16/09/18 Geraldton

16/09/18 Spent the morning touching up the Ulysses website and doing this blog.  Jeez it takes a while to crop and resize a bunch of photos.  Snack lunch then off on foot from my backpacker digs.

I was told I should see the cathedral.  (Wonder what makes a church a cathedral? -I've had a some answers now.  A church with a bishop.)  Another Hawes creation, filled with more wonderful stuff.

 

 Looking toward the altar.

Closeup of the altar.

This is a panorama view of the front and sides.  (I had to fiddle a bit to create it.  Apparently the Samsung phones create a non-standard file in panorama mode, which actually contains a video.  It was a two-step process to resize it on Linux, as lots of apps can't hjandle the file.)

Can't see it too well, but this is an opened crypt looking through glass in the floor.

 Presumably buried under here...

 is this guy.

 Impressive looking organ control centre.

 The Catholics love their idols.

 No idea what this is, with a halo of light hanging above it.

Then to the memorial to the HMAS Sydney.  I was expecting a building, but it's an outside war-memorial type thing.  I walked up a walkway, and somehow out the other side.  (I get lost easily.)  Had to backtrack a bit.  It was bloody steep, this memorial being at the top of a hill.  The uphill manicured track would cull out any old diggers with a dicky heart, that's for sure.  Presumably they are supposed to drive into the carpark at the top.

A couple of the signboards.  On another wall were the names of all the personnel.  The ship sunk without trace in battle, and no survivors were ever found.

The dome represents flying seagulls.

This is the wife/mother waiting at home, wondering what happened to her loved one.

When I got back to digs,  I noticed that a) there were no cars parked out front, and b) the security camera in the middle of the street seemed to be facing away from where I'd stand if I was going to take a sneaky drone shot of the front of the building (a request from the owner of the backpackers, as she hadn't been able to get a shot taking in the whole building).  In the shade, but might not get a better time.  So I went and got my drone and did it.  Frustratingly, it took ages to stabilise its GPS, without which it wouldn't let me launch (still in beginner mode). Finally I got it up.  Breezy, but no problem for this little drone that could.  I ignored the few passers-by.  Pippa was happy with this shot:

The entrance is the white door to the right  (looking at the pic) of the Thai restaurant, which is part of the same building.
After snapping off a couple of photos, I quickly landed the drone and snuck back inside.  I'm getting a bit better at this drone stuff.  :)
And no, I couldn't get a more frontal shot, cos there is a bloody great pine tree in the middle of the road to the right, which starts to obscure the view.
-That pole with the security camera on it is already in the way.

I've paid up for yet another night here.   Pretty good accommodation to veg out at for a while, and take in the sights at my leisure.

Another quiet night.  Downloaded XnView onto my (Ubuntu Linux) laptop to help with resizing photos.  I'm making them all around 1400 pixels wide for this blog.  I have original sizes if anyone reading this wants a copy of something.
This is my first blog, so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right.  I just know I don't want to use bloody Facebook for this stuff.

17/09/18 Wheat & Ospreys

 After a breakfast of ham, cheese & tomato sandwich, pear, coffee, I set off on the bike to see some sights of Geraldton.  (Nice to know that IGA over here also stocks my favourite snack cheese, Cracker Barrel slices.)
I noticed in the tree next to where I was eating, some Murray Magpie traffic.
This is a what I could see from upstairs.  -Unfortunately the bird ducked down when I opened the window to take a shot.  Its sitting in its mud nest.  (Don tells me that's why they are also called mudlarks.)

The bookshop lady next door wasn't interested in looking at my bike.  Hers is a very old MotoGuzzi California.  She told me when I asked what the storage down the road was, that the main exports here are wheat and mineral sands.

So this is wheat silos, and big ones too. (Again a fiddle to handle a panorama shot.)

Further round the coast in the fishing port area, I see this, which I reckon is the mineral sands facility.

I keep going and spot this:

So I pull in to a small carpark...

and try to take a closeup by expanding the screen on my phone.  Not good, but you can see a head poking up.

Do I risk the drone?  Worried about scaring the birds, I have a go, but keep it a fair way from the nest, especially when the bird starts whistling.
This the whole shot:

And this is a blowup of it.  Looks to me like a parent and a few chicks.

As I put the drone away, I notice a bird sitting on a post at the entrance to the park.  I video it, gradually getting closer.  It let me get quite close.

I watched this beautiful bird eat for a while.  It had started at the fish's head, the tail was still flapping!  Meanwhile, the other parent in the nest was calling.  I reckon this was dad, having his fill before carting his prize catch up to the nest for the rest of the gang.  Traffic and my presence didn't bother him.
 
Round a bit further to a proper carpark.
This beach shot is for John.  It was totally devoid of humans.

I was at the carpark of the sea rescue joint, complete with BBQs, picnic table and lawn.

I had a nice chat with this guy who is from Canada.  He didn't mind my interrupting the blowing up of his surfboard sail.

Over the road is a lighthouse.

Round the coast a bit further, here was a bloke demonstrating his kite-surfing skill, going out, coming back, over and over, at yet another pristine beach.  This coast is littered with them.  (Great if you also like wind.)

Back into town.  Having bought some technology (drone), I was open to shelling out for more.  While on the road in convoy with trucks & semis, it would have been good to say hello to them.  I left my CB home, because its battery is failing, takes up a bit of space with the extra Bluetooth gadget, and its charger is a pain (desktop style).  I asked at a couple of shops about a Bluetooth equipped CB (to talk to my Sena headset).  No joy.  I'll keep an eye out for such a beast.
yet another
Then it was back to the digs for a lunch snack with coffee, then to see what my drone had captured, and get this stuff on my blog.  (I'm hooked now.)

Tea was a typical pub chicken parmi at the Freemasons Hotel (didn't notice any Masons about).  The main shopping street street is like Rundle Mall, dead at night.  Paid for yet another night here.  -I'm definitely in go-slow mode.

18/09/18  Slow start followed by a walk around town.  Not very busy here, so its rare I strike anyone in the shared bathroom when I go for my shower.

Dropped in to the art gallery I'd seen the other day, to get some photos of the quirky stuff there.  All made with "found objects", proving that there's no need to throw anything out, you just recycle it as art.  I liked it.

Spotted this in a shop window.  Reckon it should join the art objects above.

I had to go in to ask what it was.  Was told that it can be used for coffee or beer.  Looks like the sort of thing I'd like to have.  But far too big to carry, and expensive.

I'm on the go tomorrow.  Just booked a place in Kalbarri for 3 nights.
Taking note of a video by Dick Smith about Aussies getting ripped off by US billionaires (https://player.vimeo.com/video/288285200), I rang the place direct. Sadly, I'm paying a bit more than if I'd booked online.  I've found this previously, so it doesn't encourage me to take Dick's advice.  Oh well...

Tonight I went to the foreshore with a guy staying here, who has a commercial drone license and actually does it for money.  He gave me a few pointers.  (He has a DJI Mavic Air, same brand and phone app as mine.)
While there, I took this shot of the backpackers with the playground in front.

 Despite gusty winds, the little drone stayed relatively steady.

Tea was seafood laksa at the local noodle joint.  Unusual.  Peanut based flavour rather than chili.  Would have liked more seafood, less "seafood-extender".  Big bowl, filled me up.  Port, sleep.  Tomorrow off, heading north.