Geraldton

We've covered quite a bit of territory in the last week or so, making our way from Kalgoorlie in the WA outback, to the port of Geraldton, north of Perth. We are on Amangu country.

We like the place so much we extended by a couple of days and optimistically (prematurely, it turns out) packed away most of our winter clothing. We did experience several warm sunny days before the rain and wind returned, and got to see a fair bit of the city, which gets a big thumbs/paws up from the three of us.

Blue seas; white sandy beaches; beautiful old colonial buildings; a vibrant CBD and foreshore; fresh seafood; and stunning sunsets. There's a lot to like.

One of the key attractions in town is a moving memorial to the HMAS Sydney II. Originally named HMS Phaeton the Sydney was one of three Leader Class light cruisers purchased by the Royal Australian Navy in the years leading up to WWII. Her sister ships were the Perth and the Hobart. The Sydney was celebrated for a series of successful battles in the Mediterranean at the beginning of the war, including sinking the Italian cruiser, Bartolomeo Colleoni.

In 1941, Sydney, was put to work escorting troop ships to South East Asia, following a route along the West Australian coast. On returning from one of these voyages, she encountered the HSK Kormoran, a German Raider disguised as a Dutch merchant vessel. The Sydney approached the vessel when it failed to return radio signals and by the time the Kormoran opened fire, she was too close to effectively deploy her superior armoury and defend herself. Both ships sank, with the loss of all 645 men on board the Sydney. Of the 390 crew aboard the Kormoran 319 survived. These men were the only witnesses to the battle and were dismissed as being unreliable, so the location of the wreck of the Sydney remained a mystery for 66 years. But in 2008 a dedicated group of volunteers, helped by modern technology, discovered the Sydney shortly after locating the wreck of the Kormoran, around 100 nautical miles off Geraldton coast.

The memorial to the HMAS Sydney, located on a hill looking out to sea, includes an honour roll of the 645 men on board and a huge steal dome featuring 645 doves representing each life lost.

We've thoroughly enjoyed our time in Geraldton, especially watching the sun set over the water, and through a really cool glass sphere that turns everything upside down. We hope you enjoy the photos, including a sneaky sunset pic taken at a bush camp somewhere along the way.