A monastic tourist experience: the packaging of a place

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A monastic tourist experience: the packaging of aplaceMaria Ryan & Fiona Haslam McKenziea School of Marketing, Tourism and Leisure, Edith Cowan University, Australiab Institute of Regional Development,University of Western Australia, AustraliaPublished online: 04 Jun 2010.

To cite this article: Maria Ryan & Fiona Haslam McKenzie (2003) A monastic tourist experience: the packaging ofa place, Tourism Geographies: An International Journal of Tourism Space, Place and Environment, 5:1, 54-70, DOI:10.1080/1461668032000034079

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54

R y a n a n d M c K e n z i e

A monastic tourist experience: the packaging of a place

Maria M. Ryan

School of Marketing, Tourism and Leisure, Edith Cowan University,Australia

Fiona Haslam McKenzie

Institute of Regional Development,University of Western Australia,

...........................................................................................................................................................

Australia

Abstract

This paper outlines the transformation occurring in New Norcia, a small rural town inWestern Australia. Initially a self-sufficient mission settlement of Benedictine monks concen-trating on ministering to the indigenous population while living an ecclesiastical lifestyle, thetown is now developing as an experiential tourist commodity. The conservation of the monks’unique habitus is achieved by a carefully constructed tourism strategy, which allows for thecontinuity of the monks’ habitus along with its commodification and transformation. Thepaper outlines the history of New Norcia, followed by a discussion on its development as atourist destination. The strategies utilized in the process of this transformation are discussedwithin a framework provided by ‘sense of place’ literature. Experiences and perceptions oftourists, gathered by the authors while visiting New Norcia, are included throughout thediscussion.

Keywords

:

New Norcia, sense of place, sustainable tourism, experiential tourism, regional development

History of New Norcia

Even the casual eye notices the difference. This little township, set down in theWest Australian countryside, does not conform to the usual pattern. (TheBenedictine Community of New Norcia, 1991)

The New Norcia Benedictine Community is a small but complete townestablished in the mid-nineteenth century as an educational and evangelizing

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Tourism Geographies

ISSN 1461–6688 print/ISSN 1470-1340 online © 2003 Taylor & Francis Ltdhttp://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

DOI: 10.1080/1461668032000034079

Tourism Geographies

5

(1), 2003, 54–70

47P 06ryan (ds) Page 54 Friday, January 24, 2003 1:57 PM

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facility in the Victoria Plains agricultural district, 130 km north of Perth,Western Australia (WA) (see Figure 1). The town is freehold property, ownedby the Benedictine Community of New Norcia, with a population of about 40people, half of whom are monks of the Order of Saint Benedictine. The nextnearest town is more than 20 km away. New Norcia is a unique countrytown. Situated in the flat farming country of WA, amongst the gum trees anddry grasses typical of the surrounding wheatlands, the architectural styles ofthe buildings in this small town are reminiscent of Spain and even Central andSouth America. All the surrounding towns were established by, and continueto service, the broad-acre agricultural industries, whereas Benedictine monksbuilt New Norcia as an ecclesiastic and cultural enclave. Sir Hal Colebatch(Colebatch 1929: 122) wrote about the settlement and his description,although now over seventy years old and rather florid, is as pertinent today.

In the Victoria Plains, eighty-two miles from Perth, in a smiling valley, ishidden away a bit of old Spain. Removed from railway communication itpreserves a monastic quiet and seclusion. Approached by road, it burstssuddenly upon the view of the astonished traveller. For hours he has passedthrough bushlands and farm country, with small ultra-modern townships atirregular intervals, and then without warning, from the top of a slight incline,is unfolded to him a vision that seems almost unreal. The quaint beauty of itssetting, the old world model of its architecture, the number, the size, the realmagnificence of some of its buildings, excite wonder and admiration.Nowhere else in Australia is there a place like New Norcia, and he who isfortunate enough to spend even a few hours within its hospitable walls willfind interest quickened to the liveliest appreciation.

