Tag Archives: Geraldton

One of the first things Ursula and I did after taking the shuttle out of the secure area of the port was to take a free bus ride. Our immediate objective was to get to the HMAS Sydney Memorial. The memorial sits atop Mount Scott, which offers some nice views of the surrounding area.

But this is a solemn place. It commemorates the loss during World War II of HMAS Sydney (D48), a modified Leander Class light cruiser that was sunk in a November 1941 battle against the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran.

As you approach this impressive monument from the entrance, this is your view:

The wall surrounding the 12-meter/39-foot Dome of Souls is the backside of a black marble Wall of Remembrance that tells the story of HMAS Sydney, the battle with the Kormoran, and a listing of the 645 Australian Navy sailors who lost their lives.

Also at the memorial is The Waiting Woman looking out to sea and grieving for her lost loved one:

This tall structure invokes the prow of HMAS Sydney, and is referred to as The Stele:

Beyond the area encompassed by the Dome of Remembrance and Wall of Remembrance is the Pool of Remembrance. Don’t bother looking up the wreck coordinates from the numbers at the bottom of the pool. The South Latitude is missing the first number, which should be a “2”, so make sure you enter 26 14 45 South or you’ll be way off.

Centered beneath the Dome of Souls is a replica ship’s screw marking the memorial’s “altar”:

I’ll leave you here with one final image looking back toward the Dome of Souls:

Two days after leaving Port Hedland Radiance of the Seas made port in Geraldton. The city of Geraldton looks much larger than its population would suggest. The population here is under 38,000 (2018 numbers), but it has both the look and feel of a major metropolitan area.

It certainly feels much larger than, say, Port Hedland (14,320 in 2018), but it doesn’t feel appreciably smaller than Darwin (pop. 148,564 in 2018) as you stroll the city streets. On Wednesday you’ll see why, as we travel to the HMAS Sydney Memorial which overlooks Geraldton.

The beaches here are certainly inviting. They abut the Indian Ocean.

Looking the other direction, here’s the port with beautiful blue water:

In the downtown area on Marine Terrace southwest of Durlacher Street is an odd stone wall onto which plaques have been mounted. I approached the awning-covered area and found the plaque pictured below. It commemorates the wreck of the Dutch East India Company ship Batavia, which ran aground on a reef  near Beacon Island some 54 miles/87 kilometers west northwest of Geraldton in 1629.

Now let’s head southeast along Cathedral Avenue to visit the impressive St. Francis Xavier Cathedral:

The exterior of St. Francis Xavier may look somewhat traditional:

But don’t let that fool you. Inside you’re greeted by this:

This dramatic cathedral was designed by architect-priest Monsignor John Hawes, who obviously drew his inspiration from some of the more famous striped churches of Italy. The orange and gray stripping is quite striking.

Make sure you take time to soak in the beautiful stained glass high above you:

Inside you’ll also find this impressive organ:

The apse is also quite breathtaking:

I’ll leave you with this last rather fun image before returning you to Geraldon on Wednesday for a tour of the HMAS Sydney Memorial: