 new norcia  is a town in western australia,  north of perth, along the great northern highway. it is situated next to the banks of the moore river, in the shire of victoria plains. new norcia is the only monastic town in australia. a ground station for the european space agency is located 8&nbsp;km south of the town.*abc dimensions - new norcia and the european space agency *press release about the european space agency information about the new norcia dish ==establishment== on 1 march 1846, a benedictine mission to the local aborigines was started about 8&nbsp;km to the north, led by the two spanish benedictines, rosendo salvado and joseph serra. within a year the mission was moved to where the town is today, and on 1 march 1847 the foundation stone of the monastery was laid. the place was named new norcia, after norcia in italy, the birthplace of st benedict. unlike the italian norcia, which is pronounced "nor-chee-a", new norcia is pronounced "new nor-sia". ===town=== thumbnail|new norcia hotel the town of new norcia has buildings in a spanish style of architecture, along with some other historical sites. among these are the two old boarding schools, st ildephonsus' and st gertrude's (both now used for accommodation and various social functions), the abbey church (containing the tomb of rosendo salvado), an old mill, a wine press, a hotel, and the monastery itself. the town has attracted interest and tourist visits for most of its existence, and as a consequence a number of guide books and histories have been produced{{citation | author1=monachus | author2=benedictine abbey of new norcia, western australia | title=new norcia : historical guide to all its institut
Benedictine_monasteries Towns_in_Western_Australia Wheatbelt_(Western_Australia)