It’s not another Monastery stay. This overnight visit was to a Preventory. There are striking similarities, but this one is much smaller. The Prev isn’t a monastic village; it’s a large home that once served the poor in the country town of Kellerberrin instead.
During the 20s, it housed sick and malnourished children and Kellerberrin families that struggled throughout that decade. The Sisters of St Joseph ran the place until the 1970s. After this, it decayed and slowly fell into disrepair until some private buyers saw its potential as a bed and breakfast. The Prev was on its way to making a comeback — and our opportunity to experience it.
It’s not unusual to travel around Australia and see many prominent places of worship like these abandoned. It’s a sign of the times. Few young people are entering Seminaries and Convents. Some of the larger facilities near cities have been converted into public universities, whilst others on the community’s fringes are left to wither or become holiday accommodations. It’s both a historical tragedy and a traveller’s opportunity.
If you like to stay in strange and unusual places, I encourage you to explore The Prev (formerly The Preventory)—a place of respite found on the peripheries of Kellerberrin (Western Australia, 2.5 hours’ drive east of Perth). Its grand ceilings, creaky floors, and musty leather/timber furniture smells are experiences you shouldn’t miss. You’ll even see what Pious life was like from the other side of the looking glass.
Okay, the plumbing isn’t perfect, and there are dust and cobwebs in hard-to-reach places. The chairs and tables don’t match. Modern building additions are attached to old-world originals. Peeling paint, rust stains, weeds, and cracked concrete are also part of the package.
Nuns didn’t require much electricity in 1928, so expect fewer power points.
That’s fine because it’s all part of the charm, too.
What I find most interesting is exploring the many rooms and hallways. There’s always something new to look at and something exciting to discover. (I found an old valve radio that still worked!)
There is a catch to finding unique accommodation gems like these and then mentioning them on a post like this. Gems like these don’t stay around forever. When a private owner dreams of buying an old property such as this one and turning it into accommodation, sometimes their dream is greater than their ability to reinvigorate the project. They can’t get ahead of its upkeep, much less improve. The Prev sits on five acres of dry land, and the building itself was a hundred years old before the couple bought it. The garden is unkempt, and the roof needs replacing. Yes, that’s what makes it charming, but it’s also a sign that things are getting out of hand. It will need many hands and a good cash injection to stop it from sliding into oblivion. I fear The Prev will vanish from the accommodation list if you don’t visit it soon.
As I mentioned earlier, it reminds me of our last Monestry stay. We were fortunate enough to be guests there, too, but its status may change soon. Its farm is being sold to pay for redress cases. Let’s hope it is not lost because it’s a fabulous way to experience country life in a barren region of Australia.
Like New Norcia, The Prev teeters between the past and the future, dreams, social, and financial challenges. This is why I recommend you switch any long-term plan to visit The Prev sooner rather than later. We stayed in it within four weeks of booking it. I don’t think I’d want to extend my planning further than that, nor should you. You may arrive to find it on the market and a closed sign on the front door!
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