GERALDTON

Sept 4 -7

By the time we reached Geraldton, we were ready for a shopping spree. We were sick of the same clothes, and both of us have lost weight, so some of the things we brought with us were too baggy. The caravan park we chose is 6 km out from the city and has its own beach access – rather like a private beach. Unfortunately, the weather had turned wet and windy and the beach was wild, with the sand covered in seaweed and sponges ripped up from the sea floor. Still no boogie-boarding!

We had an indulgent two days buying clothes, fishing reels and caravan stuff, and finally got to have a decent cappuccino!

On the third day, we took ourselves to the Geraldton Museum to see the Da Vinci Machines exhibition. It was awesome! Wooden models have been made from his detailed drawings, many of which you can manipulate to see how they work. The man was an extraordinary genius and so far ahead of his time. The Museum also had a 'Shipwrecks' room where they had on display artefacts from the Dutch East India Company ships which foundered on the coast here, as well as a detailed account of the sinking and recovery of the Sydney II. We spent several hours in the Museum and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ian took photos for his mate in London who did a lot of the original research which led to the discovery of the Sydney wreck.