Day 132 - Geraldton to Cervantes

A beautiful day today saw us heading south, with Cervantes being our target for the day.

We lost contact with the broad acre farming about 50km from Geraldton.  The rolling grassed sand hills continued but this time there were some dairy cattle and sheep dotted around the pastures. There were plenty of "horizontal" trees along the way. 

160814 Windblown trees south of Geraldton

Dongara/Port Denison was our first port of call.  These are "twin" towns on either side of the Irwin River.  The area's historical past was in evidence and we passed many sandstone buildings, some of which were restored but most of which were derelict. 

160814 A restored home in Dongara

160814 Port Denison from the Fisherman's Memorial Lookout

160814 Looking south from the Fisherman's Memorial Lookout

160814 The mouth of the Irwin River between Port Denison and Dongara

160814 A lookout along the beach at Port Denison.
131 steps and our exercise for the day

Thirty kilometres from Dongara we left the Brand Highway and joined the Indian Ocean Drive which goes all the way to Perth, hugging the coastal sand dunes on the way.  From this point on we were driving through undulating dunes covered with acacias of varying sizes but which were in varying degrees of adornment with flowers.  It wasn't spectacular from a wildflower perspective.

Over time, fishing villages have developed near to safe harbour lagoons.  These are home to some of the fishermen fishing for rock lobsters.  However, because they are only a few hundred miles north of Perth, they are becoming places for holiday homes.  The homes are very modern and some are very, very large.  Leeman, Green Head and Jurien Bay are such villages and we visited each of them as we headed south.   As ever, the water was sparkling clean and a sunny day did help its cause.  It is no wonder this is called the Turquoise Coast.

160814 Sea birds at home on a rock in Leeman harbour

160814 The fishing village of Leeman

160814 Dried sea grass on the beach at Green Head

160814 The village of Green Head

160814 A Wild Turkey nestling in the dried sea grass
on the beach at Green Head

160514 A wattle with a purple friend, beachside at Jurien Bay

160814 Jurien Bay from the south

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.

Day 130 - Around Geraldton

Well, Geraldton was at its best today.  A gentle zephyr of a breeze and a temperature of 27 degrees with sunshine all around.  Downside was, we weren't going anywhere significant today.

We did go and walk the city centre but it did not take us long.  On the way home we saw a huge ore ship entering the ever so tiny harbour.  The harbour was barely wide enough to allow the three tugs to turn the ship around.  However they did it successfully.

140814 Berthing an ore ship in Geraldton Harbour with three tugs.
We know we can, we know we can!

140814 Berthing an ore ship in Geraldton Harbour - 10 out of 10

Oh, and while we did not go looking for wildflowers, we saw the town's namesake, a Geraldton Wax, right at the entrance to the caravan park.  Like the old saying goes, "Some of the most beautiful things are right at your front door", or something like that anyway.

140814 A Geraldton Wax shrub at the caravan park's entrance.
There's a white one in the background

Day 129 - More around Geraldton

Today was caravan service day so that is done - except - we found the reason for tyres scrubbing and wearing unevenly on one side.  The wheels need alignment so that is now the Friday task.  The upside is that we are becoming very proficient at coupling and uncoupling the van.

As usual the imagination of people never ceases to amaze us.  Check out the numberplate.

130814 A number plate of which any Lexus owner would be proud 

Today we visited the HMAS Sydney Memorial on a hill behind Geraldton.  The memorial is quite impressive, not solely for its site and appearance or the way it is maintained but also for the symbolism in the way the elements have been designed.  The focal point is a sphere comprising 645 stainless steel seagull cutouts, one for each sailor lost in the sinking.  Within the sphere are a red and a green light, as on a ship, which burn perpetually.  Surrounding the sphere at ground level are two granite walls into which have been etched the names of each of the sailors, their jobs on the ship and their state of origin.  At the front of the site there is a three faced steel pillar, a stele, about 20m high, symbolising the bow of the ship.  To one side there is a sunken fountain symbolising the depths to which the ship sank and a seagull with wings outstretched with one wing tip touching the fountain base, at the points of latitude and longitude that mark the site of the sinking.  To the north, a bronze statue of a woman gazes desperately out to sea as she awaits news of the ill-fated Sydney. 