Two Spanish Benedictine monks, Dom Rosendo Salvado and Dom JosephSerra, who wished to devote their life’s work to foreign missions establishedNew Norcia (Figure 1) in 1846 by travelling overland from the fledglingtown of Perth (The Benedictine Community of New Norcia 1991). Initially,they established a mission to minister to the Aborigines. They strove againstformidable odds including disease, ignorance of the conditions and shortageof supplies, to become self-sufficient by establishing an industry based onsheep and beef, along with grain, crops and vines. Originally, the propertywas leasehold, covering over half a million hectares, stretching 60 kilome-tres inland and 60 kilometres north and south of New Norcia (Graduatesand Students in the Diploma of Sales and Marketing 1997). Together withFrench and Irish tradesmen from Perth, the small band of monks began tobuild their monastery. By the 1860s, houses and an orphanage were erectedfor the Aborigines. In addition, storehouses, workshops and a small flour-mill were built around the growing number of monastic buildings. Themission became a hive of industry known for its large numbers of sheep,quality horses, horticultural produce and silk. Unlike the earlier Catholicpriests that came to the Swan River Colony, most of whom were Irish, theNew Norcia missionaries were European and were not preoccupied with the


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sins of the Protestants and the wrongs dealt Ireland. The Rules of StBenedict requires all Benedictine monks to study and, consequently, themonks were well educated. The Spanish Benedictines viewed the CatholicChurch as the creator of European civilization (Clark 1988) and weredetermined to live by ‘its lofty and noble traditions’ (Clark 1988: 102). TheBenedictines succeeded in establishing at New Norcia a mission moresubstantial and longer lasting than any other in the colony. Aveling (1981:583) claimed that ‘perhaps it was the most successful mission in Australia’.It did not however, succeed in the wholesale christianizing of the Aboriginalpopulation.

A community of religion, learning and culture

By the turn of the twentieth century, the mission changed its primary focusfrom ministering to the Aboriginal population to providing a Catholiceducation for boys and girls. It was also considered important at this timeto demonstrate superior Catholic learning and culture. Western Australiansociety and culture in the early 1900s was dominated by Protestant land-owners and merchants and the Catholic population tended to be written offas bigots and the domain of Irish superstition and sectarianism (Clark1988). To this end, an architecturally grand girls boarding school, StGertrude’s, was opened in 1908 and a boarding school for boys, St Ilde-phonsus’, also opulent in appearance (Braniff 1987), was opened in 1913(Figures 2 and 3).

Both of the new colleges became important educational and boardingfacilities for children from throughout WA. A hostel, which became the

��

��

Figure 1

Location of New Norcia in Western Australia.


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New Norcia Hotel in 1955, was opened in 1927 to accommodate thevisiting families of children housed at the schools. This too, was designed ona grand scale (Figure 4).

Figure 2 St Ildephonsus’ Boys’ College (2002).

Figure 3

St Gertrude’s Girls’ College, (2002).


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As well as bringing fine ecclesiastic furnishings from Europe, the monkscommissioned the services of a talented wood carver and two artist-monksto adorn and beautify the chapels and many of the buildings in New Norcia.What had started as an unpretentious mission had become, by the 1920s, agrand and significant centre of religion, education and culture in an isolatedfarming district (The Benedictine Community of New Norcia 1991). Visitsto Europe in the early decades of the twentieth century enabled the superiorof the Benedictine Community Abbot Catalan, to acquire significant artistictreasures for the Mission. Many of the precious Italian and Spanishartworks were bought by him and brought to New Norcia during the inter-war years. The New Norcia Religious Art Collection is of world renownand continues to steadily expand and grow in prestige. Similarly, the libraryat New Norcia is the largest library in Western Australia outside metro-politan Perth. In its collection are some rare and prized books includingseveral donated by the Papacy and Queen Isabella of Spain, as well as othervaluable early imprints. The collection has about 80,000 titles, the oldestwork having been published in 1508 (Hutchison 1995). As with the library,the Community has a large and valuable archival collection. Music hasalways been an essential element of the Catholic liturgy and consequentlywas an integral part of the life at New Norcia. Liturgical music was used tobond the religious community and to reaffirm spiritual values (Hutchison1995). With the establishment of the colleges, musical talents were encour-aged among the students and lay visitors. Regular concerts and soirees wereheld both within the monastery and the colleges, emphasizing the Missionas a centre of religion, education and culture.

Throughout the last 150 years, apart from their cultural skills, the monkshave brought a wide range of expertise to the Community, via the immigra-

Figure 4 The New Norcia Hotel (formerly the Parents’ Hostel).


