Geralton to Cervantes Monday 22/08/11

After a delicious Chinese takeaway for tea and a dry night inside our cabin, we woke to find our decision to get a cabin was truly justified as it was wet and miserable outside. After a leisurely breakfast we waited for a break in the weather to pack the car. That done we found our way to the HMAS Sydney II memorial where we had a guided tour. The memorial honors the 645 sailors who were lost when the HMAS Sydney II was sunk after a battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran who was disguised as a Dutch trading ship. The Kormoran was cleverly designed with drop down sides that concealed it's guns allowing it to launch a surprise attack on the Sydney II. Unfortunately for the Kormoran, the Sydney II gave as good as she got and both ships ultimately sunk. The fate and resting place of both ships was a mystery until the wreckage of the Kormoran was found on the 12th March 2008. The Sydney was found 4 days later and the mystery was solved. The memorial in Geraldton is steeped in symbolism with a dome consisting of 645 seagulls representing the Australian sailors lost at sea. An inverted ship's propeller indicates a lost ship. The wall to the south shows photographs of the ship and has the names of all who were lost. A beautiful bronze statue of a woman gazing out to sea waiting for her loved one who will not be coming home. The Australian flag flys from the life-size representation of the bow of HMAS Sydney. The memorial was a solemn reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by those who served on the HMAS Sydney II. After a period of time here we moved on. 
Our next stop was the St Francis Xavier Cathedral which was designed by the famed architect Monsignor Hawes. The foundation stone was laid in 1916 and the building was completed in 1938. We spent a while examining the beautiful stained glass windows before continuing our journey. We leave Geraldton and head down the Indian Ocean Drive to Cervantes where we visit the Pinnacles Desert. The Pinnacles are amazing limestone structures that are remnants of ancient shells. Time, wind and rain have removed material from around these upright columns resulting in their strange appearance. Dutch sailors in the mid 1650's thought they were the ruins of an ancient civilization. We went through the visitors center where we learned about the desert and it's inhabitants before going on the walk that weaves through these fantastic structures. Angus had fun playing leapfrog over some of the smaller peaks while the rest of us played hide and seek. We then headed into Cervantes where we stayed the night.