Geraldton 3 - 31/10/15

 Today was golf again , I know 2 times in 3 days - a bit extravagant !! Tee off was 7:52 , so we had an early start .
 We played with 2 young local guys , one a teacher , the other a mechanic , they both played well , I played 4 shots better than Thursday , so there was some improvement to be happy about .
 Lyn went for another bike ride , a swim and did the washing & ironing .
  After lunch we went over the road and for a walk down the beach , watched a pacific gull catch an octopus , and a diver come in with a bag of crayfish ( lobster ) . There are so many cars & utes driving up and down the beach - there should be white lines and speed signs .
 Oops , almost forgot - we had some rain last night - a whole millimetre or two .
 The technology news - rang Apple Care and had a bit of a complain - apparently now the logic board will be changed , no charge !!! We had a win , just have to wait till we get to Perth to get it fixed , fortunately we have rebooted the old laptop to get us through !!

 Marine Terrace

Midalias Beach

 That's it for today , Geraldton is a good place to relax in , and we are enjoying it !!

No expense spared Geralton 30/10/15

  Awake early today , there seemed to be a lot of cars leaving early this morning .
 We had to have the ute down at Toyota at 8:40am , so we got up and got organised .

 As we drove out of the park , we noticed a cruise ship anchored in the bay , so went to the beach to have a look .

  We delivered the ute and got the bikes off , we headed north along the bike track beside the beach , it got really busy beside the museum and the Batavia Marina - that's where the tender boats were dropping all the passengers from the cruise boat off . Continuing on we found a Donor Fountain - it's like the marble ball that Springetts built in the park at Bowral , only larger . It was built to commemorate organ & tissue donors . 

Off down the track again , we stopped another 3klms down at a nice beach & park area , and watched the start of another yacht race . There were 10 yachts participating - some requiring a large crew , others managing with fewer people .

 We then found the site of an old ljghthouse , also the Meekatharra School of The Air . At this point the track took us away from the beach , so we turned and headed back , stopping at the museum near Batavia Marina .

Replica Batavia Longboat

 Entering the museum , the first thing that caught my eye , was an old biplane hanging from the ceiling .

 The displays showed plants , animals & insects , aboriginal heritage and early Geraldton history & information . The black plague made an appearance in the early 1900's , among other things . There was more descriptions of the rocks and sea beds , fossils of shells and other animals & dinosaurs .

  The one display that got most of our attention was the shipwrecks . Having flown along the Steep point coastline and Dirk Hartog Island , we were interested . They had some of the men who discovered the wreck of the Batavia , on a video , talking about everything they did and saw - imagine finding a brass cannon poking out of the sea floor , sitting on a bed of silver coins !!! Some reward for a long and arduous search over many years , a majority of the coins have been recovered . It was also interesting to see what they were carrying and using as ballast - a stone entrance archway , that was going to be at the entrance to the Batavia Castle . 

Heading back into the main part of town , we checked with the computer people - they told me they needed 24 hrs to do some checks and fault finding , before they would ring me - they didn't do any of the above !! When questioned , they said - it's the first job for monday - that's good I said , looks like I'll have to stay longer - Oh , don't you live here - No I don't , Oh let me see what we can do . They had a look this afternoon - apparently the logic board is dead !! Great news - NOT !!!

 We had lunch back at the RV , before heading off at 3:45 to pick up the dead computer , and then get the ute - which still wasn't finished ! We sat and waited , till it was finished and washed - good thing as the rain started to fall when they drove it around to the pick up area . We loaded the bikes , and paid the bill - we have fixed price servicing for 60,000 klms or 3 years - might have that all used up in the next 12months . Anyway , their computers were down and they couldn't do a proper invoice and charge us for the extra work done - so only charged us $300 , which was nice as we'd just paid $143 to find out the computer was dead , they didn't do everything they said they would though , with one headlight still out !

 All done and dusted for the day , we headed back for a beer & salsa .