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tion of many multi-skilled monks. For example, Brother Vincent Burgos was abutcher and a tailor of some ability, Brother Paulino Gutierrez was both abaker and a cobbler, and Brother Fulgentius Gonzales worked as a book-binder and operated the printing press. More recent monks have broughtclock making, wine making, book restoration and honey-making skills. All ofthese talents were combined with their farming and education duties.

After numerous changes to the administration and management of theboarding schools in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s including the combining ofthe two colleges to become one co-educational institution, it became clearby the late 1980s, that the boarding school was no longer viable. Dwindlingregional populations, improved accessibility to larger schools in regionaland metropolitan centres and increasing educational demands put the Bene-dictine Community under financial pressure. In addition, the downturn inthe rural economy reduced the income from the mission farming activitiesthat had previously supported the Community’s finances. Due to lack offunds and enrolments, the schools eventually closed in 1991. The MonasticCommunity was forced to devise new income earning strategies, while at thesame honouring their primary work of prayer as well as a variety of pastoraland manual work in the house and gardens.

Today, the Benedictine town of New Norcia is old by Australian stan-dards, with unique but fragile architecture. It remains Australia’s onlymonastic town. The monks are now a small (19 in number) and diversegroup of men of varying ages, backgrounds and nationalities and, as aconsequence, have unique structures as well as resources with which toundertake their business. The Order of Saint Benedictine continues to ownand operate the town of New Norcia, but the surrounding freehold land, isreduced to 10,000 hectares of farming land as well as a 400 hectareproperty at nearby Whitby Beach at Breton Bay. A bakehouse in Perth (NewNorcia Bakery & Café) also has a link with the Community.

Cultural and heritage tourism

Ashworth (1990), Zeppel and Hall (1992) and Burkart and Medlik (1974)claim that historical associations have long been one of the tourismindustry’s most marketable commodities and that pilgrimage in search ofspiritual profit is one of the oldest motives for travel. The last decade hasseen cultural and heritage tourism become a rapidly growing industry,especially in rural communities (Bachleitner & Zins 1999; Confer &Kerstetter 2000). The challenge to contemporary tourism managers andcommunity leaders is to develop strategies for sustainable cultural tourism.Sustainable in terms of maintaining the environment for the local commu-nity and not commodifying the experience to the point of either limiting theexperience for the tourists or interfering with the day-to-day life of the hostcommunity (Robinson 1999). Hall and Weiler (1992) maintain that touristsare increasingly demanding value for money and, unless the destination


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provides the individual or consumers with satisfaction, they will notpatronize it, even if it is free. There has been a marked shift to ‘active’ or‘experience’ holidays and a growing interest in cultural, educational andhistorical travel destinations. The active involvement of travellers in thecultural and/or physical environment is a key element of special interesttravel according to Hall and Weiler (1992). New Norcia provides a fasci-nating study in achieving a fine balance between the economic and spiritualgoals of a community.

The monks and their advisers recognized the resource they had in them-selves and their town as a potential heritage and cultural tourist site. Whilekeen to involve the visitor in the life and cultural offerings of the town, themonks were careful to avoid potential degradation of the quality of thetown’s socio-cultural and natural environments. The tourism programmeswere carefully devised to exploit the diverse resources within the Commu-nity while at the same time preserving the distinctive monastic peacefulnessand sense of place. Consequently, there have been no plans to build a resort,or even luxury accommodation suitable for large groups of adults. Largegroups are accommodated in what were previously the St Gertrude’s or StIldephonsus boarding schools and while some concessions have been madeto paying visitors, the facilities are relatively spartan. Meals at the twocolleges are wholesome, fresh but simply presented in a mass dining roomstyle. Meals served at the hotel are also served in the dining room but thereis a menu and some attention to a more intimate dining style. The Commu-nity owns all of the land in the town and the surrounding farm land so thereis no threat from other commercial operators who might capitalize on thepresence of the monks and the town but offer more commercial styles oftourist facility. Often a source of conflict in the development of the touristexperience is that the packaging is done away from the cultural site, withoutthe input of the cultural group (Robinson 1999). This is not the case in NewNorcia. The ownership, management and marketing of New Norcia isinitiated and directed by the monks in New Norcia. In effect, the monks settheir own rules.

