Geraldton

The major city in the region Geraldton is the centre of a farming, fishing and mining area and home to some significant landmarks.


The HMAS Sydney II Memorial is here. The HMAS Sydney was lost in a battle some 120 miles offshore with the loss of 645 lives. The cupola/canopy has 645 seagulls framed against the sky, and the names of the Australians lost in that battle are listed on the wall of remembrance.


A recent addition to the venues around the town is an annex of the WA Museum. It is a very good regional museum, and the staff may be a little slow but they do have a sense of humour.

Not so recent is the lighthouse. On an overcast and breezy day (when are they not breezy on this coast) we visited the old landmark. Later that day there was a sound and light show as a thunder storm hit the town. No big deal really, but it was the first solid bit of rain that we had experienced since a wet weekend at Orange in June.

There are also two golf courses - but my budget only allowed one round of golf. Geraldton was my choice but the greens were a little on the slow side, and the greenkeeper decided to put the holes in some challenging positions on a couple of holes. OK for a championship perhaps, but not for a weekend stableford competition. Still, it is a course that is made challenging and interesting by the gum trees that line the fairways and demand good positioning off the tees. After an early struggle with the greens and my driver (4 holes and my handicap was all used!) my golf reached an acceptable level.