Day 78 Geraldton City

Today we stayed in Geraldton and drove along the coast and went into the town to see the historic buildings.

We started at the Hermitage the building was designed by Monsignor Hawes and constructed in 1935/36. It was initially intended as the residence for the chaplain of SJOG hospital, the monsignor was also considering it as his retirement residence, but this never eventuated. The first occupant was a Fr. James Prendergast until 1943, then as nurses accommodation , store and meeting room for St. Vincent De Paul, until 1984 when taken over by the WA Government. Restored by the National Trust in 1990, it then became the residence of Bishop Hickey for a year, and then various tenants to 2014. Since 2019 it has again been manager by the Diocese of Geraldton for meetings and functions.



The Moore Point Lighthouse was the first all steel tower built on the mainland of Australia. It is also the oldest surviving Western Australia lighthouse under Federal control. The tower was a prefabricated steel tower by Chance Bros. of Birmingham, and brought to Australia in segments from England aboard the ‘Lady Louisa’. The light was first exhibited in 1878.







Built in 1879, originally served as the town's railway station. Over the decades, this state-heritage-listed site has operated as a regional museum, public library, and visitor centre.



The statue of Wiebbe Hayes, commemorates the hero of the "Batavia" mutiny off the Western Australian coastline in 1629. The statue shows a defiant Hayes bearing one of the pikes the Defenders had made.
Wiebbe Hayes (born about 1608) was a colonial soldier from Winschoten, Netherlands. Hayes became a national hero after he led a group of soldiers, sailors and other survivors of the shipwreck of the "Batavia" against the murderous mutineers led by Jeronimus Cornelisz at the Houtman Abrolhos Islands (Wallabi Group), off the Western Australian coastline in 1629. Jeronimus Cornelisz conspired to mutiny and steal the treasure-laden ship before it struck a reef.



The Freemasons Hotel Up and running since 1895, one of the oldest, heritage listed pubs in Geraldton.



St Francis Xavier Cathedral is one of the most iconic buildings in Geraldton. Designed and built by the famous Architect/Priest Monsignor John Hawes. During his 24-year time in Western Australia, Hawes designed many buildings an Architect by profession, priest by vocation; in the service of the church, carpenter, builder, woodworker, artist, sculptor, interior decorator and fundraiser; in his spare time, horse trainer and jockey and more. His legacy in Geraldton is legendary. We were lucky enough to be there when the organist was given a demonstration of the amazing acoustics of the church.








Geraldton's iconic yellow submarine has berthed in its new home. Built in 1968 — the same year the Beatles' Yellow Submarine hit movie screens — the vessel was intended to help search for rock lobster but that role was abandoned when battery emissions made it impossible to work in.



Courthouse is housed in a historic heritage-listed building originally constructed as public offices in 1897.
Edith Dircksey Cowan OBE was born at Glengarry Station near Geraldton, on August 2, 1861. A prominent social reformer and the first woman elected to an Australian parliament.




The Geraldton Visitor Centre is housed within the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery. This iconic building was the former Geraldton Town Hall and was built in 1907. We viewed the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025 in the art gallery which was a very modern collection covering all aspects of life including a child from outlying areas of Newcastle. There were two very interesting pieces in the staircase gallery using textiles.







We visited the HMAS Sydney II Memorial one of the most peaceful and beautiful memorials we have seen. Situated at Mount Scott the Dome of Souls main structure has a domed roof with a flock of stainless steel sea gulls, ( Larus novaehollandiae- “Silver Gulls”) comprising 645 individual elements, representing the Crew of the Sydney. The Stele is expressed in the form of the prow of HMAS Sydney II. It also incorporates all the symbolism of the pillar concept as well, described as a tall upright column in its own right. The pool of remembrance is a ‘ circle within the circle’ of the original Memorial, which symbolizes the ‘circle of life and death’ and the concept of Eternity and the Infinite.





Old Geraldton Gaol Craft Centre - The cells are fitted out with a variety of craft enterprises and if the cell was open then the person who makes the various items was working in there at the time.








Installed in 2019 the ‘Horizon Ball’ along the Beresford foreshore, a rather unusual sculpture created by Lucy Humphrey a 1.5m sphere made out of 40mm pure acrylic and filled with 1,800L of water.






Lighthouse Keepers Cottage - This was the City's first lighthouse, built in 1876 and still structurally the same 144 years later. The shingles still cover the roof, themselves covered by sheetmetal for preservation. The tower attached to the cottage operated in tandem with a tower constructed on the beach and ships had to line up the two lights for safe passage through the reef. Both towers operated into the 1950's using the Fresnel prism.



St George's Anglican Church - There are a number of structures associated with St George's on site; the church dating to 1935, colonnade and sundial to 1950, lych gate to 1957, hall to 1960 and St George's Cottage. The church is reputed to be modelled on an English Village type church although there is some thought that it displays characteristics of some churches built by Father Hawes. It was built from local stone with render addition to the arched windows, quoins and parapets. The bell tower is to the front.






Sunset Beach is near where the Chapman River enters the ocean. We are living across the road from the beach we just need to cross the road and walk over the sand dune.