The Community at New Norcia has also been mindful to acknowledgetheir associations with the local indigenous groups and, by so doing, addinga natural environment tourism thread to their range of tourist attractions.By recognizing the contribution of the Aboriginal people to the establish-ment of the farms and the construction of the buildings as well as the senseof place, the monks have developed exhibitions of Aboriginal culture in themuseum which, for overseas visitors, is a popular drawcard (Zeppel & Hall1992).

Small business development

A number of small businesses have evolved as offshoots from the monks‘home-making’ in New Norcia. These activities are distinct facets of the


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monks’ identity and cultural life, as Friedman (1999: 66) suggests, ‘homemaking’ has become very closely related to identity formation: ‘it is animportant arena of cultural production rather than a site of anxiouscocooning’. An important pillar of the Order of Saint Benedictine is theoffer of hospitality, as decreed in Matthew (25: 35) ‘All guests who presentthemselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for He Himself will say: “I was astranger and you welcomed me”’.

The monks have referred to their heritage for ways to develop theirtown’s future. In doing so, a range of small businesses has evolved. Forexample, one such venture involves combining education and tourism viautilizing the spectacular college buildings for special study and music campsfor both children and adults. Visitors are encouraged to visit the art galleryand purchase merchandize including the monks’ olive oil, breads and siena(or nut) cake cooked in the traditional way. The production and merchan-dizing of food products has been highly successful and the Community hasexpanded the bakery through a partnership with a baker in Perth whounderstands the Community’s ethos and baking traditions. As a conse-quence, New Norcia bread has become a status food in many of Perth’s fineeating establishments, while at the same time projecting the Benedictine wayof hospitality. The monks also offer spiritual retreats for people wantingrenewal, peace or prayer (Hutchison 1995). These clients are activelyencouraged to join with the monks in prayer and study.

The town of New Norcia employs about 65 staff, and represents thelargest employer in the Shire of Victoria Plains. Its impact on the localeconomic and social environment is substantial. Thirty thousand touristsvisit the town each year to experience some or all of the business venturesdescribed and to experience the monastic life of the town (personal inter-view, Benedictine Community representative 1999).

The transformation of the ‘lived’ environment of New Norcia has dualfoci. The primary aim is to preserve and sustain the monks’ lifestyle, whilethe second is to provide an income–earning experience for visitors thatconveys the monks’ heritage and beliefs. Recent literature describes other‘minority’ groups enlisting heritage and/or cultural tourism for financialgain (Haynes 1997; Turco 2000). Not all writers support the transforma-tion process, seeing the inclusion of tourists as causing a dilution of ritualsfor tourist consumption, and conflict in traditional values (Cohen 1988;Turco 2000).

The New Norcia experience is discussed by first examining place forma-tion or place attachment, then focusing on the functional, timing andemotional facets of the ‘place’ which is New Norcia. Each dimension will bediscussed with reference to the New Norcia experience. Strategies used totransfer the place experience to visitors whilst maintaining the monks’ ownsense of place are examined. Both researchers have visited New Norcia anumber of times and the research was carried out by the authors whilevisiting and conducting interviews with visitors at New Norcia.


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Formation of place

The purpose for the existence of New Norcia has changed significantly sinceit was founded more than 150 years ago. Then its

raison d’être

was thedemonstration of superior Catholic learning and culture and evangelizing tothe indigenous population. By the 1980s, it was clear that the Communityneeded a steady income over and above that of their agricultural pursuits inorder to maintain themselves and the unique built forms. New Norcia wasrecognized as a commodity that could be produced, marketed andconsumed, but it was important to re-package the town so as ‘to constructa new image of the place to replace either vague or negative images previ-ously held by ... residents, investors and visitors’ (Holcomb 1993: 133) inorder to make it attractive to a new market. The heritage, history, traditionsand even the monks’ lifestyle were developed as commodities in a unifiedmonastic image (Schreyer,

et al

. 1981; Philo & Kearns 1993) to beconsumed by a newly sought tourist market. Tuan (1977: 6) describes theevolution of attachment to place as taking time, and over time requiringknowledge and understanding that may infuse value on the space – ‘whatbegins as undifferentiated space becomes place as we get to know it betterand endow it with value’. Through their packaging of New Norcia, themonks are sharing their home and a place to which they have become deeplyattached and, through this attachment, their shared meanings. It is these‘real or imagined cultural traditions and representations’ (Hall 1997: 68)that are being specifically marketed at New Norcia.

