Blogs from Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia, Oceania

Greenough 24th April Greenough is 27klm south of Geraldton and deserving of a Blog in its own right (I feel!). Sitting on the Greenough Flats a flood plain close to the mouth of the Greenough River is the Central Greenough Historic Settlement which comprises 11 original buildings. At its peak in the 1860’s and 70’s, Greenough (pronounced Grennuff), was a highly successful wheat growing area. However from 1900 the combined effects of drought, crop disease (wheat rust), and floods led to the areas dramatic decline of the population on the “flats”. The once bustling centre of this farming community became a ghost town and today with funding from the National trust in particular 11 restored buildings survive. Dating from the 1880’s these buildings include a school, the police station, courthouse and jail. Two churches, a community ... read more

Moora was a tad inland so first thing we decided to head back towards the coast. After driving through Jurien we moved towards Green Head by mid-morning and although there was a slight sea breeze it did not provide much relief with another scorcher on the way. The caravan park looked nice enough but after a few days out in the heat we were drained and exhausted and gave into temptation and booked into an air conditioned room for the night at a nearby tourist complex. Sunday was essentially spent enjoying cooler climates and doing not much more than watching TV, sleeping and reading; however, it was definitely required to get us back on track. Late afternoon we walked over the road to Dynamite Bay which was a picturesque little spot and enjoyed a dip in ... read more

Kalbarri(K) to Geraldton(G) (13631 km to 13804 km) CADES DIARY- DAY 83 to DAY 85 Hawks Head, Ross Graham Lookout - goats Natures Window Red Bluff Beach - played with Jake, Isaac, and Will Chinaman's Beach -fishing Pink lake near Port Gregory Sand boarding at Lucky Bay... read more

The last couple of weeks have been a journey south along the west coast of Australia. We’ve gone from flat calm and barely a ripple to strong SW winds and large on shore surf. Also from cloudless warm days to wet and cold. The first two stops – Exmouth and Coral Bay are the north and south ends of the Ningaloo Reef, which WA claims is as good as the Great Barrier Reef on the east coast. At Exmouth it was really too windy to get out to the reef proper, but the water is a beautiful turquoise. At Coral Bay we went out on a snorkeling trip and viewed the coral and swam with a manta ray, awesome. It’s just been announced that Exmouth is to be a base for Rio Tinto staff working at ... read more

Geralton is not only a bright sunny subtropical city, it is the gateway to a very interesting hinterland. During spring, the countryside blooms with millions of wild flowers sprinkled down the sides of a number of country roads. Geralton is also the memorial for the HMAS Sydney which was lost in a battle off this coast in WW2. Photos of the memorial are included below. It is a somber fact that though these brave mariners lost their lives, we have a freedom and life that may have been quite different. But as we left Geralton and drove up to the hinterland plateau we felt the creator's peace and just loved the days in the bush. Though the roads may be narrow And the location remote, Our hearts so rejoice As the miles role by. Monet cannot ... read more