Just docking in Geraldton now, local time around 07:20. Weather cooler but still fine. Calm seas overnight. Look forward to a short trip to town and last night tonight on-board.

Of course, we are now back online, connected, on the Internet, able to use mobiles and load blog content.

Now I can also see that I have butchered my blog so have been busy trying to fix the presentation of basically every page I have posted since inception last month. I have learned you must not remove the images from the Blog gallery as it seems the images are linked and not embedded as I had thought. So lots of restoring of files and re-editing required. Oh well, another first world problem to solve. Meanwhile please be patient if some of the pages are a big jumbled as I will aim to fix each as I can, in addition to some sight-seeing, and breakfast!

	Our parking spot.
	Our view in dock.

We have now completed a briefing walking tour of Geraldton including a very scenic walk along the water-front and marina, and then a very solemn, poignant and emotional visit to the memorial for the HMAS Sydney II naval vessel sunk in the Indian Ocean 19th Nov 1941 by the German cruiser Kormoran, that just prior was masquerading as a Dutch merchant ship. For further details, you can refer http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs111.aspx.  For a long time (till 2008, see below), the whereabouts of the Sydney were unknown. The memorial was constructed some ten years prior to this discovery.

	Some very pleasant buildings and architecture in Geraldton. Seems a very accessible and good life-style town, with water activities and water-sport prominent.
	Right in town are a series of little coves and beaches, being increasingly less protected as you move away from the wharf above. Another picture of our ship docked, which from some angles looks like it is in dry dock. In any case, how does such a large and heavy ship sit up so high in the water? Amazing? Must be a lot of ballast down below …
	In the marina right in town. Many yachts and power boats of various descriptions but this one took my eye. Rather quaint and makes for a good picture I thought. Of course, notice the glorious weather. We have been most fortunate with weather, at least so far …
	Another cute building.
	Now in the memorial. A map to show where the Sydney was located in 2008, being off Shark Bay, in a rough arc or diagonal between Geraldton and Broome.
	The view from the Memorial looking north west, in the direction of the Sydney’s resting place.
	So many lives lost. So much grief. So much mystery for so many years. Until discovery in 2008. What about the depth of the water?
	A life-size depiction of the bow of the Sydney, which apparently broke free as a consequence of an adjacent and catastrophic torpedo strike, meaning the Sydney sunk very promptly, with no lives saved. It was found in this orientation in very deep waters in the Indian Ocean resting place, some distance from the rest of the ship, on the ocean floor.
	The main feature of the memorial, including 645 welded birds all facing their planned port destination to the south.
	The names of the 645 deceased sailors.
	A lady symbolic of all those mothers, wives and girlfriends who lost their loved ones in this war tragedy. It also happens that this lady is facing almost the exact direction of where the Sydney was located, even though this status was erected some 10 years prior to the discovery of the ship’s remains.
	What a wonderful memorial. Special thanks to the volunteers who conducted the tour of this site and explained each significant part. They were most helpful, and as our guide said, this is a special place that ironically makes you proud to be an Australian. Indeed, our trip has reminded me how relatively united we are as Australians, from east, to the north and now the west.