In promoting New Norcia, effort has been made to present the town as anovernight, rather than a ‘day trip’ destination. Overnight accommodation isavailable from the hotel (the monks are the first religious order in Australiawith a hotel licence), the guesthouse within the monastery, small-groupaccommodation in the former nuns’ convent and large-scale accommoda-tion in the former boarding colleges. The longer-term visitor is preferred fora number of reasons. Overnight visitors offer the opportunity to achievemaximum tourist dollar from each tourist, keep tourist numbers to amanageable level (preserving the peaceful environment) and, providesufficient time for tourists to be infused with the town’s unique monasticpresence. The New Norcia Community does not want to attract mass-tourism but rather, wants to tap into the growth of the ‘special interest’market described by Ashworth and Tunbridge (2000: 55) as ‘the pursuit ofinterests that probably exist outside holidays’. Throughout the 1990s, thisniche market has developed world-wide, with a focus on enrichment whichis reflected in ‘the consumption of historical, cultural and even spiritualexperiences’ (Ashworth & Tunbridge 2000: 54). ‘Day visits to New Norciado not afford the time necessary to visit all the town sites and dwell on themonks’ life and heritage’ (personal interview, Benedictine Communityrepresentative 1999).

The formation of place is the result of complex interactions: Relph (1976:


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141) states it is ‘a fusion(s) of human and natural order ... defined less byunique location, landscape and communities than by focusing of experi-ences and intentions onto particular settings’. Relph (1976) goes on tospecify that places are ‘not abstractions or concepts’ but are real experiences‘full with meaning, with real objects, and with ongoing activities’. Relph(1976) emphasizes the importance of the human experience in the processof developing place. Recent writers take the same perspective, defining placein terms of an individual (or group, or society) interacting with the environ-ment and creating a bond (Hummon 1990; Altman & Low 1992; Altork1994; Fullilove 1996). The presence of the monks in their monastic garbdating from the middle ages creates an aura of authenticity which manyheritage precincts and cultural places aspire and often struggle to achievewithout appearing theme-park-like (Hall 1997).

Place is the nexus between people and the environment. Understandingthe scope of place as a physical entity, the process that creates the bond, andthe bond itself, contributes further to the understanding of place formation.

Physical space

Physical features have no ‘sense of place’ by themselves. As in any ongoingexchange, the meaning attached to the place develops over time (Pred 1996)and is influenced by what the person(s) brings to it (Williams,

et al

. 1992).The monastic heritage of New Norcia is symbolized in the built environ-ment of old buildings, art works and acreage land holdings. The builtenvironment and collected artefacts are the tangible focus for tourism. Thesurrounding natural landscape is simply typical of the Victoria Plains areaof which New Norcia is part.

From the monks’ perspective, the development of New Norcia as a touristdestination is a necessary reality for maintenance of the physical environ-ment: ‘The best way to maintain an old building is to live in it and make itwork’ (personal interview, Benedictine Community representative 1999).The built environment of New Norcia includes the roadhouse, the generalstore, the hotel, museum and art gallery, college accommodation, theChapel, farm buildings and the monastery itself. While many of thesebuildings are grand in size and architecture, the more humble purpose andsimply built structures also continue to be used and celebrated for theircontribution to the New Norcia experience. Preserving this built environ-ment is important from the monks’ perspective, as it is their heritage. Itrepresents their sense of past that reinforces their identity in the VictoriaPlains area as well as their future. There has not been any selection ofbuildings for preservation nor any attempts to convey an artificial orcontrived representation (Ashworth & Tunbridge 2000) of a ‘Spanishmonastic town’ in an Australian setting. Some merging architecture,however, adds to the unique and quaint atmosphere of the town. For


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example, outwardly, the roadhouse is typical of petroleum company-builtpetrol stations throughout the 1960s, but the interior has been decoratedwith pews for seating, heritage and ecclesiastic prints decorate the walls andthe menu has a religious theme. None the less, the roadhouse continues toprovide the services for which it was built – the sale of petrol and short-order food and drinks.

