No grave but the cruel sea.

They have no grave but the cruel sea,

No flowers lay at their head,

A rusting hulk is their tombstone,

A’fast on the ocean bed.

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old …..

The Navy Ode

Geraldton, the coastal town 415 kms north of Perth is no stranger to tragedy at sea. The excellent Museum of Geraldton is a reminder that many of the first Europeans to the West were shipwreck survivors. Over 1400 ships lie as wrecks off the WA coast, with the 17^th century ships Batavia, Vergulde Draeck, Zeewijk and Zuytdorp among the most famous of the Dutch East India Company vessels which ran aground on route to what is now Indonesia. In the days before accurate longitude, navigation was imprecise and treacherous. Thousands of ships found their way by heading west until land was sighted and then turning north. Sadly, weather and darkness meant that this strategy often ended in disaster.

Geraldton also bears tribute to another maritime tragedy. On a hill overlooking the town and to the sea beyond is a magnificent multifaceted memorial commemorating Australia’s worst Naval tragedy when HMAS Sydney II was sunk by the German raider Kormoran on 19 Nov 1941 about 100 nautical miles west of Shark Bay. A dome of 645 steel gulls (one for each crew member lost) is a stark reminder of a sea battle that lasted less than an hour, but claimed an entire RAN crew, including their Chaplain George Stubbs. Without exaggeration this is the finest and the saddest Naval Memorial in Australia. It is a special honour for one current RAN member to visit this site, having proudly served in HMAS Sydney IV.

Geraldton’s historic foreshore, resplendent with a red and white metal 19^th  century lighthouse, has in more recent times undergone a 21^st century upgrade with walking tracks, parkland, fabulous playgrounds and public art at its best. Horizon, a 1.5metre sphere by artist Lucy Humphrey, turns the view beyond upside down due to the water inside.

Geraldton is the final stop on Coral Coasting our 3400km adventure, Perth to Exmouth and back. Camping fees and fuel cost us just $78.50 a day making this not only one of the best two weeks we have ever had, but also one of the cheapest.

We end our adventure in the richest style with take away fish and chips from Gone Fish and Chipping, a little shop just around the corner from our campsite at Sunset Beach. The staff are very friendly, the Shark Bay whiting is mouth-watering, the squid rings are perfectly tender and the chips take us back to our childhoods. Yum!