St Patrick’s Church

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This Catholic sandstone church (1844) was built on land donated by William Davis, who was transported to Australia from Ireland without trial due to his role in the 1798 Irish Rebellion. Inside it’s incredibly quiet, which makes the brass altar, stained-glass windows and colourful statues of St Patrick, St Joan of Arc and St Michael even more striking. Guided tours are infrequent but worthwhile; check the website.

Davis' home (on the site of the chapel-turned-cafe) was arguably the first Catholic chapel in Australia; it was used for clandestine devotions and secretly housed a consecrated host after the colony’s only Catholic priest was deported in 1818.

Transportation

  • train: Wynyard

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