Day 131 WA Rock Lobsters etc

Today was our final day in Geraldton.  

After submitting the van to a specialist for an alignment of the caravans wheels, we took a morning tour in the Geraldton Fishing Cooperative, the state's biggest processor of crayfish.  They are called the WA rock lobster here and sold as such.  The cooperative has about 120 boats fishing for lobster between Shark Bay and Fremantle.  Sadly the factory was not in operational mode as the boats weren't due back until this afternoon.  However, we did see one crate of lobsters delivered to the wharf.  The lobsters are sorted according to colour, size and how many legs have been lost and on which side.  Japanese like the lobster light in colour, the Chinese big dark coloured ones with no more than two legs missing but not on the same side.  They are now only exported live and there is a well managed system to get them from the wharf to the Asian table in 36 hours.  They are also sold in the USA and Europe.

150814 A wide variety of rock lobsters caught off WA coast

150814 Seawater tanks with lobsters in plastic boxes awaiting sorting

150814 Tanks with sorted lobsters - size, colour and number of legs

150814 A small lobster

150814 A large lobster

150814 There's an octopus in there - with his octopus's garden

We filled in the rest of the day watching a torturous process of lifting a tug from the water and eventually finding an asylum seekers boat which made it to Geraldton on its way to NZ, some time ago.  There was also a sardine boat which was captured with a cargo of cocaine aboard.  Both boats are in quarantine and the authorities don't know what to do with them.

15081 One of Geraldton's tugs being taken from the water

150814 An asylum seeker's boat - made it to Geraldton Harbour 

150814 A sardine boat captured offshore and full of cocaine - note the barnacles

To fill in time waiting to pick up the caravan, we dined on fish and chips on the foreshore, visited Separation Point and saw some interesting trees.

150814 Great snorkelling reef off Separation Point in Geraldton

150814 There are many trees like this in Geraldton

Our final duty for the day was to buy some lobster tails and oysters to have for a special dinner this evening.

150814 Our celebratory dinner  for our 50th wedding anniversary

150814 Rock lobster, oysters - pickled octopus not visible

This will end our stay in Geraldton and we must reiterate, it is a lovely town and our stay, apart from the equipment servicing obligations, has been most enjoyable.