main source of fruit for the oil. Rows of
olive trees in the town and on the farm, such
as here on the farm road, also contribute to oil
production. The grove is not open to the public.
14. River walk meets Heritage Trail
If you are interested in the Heritage Trail please
enquire at the Museum and Art Gallery for more
information.
PTO for map
THE NEW NORCIA RIVER WALK
1
14
1
13
2
12
4
3
5
7
11
8
10
6
9
The River Walk takes off from the main Heritage Trail at the Museum and Art Gallery. It follows the line of the old road to Wyening, past the oval, through New Norcia’s working farm paddocks and goes across the Moore
River to the Apiary (1-9). There are four stiles to assist walkers over the fences that keep the sheep in. The route where you need to go over the stiles requires a degree of physical agility so will not be suitable for people
with limited mobility. There is a path across the river that will not be safe when water level is high, please check the conditions before setting out. There is an alternative route via the farm road and bridge at the northern
end of the town (14 to 9). This stretch of the walk has pedestrian gates in the farm fences and the bridge is rarely flooded. There may be the opportunity to make a round trip. The River Walk meets the main Heritage
Trail once again at no. 14. There are signposts to help orientation and plaques explaining key features along the way that are related to the numerous points in this trail guide. The route is approximately 2 km long. Allow
up to an hour for a leisurely walk. As it goes through high fire risk areas, please refrain from smoking.