Monastery Landing

Author

Shire of Denmark

Place Number

23935

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Location

Frankland River Nornalup

Location Details

Reserve 13045 (Walpole - Nornalup National Park)

Local Government

Denmark

Region

Great Southern

Construction Date

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
RHP - Does not warrant assessment	Current	19 Mar 2021

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	28 Jun 2011	Exceptional Significance	Exceptional Significance DESCRIPTION: Essential to the heritage of the locality. Rare or outstanding example. DESIRED OUTCOME: The place should be retained and conserved unless there is no feasible and prudent alternative to doing otherwise. Any alterations or extensions should reinforce the significance of the place, and be in accordance with a Conservation Plan (if one exists for the place).

Statement of Significance

The Monastery Landing is of aesthetic significance, in that its location is one of exceptional natural beauty. Set in the karri and tingle forest with the Frankland River flowing through the area, the Landing is in a natural setting. The Monastery Landing is of historic significance as, in 1910, Minister for Lands and Agriculture, (Sir) James Mitchell visited the Frankland River and reached Monastery Landing in the company of Pierre Bellanger. He was overwhelmed by the natural beauty and later declared the area an A Class Reserve, which became the Nornalup National Park, the first in WA.

Physical Description

Jetty constructed 1920's.
A simple wooden jetty with handrail on the banks of the Frankland River. The waterfront setting among the karri trees is of exceptional beauty.

History

This landing was built in a location that Pierre Bellanger said that if it had been in France, a Monastery would have been built there. Originally a small stream ran into the river beside the landing. This has been disturbed by road construction.
“The true Monastery got its name when a mist rose and it formed a ceiling, and the Karri trees on the waters edge formed the pillars, and the waters were so still, it was like a highly polished floor. As they went up the river, the birds started calling and it was like entering into a big cathedral. So that’s how the Monastery got its name. Not that there’s ever been a Monastery there. But you get the feeling.” (Gary Muir, Changing Channels, 2004).
These two stories are given as the origins of Monastery Landing. It was also on a trip up the river with Pierre Bellanger that (Sir) James Mitchell decided that the area should be preserved as an A class Reserve, the forerunner to the Nornalup National Park, the first in WA, in 1910.

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	C Smart & J Bryant; "Changing channels: reflections on the Frankland Gordon River : a community history".	Cranbrook, WA : Frankland Gordon Catchment Management Group.	2004
	Oral History, James Bown Harrison, grandson of Frank Skinner Thompson, settler of the Deep River in 1910.

Place Type

Landscape

Creation Date

27 Feb 2012

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

29 Nov 2019

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.