The Arrival of Nic... and Exploring Geraldton

We awoke to another warm, sunny day. After breakfast we did some washing and tidying up and then set off to find the airport to meet Nic. Uncle John was pretty happy and keen to get there! The airport is reasonably new and is a really lovely building with some interesting models and information inside about the area. Nic's plane was pretty much on time and we all stood outside taking photos of her arrival. I think the locals thought someone famous had arrived, with her own set of paparrazi!

It is great to have Nic with us and we look forward to Bronwyn's arrival in a week.

After a quick cuppa, we set out to explore Geraldton. It is quite a big town and there are a lot of very new, very lavish houses here. We went out to the seafood co-op to pick up some supplies for lunch and dinner and then went on to look at the HMAS Sydney memorial. This beautiful memorial is set on a hill, and has particular interest given the recent discovery of the wreck of the Sydney off the West Australian coast.

The memorial has a beautiful dome with 645 seagulls on it (one for each sailor lost from the Sydney). A local guide told us that there is a mariners tale that seagulls represent sailors who have been lost at sea. When the site for this memorial was first dedicated, a huge flock of seagulls swooped over just as the ceremony began.

The memorial also includes a wall with photographs of the crew and the ship and the names of each of the sailors lost in the tragedy. Behind the dome is a huge replica of the bow of the ship - the guide explained that the bow is not painted as it is a "dead ship" and, as such, should remain just bare metal.

Next to the bow is a poignant statue of a woman looking out to sea and waiting for her loved one to return. This is a very moving statue which has been exquisitely crafted - it really does evoke a feeling of sadness to look at it and then realise how many people waited in vain for the return of their loved ones from the Sydney.

After looking at the memorial, we headed back to the caravan park for lunch. What a wonderful feast we had - 2 kg of fresh king prawns. Delicious!

We sat around after lunch, feeling very full. Then the men went off to town to replenish our drink supplies. Then we packed a bag of cheeses and dry biscuits, along with some champagne and wine and headed down to the beach to toast the sunset. It was a lovely evening and a nice chance to pause and enjoy the beauty of the moment. Nicola also got a chance to dip her toes in the ocean for the first time in the West.We came back to the campsite and tucked into dinner - a delicious fresh-caught and cooked (this morning) lobster each. Gosh I am making it sound like we ate all day..... perhaps we did, but when we are in a town famous for its seafood (particularly lobster)... what else could we do?

After dinner, we drove into town (well actually Nicola drove us into town in Fred as the rest of us felt we might have had one drink too many to drive safely) to look at the memorial by night and the lights of Geraldton. It is a beautiful balmy night with a huge full moon.

Tomorrow we leave Geraldton and head for Kalbarri for a night and then on to Denham and Monkey Mia.

Hi to Danni at home (one of my wonderful students over the last few years) - great to get your email and glad you are reading the blog. I have sent you an email in reply. Hi to any of my other students reading the blog too - I miss you all!