TANKS Travel Tales - a travelogue.......

Australia, Western Australia, New Norcia The original article was first published in this blog in December 2018.  This was an unplanned side trip that ended up as a personal bucket list item for me. While visiting Western Australia, I had planned for a trip to Rottnest Island. However, inclement weather on the day of my planned visit to Rottnest Island meant that I had to cancel my travel plans leaving me with a full day of free time in my itinerary. Someone suggested I should visit New Norcia. Until then, I had never heard of this town before. And since I had a rented vehicle for the duration of my stay in Western Australia, I decided that a drive to this monastery town was a good idea. Instead, it turned out to be a great idea. Besides enjoying the relatively long two and half hour drive (one way ) from Perth to New Norcia, I got to experience an actual monastery town for the first time in my travels. This trip is proof that bucket list items don't have to be planned years ahead.

Many of my most memorable travel experiences were not borne out of planned itineraries or recommendations from travel guides. Instead, these experiences were from unplanned side trips. An example of this was when inclement weather forced me to cancel a planned trip to Rottnest Island.  After speaking to some locals at Sorento Quay, I decided to drive slightly more than 120km from Perth to New Norcia. On arrival, I was enchanted by the old monastery town. Prior to arriving at New Norcia, I had no idea this place even existed. But there I was, at New Norcia, totally unplanned but yet enjoying the experience no less. Souvenirs  that I bought at the gift shop stayed with me, several years after that visit. These included a rosary which I had placed at the dashboard of my car and some beautiful postcards which I still kept. Mementos from a memorable side trip. And of course, there were lots of digital memories from the photographs of this enchanting and serene monastery town, taken with my

On a rain-soaked morning, I arrived at the monastery town of New Norcia after slightly more than  3 hours of driving from Perth's city centre. Along the way, I had stopped briefly for breakfast near Joondalup before continuing on my road trip. Besides the many historical heritage of this small town, I came across a small olive orchard with trees neatly pruned and meticulously maintained along a straight line. This was actually the first time I had seen an olive tree in person, much less an orchard of them! Walking along the orchard alone and soaking in the peaceful and tranquil environment, I of course took lots of photographs to record my trip. Here I was, getting all excited over olive trees! But of course, the simple things in life can be awesome too. This is something that I have learnt and re-learnt many times during my travels.  Olive trees in a row, New Norcia, Western Australia, Australia (2018) Olives on the branches of the tree, New Norcia, Western Au

Located in the state of Western Australia near to Perth, New Norcia is a monastery town of the Benedictine Order. St Gertrude's, New Norcia, Western Australia, Australia (2018) Central Administration Building, New Norcia, Western Australia, Australia (2018) History and Geography The town of New Norcia is 132km north-east of the Western Australian state capital of Perth and is part of the Avon Valley region. Established in the year 1847, New Norcia is named after the Italian town of Norcia, birthplace of St Benedict. The former boarding schools of St Ildephonsus and St Gertrude have been converted into accommodations in today's New Norcia. St Gertude's College was opened in 1908 while St Ildephonsus' College was established in 1913. Other significant buildings in the town include the Abbey Church, an old and a new Flour Mill, Bishop Torres Beehouse and the Monastery. Entrance to St Gertrude's, New Norcia, Western Australia, Australia (2

Self-Driving during Overseas Vacations....... While I am not a fan of self-driving when traveling overseas, I had done my fair share of driving in different countries while on vacation. These places include France, Germany and Israel. And more recently, in Australia. On the road while self-driving from New Norcia to Perth, Western Australia, Australia (2018) Having your own set of wheels while overseas has its conveniences. It allows you to venture a little off-road to see and experience sights and sounds off the so-called beaten track. It allows you the flexibility to change your itinerary as and when situation and mood necessitates. And it also means that you do not have to plan your travel activities around the operating hours of the public transport operators of the cities you are visiting. Self-driving allowed me to stop and enjoy the natural landscapes whenever I wanted, Negev Desert, Israel (2017) Stopping my vehicle to watch herders near the city of Bee