Research has shown that traditionally it is the built environment ofhistorical architecture that is an important attraction for local and overseasvisitors (Ashworth & Tunbridge 2000). The grand, architecturally designedbuildings of New Norcia denote the functional meaning of the place and areimportant in contributing to the setting which, in turn, impacts on the placeexperience (Schreyer,

et al

. 1981). By virtue of their unique architecture andhistorical purpose, the buildings at New Norcia differentiate themselvesfrom other tourist destinations in WA. Furthermore, being relativelyisolated in a farming community, the visitor is able to appreciate theuniqueness of the town while at the same time enjoying an Australian‘outback’ or bush experience.

Many of the buildings symbolize their ecclesiastic purpose. For localvisitors (West Australians), they symbolize part of the history of WesternAustralia, and therefore provide a sense of past and heritage. When firstentering New Norcia it is the buildings that create the image of grand,historic purpose. The built environment is significant in its contribution tothe experience of New Norcia, as these comments by visitors illustrate: ‘Ilike it that they (the monks) are here and the architecture is amazing, I guessthat is what makes New Norcia the place it is, the buildings AND themonks, one without the other would somehow diminish the experience’(visitor 1999); ‘The town does strike me as a spiritual place, I think becausethe monks are still there, and also the buildings have an ecclesiastical feelabout them (visitor 1999). The buildings generated mixed feelings andmemories for one respondent: ‘I liked looking at the buildings, they areabsolutely magnificent, but they need work badly. I’m glad I didn’t go toschool in those buildings, they look Dickensian and memories of (myeducation) and Brothers that taught me flooded back’ (visitor 1999).

The built environment of New Norcia is the visual symbol of its cultureand purpose. The buildings form part of the activities offered to tourists, byway of guided tours, and play a crucial role in developing the spiritualambience of the town.

Influence of time

Creation of the bond between people and a place evolves over time. Famil-iarity is a key psychological process that links individuals with theirsurroundings (Fullilove 1996). The tradition of New Norcia is centred onthe monks’ existence there for over 150 years. In packaging the experience


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of New Norcia the monks have had to open their doors to tourists – exposetheir lifestyle to the curious visitor and provide an opportunity to join withthem in their prayer. The monks continue their day-to-day routines and it isnot unusual for visitors to see the monks working around the town.

Tours of New Norcia run for two hours and give visitors a glimpse of themonks’ day-to-day life, and their history. The manner in which the tours aretaken is simple and uncomplicated. The tours are conducted on foot, withlocal guides without speaking aids (i.e. no loud hailers or amplification), allof which conveys the peace of New Norcia. It is by these acts of familiar-izing the tourist with the monks’ life that the place of New Norcia and itsattachment is developed.

In addition, visitors are carefully targeted. New Norcia is marketed onwhat it has to offer – monastic life in a rural, peaceful setting. Complemen-tary to the monastic life are the themes of heritage, music, learning andculture, all of which are offered to the visitor in a variety of packages.Matching the market to the New Norcia ‘product’ is a deliberate strategy.

We build relationships with people, we find out who the contact people are,we often invite them up here for familiarizations, get to know them, showthem what the town is about and particularly the school classes. We follow themovements of teachers, coordinators ... After a while you get to knoweveryone in your marketplace. We are not interested in going out there andputting great ads up for all West Australians, trying to get everyone to cometo the country. We are more interested in word of mouth through goodexperience and cross fertilization. (personal interview, Benedictine Commu-nity representative 1999)

Relationship building is a strategic focus which produces repeat businessand generates referrals from advocates of New Norcia. This ongoing rela-tionship nurtures both an understanding from the visitor of what NewNorcia has to offer and provides the Monastic community with an under-standing of how to provide a better product.

