| Other shipwrecks
feature prominently in the area’s unfortunate history and each of these
has its own display as well.
Other must
sees in Geraldton include the handicraft market in the Old Geraldton Gaol,
St. Francis Xavier Cathedral – one of famed architect’s Monsignor Hawes
finest works. Geraldton Regional Art Gallery is also worth a visit to
see stunning artwork by local artists.
As Geraldton
backs away from the waterfront, it rises gently upwards. At the top
of the hill sits the HMAS Sydney Memorial, a beautiful site built to
honor 645 Australian sailors lost during a battle in World War II. A poignant
bronze statue of a woman looking out over the sea, shading her eyes, takes
center stage. You can almost feel her despair as she waits for her loved
one to return. Behind her, a silver dome of 645 seagulls represents the
lost sailors. The views of Geraldton from here are unbeatable.
If you’re
looking for a cozy place to stay in Geraldton, look no further than Champion
Bay B&B www.members.westnet.com.au/championbay/.
Situated at the top of the hill, Champion Bay overlooks the ocean and provides
perfect views of the alluring daily sunsets. The bed and breakfast is in
a 100 year old house; its wooden floors, open and inviting kitchen and
comfortable bedrooms make you feel like you’re returning home at the end
of a full day in Geraldton. Hotels are nice, but home is better.
Nambung
National Park
Leaving Geraldton,
we drive south towards Western Australia’s most populated city,
Perth. Although it is only about 400 kilometers from Geraldton to Perth,
there is plenty to see along the way. Just outside of Geraldton near
the tiny settlement of Greenough exists a natural wonder unlike anything
you’ve ever seen.
You’ll undoubtedly
notice the peculiar shape and angle of many trees that line the highway.
The leaning trees in this area are famous for their exaggerated tilt; the
trees here grow along the ground, instead of reaching upright. The trees
seem to have jumped straight out of a cartoon in one of those scenes where
the wind blows so hard that even people bend over at the ankles. But the
trees are smarter than they look; they’re actually leaning away from the
harsh salty wind that blows in from the sea.
About halfway
to Perth, you’ll find the perfect place to get out and stretch your legs.
Nambung National Park is situated 245 kilometers north of Perth on the
Swan Coastal Plain, and contains one of Western Australia’s most remarkable
landscapes; the Pinnacles Desert. This is the ideal place to experiment
with all those settings on your digital camera. The landscape is
dominated by thousands of limestone pillars rising up out of the yellow
orange sand.
A one way loop
winds its way through the desert and takes about one hour to walk at a
comfortable pace. It’s an eerie landscape; you could easily believe that
you’re walking on the moon. The pillars vary greatly in shape and size.
Some reach up to five meters; some are just tiny lumps on the ground. Others
are jagged, while some round out with soft edges. And if you use your imagination,
you can see almost anything you want. One pillar takes on the form of a
tiger head as we walk through the desert, another is a perfect koala.
Perth
Arriving in
the city of Perth is exhilarating after traveling through the sparsely
populated towns of Western Australia. Don’t get me wrong, I love nature
and I love that WA is relatively undiscovered, but cities have a lot
to offer as well. Especially if you want to indulge in a bit of luxury.
Checking into
a magnificent two bedroom apartment at Saville Suites, www.savillesuites.com,
is one of the best things we do in Perth. Perfectly situated just outside
the compact city center, Saville Suites lets you access the city’s major
attractions by foot, but is far enough away to leave all the noise behind
for a peaceful evening. Our balcony overlooks the Swan River and
as we watch the sun set with a bottle of wine, Perth’s skyline twinkles
to life. The apartment is fully furnished, including a well equipped kitchen
with a dishwasher and microwave, two bathrooms and laundry facilities.
We cook a simple meal, watch the headlines on the evening news and collapse
into luxurious beds. It’s like home, but fancier.
First thing
next morning, we’re up early to explore the city. Perth is one of the
easiest cities to get around as it offers a free bus around the city center
– Central Area Transit or CAT. There are three different routes and
each has been designated its own color. It’s a brilliant concept
and perfect for tourists. Since we’re unfamiliar with the city, we head
down to the nearest CAT stop, just down the street from the Saville, and
hop on the first bus to arrive. We complete a full loop, noting places
we’d like to get off and explore.
