Monsignor Hawes Heritage Centre

Monsignor Hawes - discover the man behind the work

This modern and beautifully interpreted display showcases the life and architecture of priest and prolific architect Monsignor John Hawes, who arrived in the Mid West in 1915. Excerpts from Hawes’ diaries, endearing anecdotes and factual information paint a picture not only of Hawes’ extraordinary accomplishments but of the man behind the work. The Monsignor Hawes Heritage Centre sits aside one of Hawes’ greatest masterpieces - Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral. The cathedral was one 16 buildings Hawes designed and saw constructed over 24 years in the Mid West, in what was to be remembered as his most prolific design period.

Address:

56 Cathedral Ave
Geraldton WA 6530
Australia

Opening Hours

7 days 10am - 4pm

A gift of gratitude in grief

In 1924 12-year-old Mullewa boy Selby Arnolds fell into a railway water supply dam. Monsignor John Hawes was among those who tried to rescue the child, diving repeatedly into the muddy waters in a...

Jewel in the crown of architect-priest’s constructions

Famed architect-priest Monsignor John Hawes fashioned this stunningly intricate model of Geraldton’s Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral to guide the design of the cathedral which graces Geraldton’s...

Faithful friend

If any one aspect of the Monsignor Hawes collection best reveals the man himself, perhaps it’s the story of his love for his dog. The fox terrier, Havelock Dominie, became the priest’s constant...

More Coral Coast collections

Lighthouse keeper's cottage

Geraldton Historical Society houses its collection in the delightful Bluff Point Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage - a whitewashed building which served as the home of the Geraldton lighthouse keeper and...

Sharing the language and culture of Australia’s first people

The Irra Wangga Language Centre is housed within Geraldton’s Bundiyarra Cultural Precinct. It works to preserve, share and promote the languages of the region’s Indigenous people. Here you can see and...

Artistic heart of Geraldton

Geraldton Regional Art Gallery houses its vibrant and ever-changing mix of collections in what was formerly Geraldton’s Town Hall, built in 1907. The gallery’s traditional exterior belies a modern...

More than a country courthouse collection

Yalgoo of the 1900s is captured in the old Court House Museum. Learn about the people of the region through the interesting array of objects and photographs. Including rarely seen ‘message sticks’ or...

While you're in the area

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