Golf and a ride 29/10/15

A pretty relaxed morning , chatting with Alan & Wendy , and fiddling around doing other things .
 The day started with a lot of cloud and little wind , as the day went on the breeze was constantly there and the clouds started to disappear .
 Golf was on the menu for me , and Lyn had plans to go for a ride , a swim and some time to herself . I played golf with David - from Caloundra - who we met at Lynton Station . He mentioned he played golf and maybe we could have a game - which happened today at Geraldton .
 The course is in great condition, with tree lined fairways , bunkers and good greens . It is situated in a sports precinct - there are soccer & hockey fields , an aquatic centre, skate park , AFL field and a horse racing track .
 The golf was a little better than at Kalbarri last week , still not great !
Lyn's bike ride took her to Back Beach on the southern coast - about 6 Klm's away , for a ride about 12klms long !!!
 After golf we had a drink with David & Cheryl , before coming back to the RV for tea - day done .

Geraldton 2 28/10/15

Day 2 in Geraldton , big excitement, we're off to Bunnings !! A new drawer runner is req'd .
 The day is turning out nicely , the wind is light , the sun shining . We head off , finding Bunnings - as we went in we asked the young lady at the door where we would find the drawer runner - without blinking , she said aisle 47 , far end , right hand side , we complemented her on her knowledge and went in . Success , we found the appropriate one , and checked out a few more things before heading out .
 Job 2 - inquire about laptop problem , great , yes , sorry I don't know much about Apple computers but if you go to these people , they will be able to help . We found the place and went in , told them the problem and they said , just bring it down and leave it with us , and we'll let you know what we find  , um ah okay thanks !
 Back to the RV and grab the laptop before driving back down the street again . Gave the neighbours a lift down the street to hopefully pick up their car , then dropped the offender off to get fixed!
 I changed the drawer runner and we had lunch , before going for another ride - this time past the Point Moore Lighthouse and around past Grays Beach and Separation Point . The lighthouse is one of Australia's tallest steel lighthouses at 34m tall !

 The water is clear and a great shade of  aqua green , the sand nice and white . There has been a lot of erosion at Grays Beach , washing the car park away - they are reinforcing it with a lot of limestone rock.

  After about 4 kms , we turned & came back . The bike track follows the beach and goes a long way - quite a pleasant ride !
 Back for a swim for Lyn and I chatted to the night manager and another permanent resident for a while.
Cheese & bickies time , not a terribly exciting day , but it was nice to have an easy day !

Geraldton 27/10/155

 Today was ute free , we got the bikes out and rode into town . First stop - the Information Centre to get a better town map . There's a bike track all the way in , that goes along the coast for quite a distance , we followed it for about 4 klms before turning and heading up the hill to the HMAS Sydney Memorial. There is a guided tour of it at 10:30 most days .
  There are flag poles at the entry , with propellers from various boats at the base of the poles . The entry is through some glass partitions into a circular area , fenced off with panels representing the ocean. On the inside of the panels are the names of all 645 sailors that died , and an explanation of what happened , as well as some old photos  etched into black marble .

 The centrepiece of the memorial is the dome . Beneath the dome is another propeller , larger than the ones outside - it was sent to Geraldton to go on a ship , but turned out to be not the right one , so it was used at the memorial ! The dome is made of 644 hand crafted stainless steel seagulls- representing each sailor -ah you say , there were 645 sailors - 1 apparently made it to Christmas Island where he was washed up and died there !
 Why seagulls you ask ? They say that they are the souls of lost sailors !!!

 The next part is a statue resembling the bow of the ship - that is where the ship was hit by a torpedo from the German ship Kormorant . It caused the Sydney to sink rapidly , hence no survivors - they wouldn't have had time to escape .

 Over to a bronze statue of a woman representing the many wives waiting for their husbands and boyfriends to return from the ocean .

 The final part of the memorial is a recessed , round fountain, with a solitary seagull - with it's wingtip identifying where the ship sank and also for the other sailor that washed up at Christmas Island. It was showing the location in a round map made of marble & red stone showing the latitude and longitude as well - 229 klms west of Steep Point !

There are beautiful gardens & lawns surrounding the memorial.

 We headed back down the hill to the esplanade again and made our way to the lookout near the harbour entrance - it is a replica of the old jetty ( in an artistic sort of way ) . There are telescopes to view the ships or coast or the resident sea lions , and a lookout up a flight of steps . There are views of the harbour and the coast stretching off into the distance to the northwest .