That is the way we tend to market, relationships building, identifying andkeeping very close to the people that come here to stay. Say if a school comeshere, we want a full appraisal at the end of it, sort of a debriefing. What werethe good experiences? What was the bad? We love the bad, if there is anythingwe can do about it, anything we can do better, we have got to get thatconstructive feedback. (personal interview, Benedictine Community represen-tative 1999)

New Norcia utilizes the impact of time in forming attachment to a place ordestination by targeting overnight-stay visitors rather than the (lower yield)day-tripper visitor. Further, there is a strong focus on developing relation-ships with clients to promote repeat business, referrals and advocates whocan promote the New Norcia experience. This experience is mouldedaround the monks’ lifestyle, which has remained relatively consistent over


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the years, in focusing on a prayerful, spiritual and self-sustaining existence.It is therefore, by its very nature, a process to be appreciated over time andnot one that can be consumed quickly. Indeed on entering the town one canfeel as if time has stood still. Most of the buildings are in original condition,and there is an air of nostalgia about the town. As one visitor commented:

One doesn’t arrive at New Norcia accompanied by hype. Rather, it is a take itor leave it experience. It requires the visitor to cast their mind back andimagine. No instant gratification here, but for those that think about thisplace, it gives one a sense of what life might have been at a different time andplace. When its time to leave, most would be relieved to know they are backin the modern. Their air-conditioned cars, their CD’s and no flies. (visitor1999)

Affective bonding

The study of ‘place’ is also referred to either as the study of ‘affectivebonding’ to the environment (Altman & Low 1992) or the ‘emotionalinvestment’ in place (Hummon 1990). Place encourages many feelings. Theemotional bond that forms between an individual, group or society and thephysical environment can be formed regardless of place – such as belonging,privacy, control, attachment and security attributes – but relies onmemories, meanings, and sentiments (Korpela 1989; Kruger 1996).Although difficult to articulate and define, these components of placeattachment form the glue that binds people to place (Stokols 1981). It is theintangible attribute of place. The monks at New Norcia share selectedmemories and meanings with visitors in their tours and open prayer oppor-tunities. Their identity is symbolized in the environment by the style ofbuildings and possessions. Psychological and sociological fields of studyhave referred to ‘place identity’ as an outcome of familiarity with thephysical environment and as a subset of self-identity.

The visitors to New Norcia attribute memories to New Norcia based ontheir own experiences and in that way connect themselves with the place.This process is individualistic and often difficult to summarize. Attachmentto a place is often transitory when compared to that of the local inhabitants.However, the memory can last for many years (Altman & Low 1992).Visitors’ reactions reveal some attempts to define just what it is about NewNorcia that makes it unique to each respondent:

The place really touched me, the story of how the founders came to be there,the completeness of the town, the links with the Aborigines, the art collectionand the fabulous story about the miracle all added to the allure of the town. Ithink I would like to go there for a religious retreat some time. (visitor 1999)

I am pleased that my children get to experience New Norcia through schoolcamps and visits. I am not a religious person and yet I want them to be


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exposed to all of it. I like the monks not pushing the religious and yet it’s allaround. I can’t explain it any better than that. (visitor 1999)

The heat is relentless. The hotel sits in its sea of browning grass and red gravel,this extends as far as the eye can see. It’s beautiful and quiet this I like. Onlythe sound of the birds getting nectar from the oleander trees along theverandah. I could visit here again if only to sit on this verandah again, awayfrom the telephone, anonymous. (visitor 1999)

Conclusion

The New Norcia case study illustrates how, with careful planning andmanagement, a symbiotic relationship can be developed between place as aneconomic commodity and place as spatial identification for the local popu-lation. Although the two concepts are often the source of conflict (Herrschel1999), the New Norcia experience has shown that highly targeted touristmarketing, developing relationships for repeat usage, and promoting uniqueopportunities all contribute to achieving visitor numbers, while conservingthe environment necessary for the monks’ way of life.

The transformation from a dedicated monastic mission and then areligious education facility to a tourist destination with a variety of busi-nesses has been guided by a commitment to the unique physical and spiri-tual space of the town. The monks have looked to their traditions andidentified those that have currency in the marketplace while keeping faithfulto their ideals. The monks have taken control of the packaging of NewNorcia and, in this respect, exhibit a somewhat unique case study for othertourist-historic towns. New Norcia has followed the classic progressiontypical of a regional ‘historic gem’ town – initial growth, eclipse and then asubsequent concentration on tourist activity (Ashworth & Tunbridge2000). It is one of many stories in Australia’s history that is still living in ourmidst and can be told to generations to come by conveying the meaning andsentiment of the place of New Norcia.

