You can understand why people are drawn to the south of Perth and why the towns to the north are so much smaller and spread out. Besides surf, fishing, and apparently sand surfing, there is a whole lot of nothing going on up here.
The dunes are fascinating. The ones nearest the road were signed to keep off for re-vegitation so we didn't get a close look until we rolled in to the bustling town of Geraldton (pop. ~ 35,000). From a distance, they look amazing and there are so many if them, I just couldn't understand how they have come to be... Tons upon tons of sand piled up and then sculpted by the winds and rain.
A couple of hours out of Perth we came along to Nambung National Park, which features the Pinnacles. These limestone formations are yet unexplained by the experts. Mind you there are a few theories but most fascinating to me, is the aboriginal story about the pinnacles being the fingers of naughty kids who sank into the sand reaching up to try and pull themselves out after disobeying their elders.
Geraldton is an interesting town. Spread out along the coast it is a major port for the exporting of live rock lobster, cultured pearls and lime. Not a tourist destination there only appeared to be 3 motels in the area so we were lucky to grab a room for a few nights at the Best Western. We didn't camp because we had a very important football game to watch in the middle of the day on Anzac Day.
The morning of Anzac day, we went up to the HMS Sydney memorial which was lost during WWII along with 645 crew. Very well done. And with the town's Anzac ceremony going on in the town center below we could hear the bugle taps playing as we absorbed the story etched in granite around the memorial.
After the game (1 point win to the Pies for you folks back in the states!), we headed off to the dunes south of town for a little play time!
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