Day 62 - Hamelin to Geraldton

We pack and depart, a little sad to leave, but this is the home stretch now, only 2 weeks until we are home so, as much as we could spend an extra day here, it would be doing “nothing” and there are things we need to do at home that have popped up since we’ve been away.

 

Last night we looked at the maps and decided that we would skip Kalbarri NP. The 2 main areas we wanted to look at (Eaglesnest Lookout and Nature’s Window) are closed due to road works until September. Its an extra 130km to go to Geraldton via Kalbarri, so we aim straight for Geraldton, 309km away.

 



There's a Storm a'brewin

We arrive about 1300, set up and go look around. There are many ships in the harbour, swinging at anchor, and the surf can be heard pounding the shore line. Our tent is 100m from the beach, and you can see the spray from the shore break from our tent!!! Someone at dinner mentions that it’s a 4 meter swell, and ships can’t enter the harbour is its over 2 meters as they can damage the pier etc.

 

Tried to book into the Italian restaurant, but can’t as he is booked out for 6:00pm as there is a show on at 8:00 by the Melbourne Ballet company, and everyone is going for an early dinner. We book for tomorrow, as we are here for 2 nights.

 

Then, after dinner, closer to midnight, a strange thing happened. It Rained! Actually, it poured! It took me a minute to recognise the sound of rain on the canvas. Later in the night Mandy gets trapped in the toilets by another downpour!

 

No harm done.

 

Day 62 – day 2 Geraldton.

 

I change the rear tyres on the Hilux to even the wear out. They have done 10000 really hard km, and the back tyres have more weight on them that the trailer or front tyres.

HMAS Sydney II Memorial

Lest We forget

 HMAS Sydney II was a decorated and storied ship of the RAN, that had seen significant action during World War II. The Sydney II was a modified Leander class Cruiser,  which saw action initially closer to Europe, sinking several Men-o-war and Enemy flagged merchant ships and causing several others to flee her presence. However, it was off the shores of the shores of the Australian mainland that her most well known battle took place, even if the exact location of her final  resting place would not be known for over 75 years!

We head in to see the HMAS Sydney II memorial. Opened in 2001, it is an important reminder of one of the greatest single losses of life in the Royal Australian Navy’s history. Engaged in a battle with the German raider Kormoran, it was lost with all hands on 19^th November, 1941. Until 2008, the actual resting place of the Sydney was unknown. The only reason they Navy knew she had been sunk was that she failed to report in as scheduled, and the arrival of survivors from the Kormoran in life boats on the coast of WA around Geraldton.

 

The loss of the entire ship’s company of 645 Officers and ratings is a stark reminder of the losses our country endured during the second World War. The statue as part of the memorial, showing a lady, looking out to sea, awaiting the return of her loved one, serves to remind us that those lives lost, while tragic in themselves, was only part of the loss suffered. Every one of the men lost, not just on the Sydney, but in all conflicts, leaves behind a grieving family, wife, girlfriend, children, brother, sister, father, aunt, and in the modern era, husband or boyfriend.

 

This is MY Child - acting as one should in a place like this:
With dignity and respect. Well Done Max- So Proud of you!

The Memorial is beautifully done. Sadly the sign stating “ This is a place of dignity and respect. We ask that you conduct yourself in such a manner as to reflect the intentions of this place” was not heeded by the Feral Family, letting their kids play chasey around the central pillar of the memorial yelling “hah hah, you’re a loooooooooser” So remind me again, why you came here? Such disrespect is tragically becoming all too common, and the parents are squarely to blame for failing to correct this abhorrent  behaviour!

 

After this we leave to play at the foreshore park. Great playground and the kids run riot. Sadly, the

Geraldton Shire council has a Department of the Bleeding Obvious, and has a sign on the toddler playground that suggests it is common for parents to let their kids play without a nappy on!!!!??? For real??? Seriously? People need to be told it’s NOT ok for their kids to poo on the playground??

 

After this disturbing incident we head to L’Italiano restaurant. OMG. BEST ITALIAN FOOD EVER! Great little palace with good selection. Smells great. I had Gnocchi Quatrro Fromagii (Gnocchi with 4 cheeses) Brilliant. You do need to see a Doctor about getting your cholesterol checked, but last I had mine done it was ok, so we powered on. Sam had Meat Lovers Pizza – Beautiful Super Thin crust Pizza, stone baked, not conveyer belt. Delish! Max shared the Large Pizza with Sam and they both had some of Mandy’s “combination” Lasagne, Cannelloni and baked Tortellini. We thought we’d save some $$$$ on 3 mains, but it was all so good, we had to order a kids pizza to fill the kids because we didn’t want to give any up!!!!!!

 

Dessert was good too. I had the Mint Choc sundae. Magnificent. Boys had Chocolate Gelato, with a wafer and one of those chocolate wafer roll things. And on the house I had an affogato. I said to the waitress (who happens to also be the co-owner with her husband who is the chef) that I couldn’t decide between affogato and the mint sundae, so, after I ordered the Mint sundae, she arrived with the other desserts, AND an affogato.  Now, for the non-coffee snobs out there, affogato is a shot of espresso coffee poured over a small scoop of vanilla ice-cream in a small espresso cup. YUM!

645 Stainless Steel Seagulls -1 for each Australian Sailor lost on the Sydney II

 

We roll back to the tent, full up, early start to head to Cervantes and The Pinnacles!