The wreck of HMAS Sydney was found in March 2008.

130814 The HMAS Memorial at Geraldton

130814 The seagull in the sunken fountain

130814 The bronze statue of a woman waiting on the shore waiting for news

130814 Geraldton from the HMAS Sydney Memorial site

We also had time to visit the museum and were entertained by a staff member who related the story of the Batavia, shipwrecked on the Zuytdorp cliffs near Steep Point.  One interesting aspect was that some of the Batavia's ballast, sandstone from Germany, was to be used to construct a portal on one of the forts in Batavia.  The sandstone ballast was recovered from the wreck site and reconstructed in the museum.

130814 The reconstructed portal planned for the fort at the original island of Batavia

The museum also had a display featuring the machines invented by Leonardo Da Vinci.  There were fifty of them which are doing a world tour currently.  We were quite selective about the ones we photographed.  What a man he must have been.

130814 A LDV invention - a car driven by wooden springs

130814 A LDV invention - a differential

130814 A LDV invention - a bike with a flexible chain drive

130814 A LDV invention - a forerunner of today's helicopters

Day 128 - A Little Bit More of Geraldton

We have little trouble describing Geraldton as the "windy city" as we awoke this morning to the noise of it whistling through the she oaks lining both sides of the caravan.

Today was to be a "fix the washing machine" day.  We dutifully delivered the washing machine in the caravan (we couldn't get it out) at 8.30am to the repair shop (on the other side of Geraldton) as requested, only to find the promised repair man would not be in until after lunch.*#*#**.  Final negotiations had him coming to the caravan park between 1 and 5 pm so back we went, set up the van again and waited.  He arrived at 11am, fixed the machine and left us the afternoon to gad about.  Good things come to those who wait!

Our gad about took us along the Geraldton waterfront and along the northern beaches.  Geraldton's city centre is on the beach esplanade and the wharves and marinas are smack dab in the middle of the place.  There are accessible beaches north and south of the town.  The sand is white and the waves whiter again, as they tumble across the many rock or reef barriers at varying distances from the shore. The water is that customary dark blue to turquoise.  Geraldton is a beautifully maintained place, clean, oozing discrete opulence, old buildings beautifully preserved and new buildings modern, yet contributing to Geraldton's subtle flair.  Commerce and industry meld comfortably with the beachside environment.

120814 On the beachfront pavement - even the locals think its beautiful

120814 Many marinas, many boats

120814 A tuna boat in a city marina

120814 Geraldton's foreshore

120814 Typical beachfront development in Geraldton

120814 Looking towards Geraldton from Sunset Beach

One most interesting building was Nazareth House built to plans provided by Monsignor John Hawes, a Catholic Priest who was an architect by training and designed many ecclesiastical buildings in and around Geraldton.  It was built in 1941, initially for young boys and girls from overseas without parents.  It is now a  home for the elderly. 

120814 Nazareth House

120814 Nazareth House across the Chapman River

120814 The Chapman River looking upstream.
It is not currently open to the sea

Day 127 - A little bit of Geraldton

Today was car service day.  Tomorrow is washing machine repair day and Wednesday is caravan service day.  Fortunately, Geraldton is big enough to provide these services but there is a cost to us.  We are unable to gallivant around with ease.  So today we stayed close to the caravan.

We did mange to take in Grey's Beach, one of the ten or so beaches in Geraldton, which is about a 5 minute walk from the caravan park.  Nearby is the Point Moore Lighthouse.  It is made of steel and is the largest such structure in Australia at 34m high.  Its light can be seen 26km out to sea.  It was imported from England in sections and assembled on site in 1878.

110814 Grey's Beach with erosion

110814 Point Moore Lighthouse

Just waiting to see what kind of sunset we have this evening.  Not too bad!

110814 Sunset at Geraldton

110814 Sunset at Geraldton