 We got chatting to a local guy there to watch the yacht racing - this week is their race week . He missed most of the race because he enjoyed having a chat to us !! The wind was a bit on the cool side , so we headed off and found a seat in the sun and out of the wind to have lunch . Warmed up & fed , we headed back to the park to take care of a few jobs .
 Braving the breeze , we went and had a quick swim in the pool before chatting to our neighbours who had looked up the RV on the Internet and seen our ute there . We showed them through , and they were impressed . We chatted for quite a while - it was 6 pm before we knew it !!

Problems with technology 28/10/15

 Sorry folks , computer problems have struck again , therefore the blog won't be available for a few days . The offending laptop is in for repair - hopefully !!!
 Back soon
Alan & Lyn

Off to the big smoke 26/10/15

 Hi there , travel day again , after a relaxed morning , chatting to the other 2 campers , we left at 9am . Back down the road to Northampton , then onto new road again - heading southeast toward Geraldton, we have an appointment with the auto electrician to get the electric brakes functioning correctly again!!
 We were booked in for the afternoon and decided to head to the park and unhitch , then do some shopping before the auto electrician . On the way into town we saw a Bridgestone tyre dealer , so we went back there - the auto electrician was behind the tyre place - how convenient ! They could fit us in straight away for 4 new tyres - we've finally worn out the original tyres & spares - so we got them changed .
 It was nearly 12 noon , and we had been going to food shop - so off we went , racing around the supermarket getting almost everything we needed !
 Back via a lot of backstreets to the park , and hitched up , then off to the auto electrician with the RV in tow . They checked & rechecked and checked some more , before changing a fuse to a circuit breaker , and we took it for a test drive - Halelujah !!!! it appeared to work correctly again - time will tell !!!!
 Back to the park for a late set up and some well earned salsa & beer !! No photos today , we were a bit rushed today , didn't have any extra time .
 Welcome to Geraldton - it's cost us a fair bit already and we've only been here for 6 hours - anyway that's life !!!
 Here's some photo's from some of our favourite spots - Bungle Bungles and Coral Bay .

From the beach to the hills 25/10/15

 Off to the beach today , thought we might get some snorkelling in , at the reef at Port Gregory . Wrong choice of watersport as it turns out , would've been better choosing  kite surfing or wind surfing !!!
 Drove into Port Gregory and parked at the beach - decided not to drive down the beach - like everyone else does here . As we were talking to some people , 5 dune buggies , a couple of 4wd's and half a dozen motorbikes descended on the beach and tore of into the distance to the south - just where we are headed !!
 It'll be fun they said , good exercise , it'll warm up , the wind will ease - yeah right !! We loaded the backpack and the swimming bag and away we went . It was breezy and a bit cool , the wind coming straight off the water . The walk was quite pleasant , only a couple of 4wd's passing us , we wandered down the beach about a kilometre and reached a corner , as we rounded the corner we could see where the reef was meeting the beach - another 1.5 klms down the beach !!!! We stopped , thinking that was far enough for us , we even had a lean to shelter to sit under - not sure why we did , as it wasn't overly hot !!

  The reef that protects the lagoon was showing as the tide went out , waves were crashing on it .

  We put our wind jackets on to block the wind out - it made a huge difference in players comfort level !! Deciding not to have a snorkel or a swim , we climbed a few sand dunes for something different .

  After going up & down sand dunes for a while , we headed back to the ute . The water temperature was good , it was just the wind chill factor - maybe we are getting a bit soft !!!
 Anyway we headed back to the RV and had a Bbq lunch , before going for a walk up the hill at Lynton Station . There is a lookout up there , that gives you a great view of the coast , there's also a tee area where you can hit golf balls down to an area beside the fence near the driveway , I didn't bother , as we were pretty relaxed at this stage of the day . On the way up there was a lemon coloured flowering shrub - we've seen them in purple , mauve & pink previously .

  Up on top of the hill was monument and the ashes of Ron Simpkin ( previous owner ) have been laid . There is also a statue of a man on his motorbike , made from steel and various steel scrap - it's pretty good actually !!

