Catholic Diocese of Broome

Plans for Sacred Heart church were drawn up by Fr Thomas Bachmair (Pallottine Order) some time prior to 1908. At that time the construction was beyond the means of the Beagle Bay Mission Community.

Work finally began on the church in 1915 during a time when the German Pallottine priests and brothers were confined to Beagle Bay Mission due to war-time restrictions on their movements.

The design, a combined effort that was finally passed as practical, was shown to the mission people as something that was to belong to them and of which they could be proud. Perhaps to please the missionaries in their time of trial they began the task with at least a show of interest but, as the building took shape, they worked with genuine enthusiasm and unprecedented constancy. Day after day parties set off into the bush or to the coast to cut timber, cart sand, dig clay and gather tons of broken shells for lime. As the timber structure mounted, 60,000 double clay bricks were shaped and baked in stone kilns and thousands of live shells, mother of pearl and many other varieties from small cockles, cones and trochus to giant clams and bailers for holy water fonts were gathered in from a wide range of coastal waters and tidal reefs. (The Rock and the Sand. London, Constable, 1969. Page198)

The interior of the church is decorated with shells, including mother of pearl, cowries, volutes and olives. While the mother of pearl has been used to decorate the main altar, the side altars are inlaid with opercula, a rare stone taken from shellfish. Some of the decoration formed the tribal symbols of the Njul Njul, the Nimanborr and the Bard people of the area while others formed the lamb, the fish and shepherd’s crook of the Christian faith.

On 15 August 1918, on the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, the Sacred Heart Church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Fr Creagh, the Apostolic Administrator of the Kimberley Vicariate.

Funds are urgently needed to assist in the conservation and restoration of Sacred Heart Church, Beagle Bay. The church, which was completed in 1917, has stood as a sturdy monument to early settlement and the history of the Kimberley.

Time, white ants, cyclones, heat and damp have taken their toll on this unique building. Over recent years a lot of work has been done to conserve the church building. The roof and guttering have been replaced, a new concrete floor has been laid and the unique pearl inlay to the tiles on the floor has been restored. A damp proof barrier has also been injected into the walls of the church building.

Despite all this work the bell tower section collapsed in September 2000. With the generous support from thousands of individuals and organisations from all over Australia and grants from organisations such as Lotterywest, Heritage Council of WA, Kimberley Development Commission, The Department of Environment and Heritage and Catholic Church Insurances Ltd the bell tower has been restored and was officially blessed by Bishop Christopher Saunders on 3 November 2002.

While the bell tower looks wonderful the rest of the church is still in very poor condition. Dampness has caused a lot of damage to the render and brickwork of the church walls. Drainage work needs to be undertaken around the church building, the ceiling needs replacing and work needs to be done to conserve and restore the unique pearl altars in the building.

Any donation you can make to help with these works will be appreciated. Donations to help conserve and restore Sacred Heart Church can be made payable to the National Trust of Australia (WA). All donations over $2.00 are tax deductible. Donations can also be made using your credit card. Please download the donation form, complete the details and forward to Sacred Heart Church, Conservation & Restoration Appeal, PO Box 76, Broome WA 6725.

"The above information has been sourced from the Conservation Plan prepared by John Taylor Architect. Sept 1998"