Ellendale Pool and Geraldton

My last visit to Geraldton (though I will pass through next Monday)  - especially to take some photos at Greenough late in the day.  I had my car at Tyre Power at Dongara to check and change the tyres (wearing evenly and they are all changed, and with the right air ready for the next stage of my journey!), and they did it in less time than expected and for less $$$'s than quoted.  Hooray!

It gave me time to go to the Ellendale Pool, which is on the other side of Walkaway (I love the name of that little settlement!), and arrived there and was so pleased to have done so to see the beautiful scenery.

Ellendale Pool is a camping ground (though no water there other than the pool that has warning signs about nasty bugs in it - so not suitable for drinking.  Even if you swim in it it is recommended that you don't open your mouth!).

There's quite a lot of water, though I don't know the depth - but it looks beautiful below the cliffs.  No wonder it is a popular place to visit - for picnickers and campers.  There were probably almost a dozen vans in the park and one bloke came and spoke to me when he saw me taking photos.  He is from Queensland (Shailer Park) and he sends CD's of photos etc back to grandchildren.  We had a bit of a chat - he is headed back to Brisbane via a similar route to me, but taking longer than I am.

There is a sheep property adjacent to the park area and I took a couple of photos of the sheep - they are funny, usually getting up and running away from me.

On the Ellendale Pool Road there were a couple of ruins - adding to my photo collection.

Back onto the Brand Highway I headed north, but stopped to take a photo of the famous Leaning Tree.  There are many such trees along here - the winds from the Indian Ocean are very strong, and any trees are bent.  I think they are a particular species - there are many other trees that appear to withstand the wind much easier.  There is luckily an area to stop and take photos without interrupting the traffic!

The famous Leaning Tree

On into Geraldton - where I visited the Art Gallery to see the latest exhibition.  Art is often weird to me - some of the works really confuse me, and even the winner I had some issues with his paintwork.  Who am I to judge???

Also wanted to take a photo of the huge grain silo on the wharf - it often appears of Geraldton information, but I think I needed a helicopter to get the views that are shown.

The huge grain silos on the wharf at Geraldton

I had visited the HMAS Sydney Memorial on a hill top overlooking Geraldton - to commemorate the loss of lives during WW2.  The wreck was only found in 2008, some distance from the WA coast, and this memorial has been a feature in recent times with the last element completed in 2011.

The seagulls in the dome each represent one of the 644 Australians who lost their lives on the vessel.  If you every visit Geraldton, it is a must see.  The photo below was take from the side of the path up to the memorial, with the Rosemary bushes close to the camera. 

The HMS Sydney Memorial overlooking Geraldton

The latest addition to the Memorial.