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Published: April 27th 2012
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Geraldton
Main Street Geraldton
24
th & 25
th April
Perched on the edge of the Indian Ocean, with a Mediterranean climate, Geraldton is a busy developing city and the capital of Australia’s Coral Coast. As a city, first impressions did not do it justice for us and only spending some time here and exploring what there is, changed this perception. This part of Australia abounds with history predating British colonisation, and one event that dominates this area is the Batavia shipwreck and mutiny in 1629. The Dutch East India Company ship Batavia ran aground at the Albrohos (a group of 122 islands 55klm off the coast of Geraldton) and her survivors made it to land only to face a bloody mutiny in which 125 men, women and children were killed. Before the mutiny erupted, a small band of survivors set off in a longboat for Batavia (todays Jakarta) to organise a rescue. They made it to Batavia in the tiny boat and returned months later only to learn of the mutiny that happened whilst they were away. A replica of the longboat was constructed in 2003 and is now sitting in the new museum.
There appears to be a lot of redevelopment
Geraldton
Main Street of the waterfront area (reminded me of Newcastle, NSW on a smaller scale), and I feel that if we visited again in five years much will have changed, but as it is now we saw a lot of old historic buildings and a main street that needs a lot of TLC. New shopping centres have a lot to answer in how we maintain the heritage areas in cities like this. The city has a strong mining population of FIFO (fly in fly out) families and this new, big, money is obviously driving the new housing development.
In 1849 John Septimus Roe, Western Australia’s first Surveyor General, surveyed the town site. The town was named after the Governor of the Colony, Sir Charles Fitzgerald. (well, you couldn’t name it Fitzgeraldton could you !!). The Geraldine Lead Mine on the Murchison River was also named in his honour and it was the need to establish facilities for the export of lead from the mine that resulted in a port being built at Champion Bay (On which Geraldton is sited) and in 1860 a jetty was built to improve port facilities.
The Geraldton Port is now a large and busy facility
Geraldton
City with Port area in the background and features prominently along the foreshore. A large grain export port, as well as host to around 200 Lobster boats that work the mid-west coast from here, together with a small fleet of boats servicing the Albrohos islands makes this the largest industry in Geraldton. This is the hub of the single biggest industry to the town, the $90m a year WA Rock Lobster Industry,again excellent for our exports! The port also hosts passenger Cruise Liners going up the coast and across to Indonesia, in fact Kiwi Ben Roberts (see Busso Blogs) is calling in here on his cruise around the top end and Indonesia on the 30
th of this month, it is a shame we will miss his visit here.
No visit here should be done without visiting the HMAS Sydney II Memorial. The HMAS Sydney II and her men disappeared after a battle with the German raider, HSK Kormoran. While the Kormoran was also lost, many of her crew survived the ordeal. High up on the top of Mount Scott overlooking the town, is a beautifully designed silver dome of 645 seagulls each representing one of the lost HMAS Sydney II crew, a very impressive centre piece!
Geraldton
HMAS Sydney II Memorial The southern wall shows photographs of the ship and the names of the HMAS Sydney II crew. To the north looking out to sea on the exact compass bearing where the ship lies is a bronze statue of a woman, named “The Waiting Woman” gazing out to sea as she awaits news of the ill-fated Sydney. Finally after many years of research by various groups, Australia’s most enduring maritime tragedy was solved with the discovery of the wreck of HMAS Sydney II on Sunday 16
th March 2008 at a depth of 2468 metres approx 207 km off the Geraldton coast. The HMAS Sydney II Memorial Fifth Element, is also situated here and no less stunning. A circular reflection pool with water cascading down (into the depths) with the 645
th Gulls’ wingtip just breaking the Pool’s (sea) surface before diving under to join the other 644 gulls below. This magnificent memorial has become the country’s premier site for honouring the 645 Australian servicemen who were lost during a battle at sea in 1941. The following morning we attended the ANZAC Dawn Service at the RSL Cenotaph in Geraldton with a blood red sunrise as a backdrop. Can you believe that well
Geraldton
Plaque commemorating the finding of HMAS Sydney II after so many years lost at sea. over 1000 people attended the service and both the NZ and Australian National Anthems were represented. What a great service and a fitting end to our time in Geraldton.
Other places we visited were the Fisherman’s Wharf complex where the Lobster Fishing Industry is located. The Batavia Coast Marina, a trendy residential housing and offices complex along the waterfront that also houses the WA Museum Geraldton and the Marina (pleasure craft). And, the St Francis Xavier Cathedral completed in 1938, a striking building in the heart of the city that astounds when you go inside!.
Geraldton is a good base for the surrounding region and we found it pretty interesting once we delved below the surface of the place.
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