Perth is a
lovely small city; it’s open, clean and dotted with palm trees. The
city is also quite spread out, avoiding the sometimes claustrophobic
feel of larger cities. The central streets are full of souvenir shops,
ice cream parlors, jewelry stores and street performers. We wander around
and eventually make our way to the Perth Mint (on the red CAT line).
The oldest
operating mint in Australia, it’s also one of the oldest in the world still
operating in its original location. On display is a fabulous collection
of gold crystals, gold jewelry and the largest gold nugget collection in
Australia. It sure would be nice to stumble upon something similar to the
11.5 kg “Golden Beauty” on display here. It’s one of the largest
gold nuggets in the world. Medals from the Sydney 2000 Olympics are also
on display.
In addition,
you can try lifting a bar of solid gold weighing 12 kg. But don’t think
you’ll get away with hiding it in your pocket – it’s enclosed in a glass
case with only a small opening for your arm. Besides, it’s a lot heavier
than it looks and I can’t even get it off the table with one hand.
Next I step
on a huge scale, something, I should mention that I rarely do in public,
to find out what my weight would be worth in gold. For the first time in
my life I appreciate the few extra pounds I’ve put on while traveling as
I discover that I’m worth over a million and a half dollars.
Probably the
most fascinating part of the whole experience is the Gold Pour which takes
place in the original Melthouse in a late 19th century factory. It’s like
going back in time, not much has changed in this room since the mint’s
opening in 1899. You can watch as a heavily protected worker transforms
200 ounces of 99.99% pure, molten gold into a solid gold bar, not unlike
the one I tried to pick up.
As he works,
he explains the process in great detail. A bowl of shining, liquid gold
sits on the metal table in front of him. He shows us the safety gear he
must wear, including a heavy duty apron, gloves and a helmet with a face
cover. The temperatures he deals with can reach up to 1300ºC, so
safety equipment plays a large role in the Gold Pour.
Next, he takes
the bowl of liquid gold and holds it high so we can see. The liquid
inside is a fluorescent yellow, and it moves like lava from a volcano.
He pours the gold into the bar mold and it flows like mercury, several
small drops landing on the table, perfect circles of dancing fire.
He drops the
entire bar, still in its casing, into a vat of water and the sizzles are
loud enough to be heard in the next room. The final product is a solid
gold bar, exactly the same color as the jewelry you’d wear. It’s hard to
believe that it started out as a liquid.
The Mint has
a good gift shop where you can make investments in the form of gold coins
and bars, decorate yourself with gold jewelry or purchase gold medallions
as gifts.
Next on
our list is a visit to the Western Australian Museum. One of the museum’s
permanent exhibitions; Western Australia – Land and People, details the
history of the area starting with the dinosaurs. The Mammal Gallery houses
stuffed animals like camels, zebras and deer. The museum is home to a variety
of displays that go beyond just Western Australia.
Diamonds
to Dinosaurs takes you back 12 billion years in time to see pre-solar
diamonds and includes a display of moon rocks. The Butterfly Gallery is
one of my favorites, with row after row of the gorgeous insects. The Bird
Gallery is a good place to study the birds of Western Australia and will
hopefully help you identify them later in the wild. The Dampier Marine
Gallery transports you under the sea to view some fascinating marine creatures.
But perhaps
the most famous inhabitant of the museum is the Megamouth shark preserved
in its own tank in the courtyard. Little is known about the Megamouth,
one of the largest species of shark, as less than ten have ever been captured.
But here you can gape at the huge shark body with all the other tourists.
It’s one of the only places you’ll see a real one, so don’t miss it! Entry
to the museum is by donation.
The Swan River
runs through Perth and out to the Indian Ocean, and the perfect end to
our busy day is a stroll down the path running parallel to the river. We
walk up to one of Perth’s most famous landmarks, the Swan Bell Tower, just
as dusk is turning the city pink. The Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields
in London donated twelve historic bells to Perth which are now housed in
the Tower. The tall glass tower is encased by two copper sails. As
we walk back to the Saville, the lights in the city are slowly flickering
to life. With the river to our right, and the city to our left, I voice
an opinion that I started forming several weeks ago. “I sure like Western
Australia.”
The following
is a list of articles that Dawnelle has written for the magazine:
To contact Dawnelle
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