GUILDERTON to KALBARRI

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After what seems no time at all, we are now on the west coast of this vast country! Our travel plans have allowed for an easy trip so far. Having the time to do so has allowed us to stay longer in several places.

So far we have done over 9000 klm. A lot of this has been through touring from the places we have set up camp. It’s nothing to clock up 2-300 klm to visit attractions in the area.

Our big disappointment is that the crayfish season is over. This whole region is dedicated to the industry and there was plenty of evidence of the profitability in the form of massive homes on the seafront. We did manage to find a couple of frozen crays in Geraldton so all is well.

GUILDERTON

A week in Guilderton was very relaxing. It allowed us the time to catch up with Noel and Barb Painter who live in Yanchep, go into Perth to get a new lock for the van boot, visit BMW to have the GPS checked out and enjoy a lunch at Hillary’s (a wharf precinct with shopping and dining facilities). As well as that, we went Cervantes, Julien Bay and New Norcia.

Guilderton Caravan Park is set in a beautiful cove where the river meets the ocean. There is a sandbar that clears a couple of times a year. We were lucky enough to get a waterfront site. There is nothing more soothing than the surf rolling in when you go to bed.

We did quite a bit of walking around town and along the beach. We were even allowed to wash the car on site so we did that.

New Norcia

In the 1840’s Jesuit Monks from Spain came to Australia to minister to the aborigines. The objective was to find an area where there was a concentration of aborigines so that facilities could be built and that they be close to significant numbers of people. Over the years they educated the the aborigines and introduced them to Christianity.

The town that evolved still functions today consisting of more than sixty buildings . With over 20,000 hectares, it is run as a farm growing crops, grapes, vegetables, fruit, olives and other produce such as bread making.

We did a tour of the town buildings that included various chapels and were given a real insight into the struggle the monks had in developing the town. The museum houses some fantastic art works and artifacts. If you get a chance, visit New Norcia and do the tour.

Cervantes_The Pinnacles

The trip to Cervantes and the Pinnacles was over 100 klm. Bob and Jacquie said ‘you must see them, it is amazing’. They were right again. Over the millennium, the wind and rain have moved away the sand to reveal incredible limestone rock pillars covering an area of many square kilometers. It has not been proved as to how they were formed but the drive around the area and the ‘on site’ photographic and video records are worth seeing.

Cervantes as a tourist destination is not sensational but it is worth while visiting the Pinnacles that are a little south along the coast.

Jurien Bay

We took the road north from Cervantes to ‘check out’ Jurien Bay. It was a nice coastal town. Like all the towns from Guilderton to Jurien Bay, they are a little out of the way of the major routes north. However, don’t overlook them as they are worth a visit.

GERALDTON

Geraldton is a city of 33,000 individuals and quite a thriving area. We arrived on Friday and the town was hopping. Frankston could take a leaf from the Geraldton book and revamp the foreshore in the way they have. A railway line precinct was removed in favour of tourist access. Lawned parks and children’s playgrounds were excellent. Restaurants have visual access to the bay. Very nice.

Greenough

What a blunder! We listened to a Kiwi on the road who told us to stay in Greenough rather than Geraldton. Being only 10 klm out of town it seemed to make sense. So we booked ahead. Big mistake! As a result we stayed just two nights and not the original three we had planned on. a small consolation was that there was a farmers' market today.

Dongara_Port Denison

Bob and Jacquie stayed in Port Denison so we thought we should visit. A good choice. Only 40 klm south of Geraldton, it is an easy day visit to shop and eat. In future we will stay there. A pretty seaside town.

All being well, we should encounter even better weather now as we push further north. Kalbarri is forecasting 23, 24 & 25 deg. for our stay there so it’s looking good.

Take care and we’ll be in touch soon.

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Photos

Guilderton
Beautiful river meets ocean situation

Moore River
Beautiful landscape in Guilderton.

Locals
Noel and Barb from Yanchep.

Significant weight loss
Peter's new image.

Terns
Friends on the beach at Guilderton.

Sunset in Guilderton
The view from our site at sunset.

Wildflowers
Cocky's tongue on the track in Guilderton.

Church
New Norcia town.

Unusual Organ
The monks of New Norcia had the wrong stock of ivory for their organ so black became white and vice versa.

Hand crafted alter
An early monk made this alter by hand.

New Norcia Chapel
Another chapel in the town.

Graffiti in New Norcia?
No! Three layers of coloured plaster applied and scraped to achieve this.

Alter[gether] Amazing!
Combination of handcrafted alter and painted dome.

Unusual Tree
The 'leaning' tree unique to the Geraldton area.

Pinnacles
Square miles of them!

Limestone Obalisk
Strange limestone formations south of Cervantes.

UFO?
Unidentified 'office' on stilts in the bay at Geraldton.

Vale HMAS Sydney sailors
Lost in 1941 and found in 2008. A Geraldton memorial to the sailors on board. Replica of the bow of the ship on the right.

645 Seagulls on this dome
An eternal flame burns for the 645 souls lost with HMAS Sydney.