Geraldton

Monday 26^th August

 

We drove through more beautiful farm land before arriving at Belair Gardens Caravan Park ($32.00 per night)

 

Geraldton is a fairly large town and I did not feel comfortable with all the traffic and the streets were narrow and it was raining on and off and just generally unpleasant.

We parked up and sallied forth immediately to cast our vote and change the course of Australia’s Political History (or not!!!!)

 

 

We actually voted early. I didn’t know you could. This travelling around the country certainly does open you up to new experiences!

After that, it was the usual trip around town, do the groceries, buy good stuff, book Indie in for a service and a wheel alignment and check out the Caravan Park.

We found Aiden and Mary and decided on sun downers at their place tonight and our place tomorrow (all the important things!!!!).

We bought DVDs for Ron for his birthday and I got a new pair of shoes. I have toned down from red. These are orange!!!

The weather is absolutely abysmal! It goes from hot to cold and sunny to rainy with howling winds. Apparently there was a huge wind storm here yesterday and several people lost annexes and one lady returned from the shower to find a tree fallen across her tent!!!!

During a break in the weather I walked to the iconic Point Moore Lighthouse. Built in 1879, it is the tallest metal lighthouse in Australia.

 

 

We had a lovely afternoon with Aiden and Mary, sharing tales of our adventures and comparing notes on places we have been since we last met and drinking just enough alcohol to make it all the more enjoyable.

Tuesday 27^th August

Today is Ronnie’s Birthday and he is officially OLD!!!! (But he still looks happy posing with his card that our friend Cheryee sent!!!)

 

 

We rose early and took Indie off to Southside Mechanical Services for his service. The lady at the Tourist Information Centre had recommended them as indeed had my friend Ros after consultation with a long lost relative, Gary who lives in Geraldton. Jeremy, the mechanic kindly dropped us off in the heart of Geraldton, assuring us it would all be done by early afternoon. This was quite fortuitous as we had invited John and Teri (who we had chanced upon shopping in Coles yesterday) and Aiden and Mary to join us for Sun Downers at 4.30 pm.

It was the most dreadful day. It rained and the temperature plummeted. The wind would have blown dogs off chains. Occasionally the sun would come out and raise our hopes before they were dashed again by another downpour.

I did take Ronnie to a nice Chinese Restaurant for lunch.

We did a bit of shopping and posted off another care package to Paul.

Early afternoon became late afternoon and as Ron and I dragged ourselves around Geraldton, sheltering under shop awnings and killing time in coffee shops, we became more and more despondent (not to mention sore from aching backs and tired feet). We finally got word that Indie was ready and at 3.18 pm I phoned a cab. At 4.20 pm it finally arrived and we picked up Indie. Total Cost was $478.00 but they did leave a fridge magnet and a packet of Tic Tacs with their details on them on my seat. I tried to convince Ron it was his birthday present but he would have none of it! Then we headed for home.

The heavens opened and we despaired of having Sun Downers at all. Aiden came by and apologised, saying Mary was unwell and they would not be able to come after all. We did not expect John and Teri as they had a bit of a drive to get here but, undaunted, they had defied the weather gods and arrived on our doorstep. We moved over to the Camp Kitchen (which was actually a building with walls and a roof) and had a very nice time.

It was a nice finish for Ronnie’s Birthday.

Wednesday 28^th August

This morning we were up at 8.00am and off to Geraldton Physiotherapy Clinic. I know I said I would refrain from banging on about my aches and pains, but even I could stand it no longer so I bit the bullet and off I went. Long story short, she had no idea but thought it sounded pretty much muscular and gave me a massage (which nearly killed me and she said she was hardly using any pressure at all) and some exercises and wished me well! Once I recovered from the initial pain, I did feel much improved.

We went next door to the Woolies Shopping Centre and enjoyed a lovely coffee and cake. While we were there, Ron suggested we check out Telstra to see when my contract was up and how much it would cost for a new phone etc. I don’t need one, there is absolutely nothing wrong with what I have. But we checked it all out anyway.

From there, it was off to Geraldton Truck Align to get Indie a wheel alignment. They were fabulous and Hannah, who worked in the office, drove us down to Bunnings so we could check out new tables. (Our old one has gone to God). We bought a few other odds and sods and ended up walking back the 2.5km to pick up Indie. After we paid our bill ($242.00) we drove to Bunnings and picked up our new table.  

By the time we got back, we were so tired out that we decided to stay another day just to do nothing except rest. It was then I noticed that my phone was saying ‘No Sim Card’ when I tried to turn it on. Ron took charge and fiddled about with it and now it doesn’t work at all and will not recharge. So guess what we are doing tomorrow?

Thursday 29^th August

I have a New Phone!!! Now I shall have to learn how to use it.

From there, we did a bit of a drive around and went up to the H.M.A.S. Sydney II Memorial. It is so beautiful.

 

There is a lot of symbolism incorporated into the memorial.

The prow of the H.M.A.S. Sydney II represents a headstone, the watching woman represents all who wait and watch for loved ones, and the seagulls which made up the dome (645 of them) represent the 645 men who died when she sank.

Tomorrow we will be leaving and I will not be sad to go. Perhaps if the weather had been better, we may have liked it more but it was a very busy town. The traffic was horrendous. The streets were very narrow and seemed to run at odd angles. And there were people everywhere. It was very hustle and bustle with no respite and we were busy to-ing and fro-ing with Indie as well. It was not at all a relaxing time.