As we headed north from Perth the clouds were ominously dark and a quick check of the local radar conditions told us we were in for a soaking. We'd considered spending a few days at Kalbarri but decided to keep driving, hoping to achieve two goals - to drive through the rain and to avoid the school holiday crowds. A delay in Perth sorting out a mobile phone issue meant we were departing on the last Friday of the WA school term. Despite our reservations about jostling with school holiday makers for camp spots, locals were certain that the June school break was far busier 'up north' than these holidays and that most Perthites (what do you call people from Perth??) didn't travel too far north in any case ... so the general sentiment was an overwhelming "you'll be right mate"!
We ended up just north of Geraldton as dusk approached so decided to camp at Coronation Beach - recommended on Wikicamps. Unfortunately it was full so we pulled up stumps in a roadside stop just off the main highway. The upside...we had indeed avoided the rain and it was free. The downside...we were subjected to a symphony of all-night truck sounds and 80km/hr winds! Needless to say, we were up bright and early and were back on the road by 8.30am. At least we've got our set-up / pack-up arrangements streamlined now so these short stays can be achieved without too much hard work!
Perhaps the most interesting (and gruesome) history around Geraldton is the story of the Batavia. In 1629, the Batavia was shipwrecked at the Abrolhos Islands on her maiden voyage, and was made famous by the subsequent mutiny and massacre that took place among the survivors. Two senior officers decided during the early days of the voyage to lead a mutiny and begin life afresh somewhere exotic using the huge supply of treasures on board. When the ship struck a reef near Geraldton, the captain was successful in leading all but 40 of the 322 people on board to safety. What ensued next was the perverse and incredible story of how the two mutineers managed to convince a loyal band of followers to systematically murder men, women and children (apparently, mostly for pleasure or because they were bored).
Meanwhile, oblivious to the carnage, the Captain and a small group of sailors had been searching for drinking water on nearby islands. When this wasn't successful, they decided to make the leisurely voyage in a 9m longboat to Batavia (now known as Jakarta)! This journey, which now ranks as one of the greatest feats of navigation in open boats, took 33 days and, extraordinarily, all aboard survived. When the Captain returned to rescue the survivors two months later, he discovered how naughty the two crazy officers and their posse had been. More than 100 people has been drowned, bashed, strangled or stabbed.
The Captain was quick to take back control and the mutineers were put on trial immediately. Some had their hands cut off before being hanged, some were flogged while others were left to perish on the harsh mainland of Australia. Only 68 people from the original 322 made it to Batavia (Jakarta). The Captain was, himself, put on trial when he returned to Batavia. He was found to have contributed to the sad saga by lacking authority and control. His financial assets were seized, and he died a broken man within a year.
Photos
The storms had created some incredible skies over Geraldton
our camp for the night