Our Top 10 List: Favourite Religious Sites of Australia
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This list is our own personal Top-Ten Religious Sites we have seen in our travels around Australia, mostly from our 2008 around Australia trip.
1. Shrine of Our Lady of Yankalilla, South Australia
If you look very closely you may or may not see the image of Mary in the corner of this picture. Some people have reported seeing the image of Mary on the wall of this church, and it has now become a pilgrimage for people who believe this sort of thing. The Shrine of Our Lady of Yankalilla is inside the Anglican parish church in Yankalilla, a town south-east of Adelaide, in South Australia.
2. Chapels in New Norcia, WA
In the monastery town of New Norcia, north of Perth, are a couple of chapels that remind us of old European churches, not something you see in Australia very often.
3. Serbian Orthodox Church, Coober Pedy, SA
People live underground in Coober Pedy to escape the heat, so it makes sense to build a church underground too.
4. Mary McKillop Centre, Penola, SA
Penola is a special place, where Mary MacKillop co-founded the uniquely Australian Sisters of St Joseph in 1866. We were there before she became a saint.
5. Smallest Church in Australia, Australind, WA
The Saint Nicholas Church in Australind, built in the 1840’s, is the smallest church in Western Australia.
6. Sevenhills Winery, Clare Valley, SA
The Jesuits built Sevenhills Winery in the Clare Valley. It is a great place to stop on your winery tour, with a cooling patch of grass, an air-conditioned tasting room with refreshing wines. The winery is one of the oldest in Australia, starting in 1851. After some wine tasting, you should explore their museum, wine cellar, church and crypt.
7. Wiseman’s Ferry Cemetery, NSW
Wiseman’s Ferry is a very small quaint township, with a very historic old cemetery containing the remains of Mr Higgs, who came out to Australia with James Cook and then again on the first fleet.
8. St Mary’s by The Sea, Port Douglas, QLD
St Mary’s by The Sea. This is a beautiful little chapel right by the sea, as the name implies.
9. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
10. Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo, VIC
Sacred Heart Cathedral is one of Australia’s largest churches. Go inside you will be surprised that we have in regional Victoria such a ‘European’ type old church.
more? St Kilian’s Church, Bendigo, VIC is one of the largest timber churches in the world. It is very peaceful and quiet inside with great paintings and stained glass windows.