 The flag behind has the Australian flag one side and a little history of the Simpkin Family .
We can't let the opportunity slip - another picture of the leaning trees .

 On the way back down , we checked out the bottom floor of the Superintendents House - that was the kitchen and staff living quarters - very much upstairs , downstairs !! After that we went to the barn - there is a lot of information about the area and plans they had for 2 towns , shipping charts and maps also showed where and what boats had come to grief on the entrances to Port Gregory and the Abrolhos Islands .
 Time for cheese & Bickies and a beer to enjoy in the late afternoon sun . Greg came down and had a chat to us , he is the owner of the property , and was good to talk to . He owns 1,000 acres from the high tide mark at the Hutt River estuary following the river about 3.5klms  to the south . It's his toy farm , he only runs about 10 cattle and a neighbour uses the southern side for his sheep . Toy farm indeed !!
  Chatted to some people from Hannam Vale - north of Taree - they were quite surprised I knew where it was !!
 That's today done , catch you tomorrow .

Coastal Drive 24/10/15

 A quiet night at the station , only 2 other caravans here beside us . We got our act together and headed off for a drive down to Horrocks Beach , then on to Northampton and back again - a bit of a loop drive .
 Heading out the drive we had to get a photo of some of the trees here - don't kid yourself it doesn't get windy here !!

 And there are a lot more like this !!
Off down the road , we found our turnoff to Horrocks , onto a gravel road - a pretty good one - and before long we'd arrived . The drive took us through wheat fields , some harvested , some not , they also grow canola here as well , with all of that already harvested .
 Horrocks Beach is built between the water and a very high sand dune , there would be at least 50 houses , many I suspect are holiday houses and fishing huts . We drove out to Little Bay , which is north of Horrocks , is a popular camping spot and 4wd & quad bike area - lots of sand dune to play on . Back to Horrocks Beach to find a small jetty and some cray boats and a natural harbour protected by reef , not on the same scale as Port Gregory though .

 Reportedly a surfing location , we struggled to see where they would surf here , till we did a bit of further reading and found they surf near the mouth of the Hawes River - further down the coast . So of we went to find it , there were also reported aboriginal art in some caves there as well . Finding the turn , we headed in , driving alongside the river for it's last few hundred metres before it met the ocean .

 Reaching the end of the track we found several other tracks leading around the headland , some sandy , some a bit firmer - Lyn was enjoying this - we stopped before it got too soft !!

 The surf was getting blown apart , it was a tad windy again today . Heading back out , we thought we'd have a look at the caves - till we got there - the grass & undergrowth was about knee high and it didn't look like anybody had been through there in a long time - after stories of snakes from our neighbours , we thought twice and kept driving .
 The road wound it's way around the river , then through many more wheat fields , before reaching Northampton . It has some history about it and has some beautiful old buildings , churches & convent.
 

 A lot of them are built from rock , random sizes and shapes and has been crafted beautifully . We walk dup & down the main road and went into the family store , well it was like stepping back 100 years , with stock stacked into shelves on the walls - similar to the shop in Mackay I wrote about - you can buy clothing , hats , rifle scabbards , toys  & quilting supplies , sunglasses & shoes - there was a bit of everything here , the prices weren't from 100 years ago though !!!
 We drove around town , having a general look around - not sure whether they were burning off or not, but one large block was burning happily - the fire brigade was there with it .
 After lunch in Hampton Park , we headed back to check out where Hutt River meets the ocean - only a few hundred metres from where we are staying . Pulling off the main road , we locked the hubs and engaged 4wd , the track was sandy - Lyn again was enjoying her drive . We stopped beside the river and walked out to the beach , as the track looked like very soft sand - and was , besides the walk will do us good . The river isn't exactly sparkling - a little tannin stained , and only gets to greet the ocean at high tide , but made a nice photo .

 We continued on and found another arm of the river that goes around a sand dune and further north up the beach - our walk was now nearly a kilometre , but we also found that there was a section of underlying orange soil , below the sand .

 Finding our way out to the beach , we paused and looked , but the wind chill was a bit severe , so we headed back to the ute , and went for a drive back to Pink Lake - 5 mins up the road . It's still PINK , and still there - amazing isn't it !!

