Dongara

This was a one night stop on our way south.

Dongara is a pleasant little fishing village/holiday destination that made the news in WA during the school holidays.
Unfortunately there seems to be a spate of attempted child abductions here at the moment. None have been successful so far thankfully.
It was at Dongara that the first attempt was made.

Apart from the beach, fishing, a river walk and a golf course there is not much to do here - makes it a good holiday destination really.

Beth filled in her time by keeping the Irwin River water and the Indian Ocean apart. She is an amazing woman.
I managed to catch a picture of her in action holding back there two great bodies of water.
We don't know what will happen now that we have left the area.


The golf course was OK and the greens were good once the mower hade been over them. For a small town on the coast you would have to say the course is a real bonus.

Four holes had trees strategically located in the middle of the fairway. That makes for interesting and challenging golf even if it doesn't fit with the modern rules of golf course design. At left is a picture from the 7th green. The hole is only 250 meters or so - and those trees are a pain. They don't really come into play if you hook your ball left into the scrub though!

Ellendale Pool

Inland from the coast is a popluar little picnic and camping spot - Ellendale Pool.

We spent a couple of nights there ($5 a night is good value) and enjoyed a power free break.


The facilites are good and the locals are friendly - too friendly.
A little stroll to the lookout required some imaginative work to gain privacy and relief from the flies and it worked, on the face at least.

Greenough

Still not sure how to pronounce this one...Grenoff seems to be the way it sounds.

An historic little village south of Geraldton was worth a visit. The village is classified by the National Trust, and we had a bit of fun as we toured the old building. We even recognised the storage unit in one of the old houses. We both recall similar 'cupboards' from our younger days. They were cheap, and they did the job. Beth also found a place and a room that she was familiar with! So did I!

The old police station and courthouse still has its uses - but the facilities out the back were not really up to standard. I wonder how many policemen came here to relieve the regular coppers?
This one was a two-holer, but only had one door. Privacy may be an issue today, but it wasn't such a big deal back then I suppose. Maybe it was just that the women were not in the vicinity of the police post, courthouse and jail as often.



Along the coast there is a fair amount of wind, and some of the trees provide evidence of just how much. Glad I don't have to stand outside all day in this environment.


In case you were wondering the pictures were posed, all of them! Yes really! Yes they were - just ask the photographer!

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.