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11 May 2013Well the wind has finally subsided and we are heading to Geraldton. 150 km winds were forecast for the area between Cervantes and Geraldton and as it was too dangerous to drive, we stayed put for the extra 3 days. Cervantes is not a very big place so apart from reading and walks along the jetty, there is not a lot else to do.
Started our sightseeing in Geraldton with the HMAS Sydney II memorial, St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Victoria District Hospital and the Old Goal and Craft Centre.
The HMAS Sydney II memorial pays tribute to the 645 Australian sailors lost off the West Australian coast in World War II after a battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran. While both ships were lost, many of the Kormoran crew survived. The beautifully designed memorial features a silver dome of 645 seagulls representing each of the lost sailors. There is a wall of remembrance with photos and the names of the crew and also a bronze statue of a woman gazing out to sea awaiting news of the Sydney. Both the wreck of the HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran were found in 2008. In 2011, a pool of remembrance “Closing
the Circle” was completed. 644 seagulls line the base of the pool and the 645
th stands 2 metres tall above the pool, its wing indicating the spot where the wreck lies together with longitude and latitude coordinates. It is a beautiful memorial and a must see for anyone visiting Geraldton.
Spent the next afternoon at Greenough, a small town approx 25 kms south of Geraldton to have a look at the Central Greenough Historic Settlement. Walking among the historic buildings at the settlement is like stepping back in time. 11 of the original stone buildings still stand today and are the remnant of a once thriving community of pioneers who developed the area at the turn of the 19
th century.
Our next stop is Kalbarri. Terrific scenery from the cliffs around Kalbarri and also the nearby gorges. The Loop and Z Bend gorges were the best with the highlight of The Loop gorge, “Nature’s Window”. Vic unfortunately has to rely on the photo to see what he missed but he did well to get fairly close to it. I think the thought of walking around the ledge did it for him.
Met up with some nice people in the park and one guy
has offered to take Vic mud crabbing when we go to Point Samson.
From Kalbarri we moved on to Hamelin Station – a working station of half million acres. Facilities were first class and we spent a couple of very enjoyable days there. The Managers spend time with their guests in the camp kitchen each evening and as we found out, some evenings are bigger than others!
Took a trip out to the Stromatolites, about 5 kms away from Hamelin Station. These cover a much bigger area than the ones at Cervantes. Drove into Denham for lunch and took in some more of the scenic views along the coast line.
Our next stop was Coral Bay for a week and another beautiful spot. Great place to snorkel – not us, go out on fishing charters – not us and swim with the whale sharks – you guessed it – not us! We did go on the glass bottom boat though to see the coral. The coral starts right near the water’s edge due to the Ningaloo Reef which is Australia’s only fringing reef.
Each afternoon around 3.30pm close to the shore, someone comes to feed the fish. It is amazing to stand in the
shallows with these quite large fish swimming between your legs to get the fish pellets that are thrown into the water. I’m not sure what they were but think they were snapper.
Another good thing about Coral Bay was we saw the Dogs beat St. Kilda – second win out of the last twenty – pretty good!
From Coral Bay we moved on to Exmouth. Like a lot of the places along the coast, fishing seems to be the main thing to do. Took a drive down to the Cape Range National Park and went on the Yardie Creek river cruise. Very relaxing and were lucky enough to see quit a few of the rare black footed wallabies.
Meant to have left for Tom Price this morning however, the winds are up again so will check things out in the morning to see if the weather is any better.
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John Cecic
non-member comment
great time to be away
You two sure have timed your trip to be away from Victoria as it saves you watching the Doggies struggle! Anyhow a well overdue and good win last week. Amazing how big this great country of ours really is. Enjoy the rest of the top end of W.A. I'm off to Japan on Sunday night, managed to coincide my work visit with the Socceroos playing Japan in Saitama (near Tokyo) on Tuesday night. Take care and stay in touch, Cheers John & Laurelle