New Norcia represents an example of heritage and cultural tourism. Theaesthetic, visual and theatrical appeal of the Community and town has beencarefully and subtly exploited, providing an experiential tourism experi-ence. From a general tourist perception, it provides an insightful experienceby reinforcing the culture of the monks, as well as an appreciation of uniquearchitecture and colonial history. Indeed, tourism trends signal a growingdemand toward more challenging and personal fulfilment-based holidayplaces, along with the need for rest and relaxation (Zeppel & Hall 1992;Elliot & Johns 1993). New Norcia provides an opportunity to rest andrelax, along with the opportunity to witness and experience a unique ruralway of life.

New Norcia is not packaged as a sightseeing, resort destination. The NewNorcia experience is a carefully integrated blend of educational, cultural


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and environmental tourism with historical dimensions. It blends these facetsfor the targeted tourists of all ages who go to New Norcia to join in the lifeand history of the place, not just to consume its offerings.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the assistance given to usby the Benedictine Community of New Norcia in preparation of this paper.

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Biographical notes

Maria M. Ryan is currently a Lecturer in the School of Marketing, Tourismand Leisure at Edith Cowan University, Perth Western Australia. She iscompleting her PhD in Marketing, examining sense of place and consump-tion behaviour at the Graduate School of Management, University of


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Western Australia. Her research interests include place and the environ-ment, particularly rural environments, and their impact on consumptionbehaviour. (School of Marketing, Tourism and Leisure, Faculty of Businessand Public Management, Edith Cowan University, Pearson Street, Church-lands, Western Australia 6018, Australia; e-mail: [email protected])

Fiona Haslam McKenzie is a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute ofRegional Development at the University of Western Australia. She alsoteaches in the Faculty of Business and Public Management at Edith CowanUniversity, Perth. Her area of research interest is political geography andregional development. (Institute of Regional Development, University ofWestern Australia, Crawley, 6009, Australia; e-mail: [email protected])

Résumé: En quête de tourisme monastique: l’agencement d’une destination

Cet article décrit la transformation qui a lieu à New Norcia, une petite ville de campagne del’ouest australien. A l’origine une mission vivant en autarcie de moines bénédictins qui desser-vaient la paroisse indigène, tout en pratiquant un mode de vie ecclésiastique, la ville,aujourd’hui, se développe en produit touristique sur la base d’une experience spéciale. Unestratégie de développement touristique soigneusement orchestrée a permis et la protection et lacontinuité de l’habitus unique des moines malgré sa commodification et sa transformation.L’article relate l’histoire de New Norcia et examine son développement comme destinationtouristique. Les strategies utilisées pour effectuer cette transformation sont analysées d’aprèsune structure issue de la littérature sur la signification des lieux. Les experiences et les percep-tions des touristes, receuillies par les auteurs lors de visites à New Norcia, sont incorporéestout au long de la discussion.

Mots-clés: New Norcia, signification des lieux, tourisme durable, tourisme sur la base d’expérience(s), développement regional

Zusammenfassung: Eine monastische Touristenerfahrung: Die Verpackung eines Ortes

Dieser Beitrag beschreibt die derzeitige Veränderung von New Norcia, einer kleinen Landstadtim Bundesstaat Western Australia. Ursprünglich eine selbstversorgende Missionssiedlung vonBenediktinermönchen, die sich bei monastischem Lebensstil der Verkündigung der einheimis-chen Bevölkerung verschrieben hatte, entwickelt sich die Stadt nun zu einem touristischenSelbsterfahrungsort. Der Erhalt der einzigartigen mönchischen Lebensweise wird erreichtdurch eine sorgfältig ausgearbeitete Tourismusstrategie, welche das klösterliche Leben fort-führt, aber auch Anpassung und Wandlung zulässt. Der Beitrag beschreibt zunächst dieGeschichte von New Norcia und diskutiert dann dessen Entwicklung zu einer touristischenDestination. Dabei werden die angewandten Strategien dieser Wandlung im Rahmen der Liter-atur zum‚ (Selbst-)Verständnis des Ortes’ besprochen. Erfahrungen und Wahrnehmungen vonTouristen, welche von den Verfassern während ihres Besuchs in New Norcia gesammelt wur-den, sind in die gesamte Diskussion eingeschlossen.

Stichwörter: New Norcia, (Selbst-)Verständnis des Ortes, nachhaltiger Tourismus, Erfahrungstourimus, Regionalentwicklung


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Documents

A monastic tourist experience: the packaging of a place