 Port Gregory Rd runs along the far side and there is the BASF Chemical Plant that removes all the Beta Carotene and fish food from it , we drove up to there and turned back to the RV . Enough excitement for one day , we chilled for the afternoon or what's left of it . Todays map :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kYjwnS3Cu5yY&usp=sharing

A Drive to Ruin 23/10/15

  Prepared early for our big days drive , we hit the road after emptying tanks at 9:15am . The drive was planned to take us south from Kalbarri , past sand dunes stretching into the distance , whales breaching in the ocean , and past industry before the wind picked up .
  Not sure how much lunch to pack , fortunately we had the fridge behind us , away we went . The road was busier today , with quite a bit of traffic , we must have passed at least 15 cars , and were overtaken by a good 5 !!
  The day rolled on , as we did also , we eventually found our destination at Lynton Station . We were greeted by Vic - the Caretaker , who gave us a potted history of the station and the Convict Hiring Station - yes you read correctly , you could hire your own personal convict , or several , to work for you !! Then proceeded to give us a rundown on the local area , what to see and where to go , we remembered about 10% of what he told us !!
 After such a long drive , we decided to have a Bbq lunch - we'd come at least 64 klms today !!
Lunch complete and some running repairs , we headed off to Port Gregory - 6klms up the road . First we had to get past Hutt Lagoon - commonly known as Pink Lake - and boy was it PINK !!!

  Carrying on , we found our way into Port Gregory - not too hard , there's only a couple of streets , and the main road leads you straight to the beach and jetty!! There were a couple of crayfish boats moored , and no other boats - must have been out fishing !

  There is a fringing reef no more than 500m away from the beach , giving a sheltered coral lagoon . Its the most southerly coral reef on the mainland of WA .
 It was originally to be used as a freight port , to export the lead from the lead smelter east of Kalbarri - Kalbarri was too dangerous to get in & out of The Murchison River . Port Gregory also suffered in that respect , with several ship wrecks happening when they were trying to get into either of the 2  access channels . It was also used to bring stores from Fremantle , to service the Convict Hiring Station - at least until they stopped it .
 There is a pole & platform just above the sand dunes behind the beach , that an Osprey has utilised for a nesting site .

 There must have been young ones in the nest , as one was at the nest and the other was on the beach having a feed on a fish , until we got too close and it flew up to the nest with half a fish in it's talons .
After walking about 500m down the beach , we came back , picking up an old juice carton and a piece of wire braid with an old fish hook attached and deposited them in the bin !
 Back to the ute and we headed back past the pink lake - the road follows the western edge for a couple of klms , and drove south for about 15klms . Not finding too much , we turned and headed back to look at the Convict Hiring Station Ruins . The Station only ran for 3 years , from 1853 to 1856 . Not being entirely successful , it was decided to scrap it and return the convicts to Fremantle Gaol - it was too far to keep stocked with food & supplies .
 In the time it ran , they built a gaol , hospital , officers quarters , Magistrates Quarters , bakehouse , lime kiln , blacksmiths shop and the Lynton Barn , Flour Mill and Sanford's Homestead . The buildings have all been given to WA State Govt and are slowly being restored , as much as is possible.

 The Gaol

The Hospital 

 Magistrates house behind and officers quarters in ruins 

Sanford's House , and flour mill ( the round building LHS of photo )

 In Sanford's House , the kitchen and servants quarters were on the bottom floor - no internal stairs , and the main living and sleeping area above . The roof has been restored , all the doors and windows are originals , with some sandstone work being done to repair damage .  We are parked about 200m from it , not far from an old thunder box !!

  Most of the day was nearly done , so we sat down and enjoyed some cheese & biscuits and a beer . We took a walk up to Sanford's House closer to sundown to watch the sun set over the dunes near Port Gregory . We could also whales breaching out to sea again - at least the spray from when they hit the water . The view from up on the verandah is pretty good , you get to see the ocean , the sand dunes , pink lake and some nice flat fields in front , and sunset every day !!

 The view over pink lake 

There you have it , any day in our little adventure , trust you enjoyed it !! we did !!

Todays map :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kGZ7pgwm3B-A&usp=sharing