Geraldton (lobsters galore)

We had a very informative tour of the live lobster processing facility at Geraldton’s Fisherman’s Cooperative. This is a multi-million dollar industry where approximately 99% of the lobsters are exported overseas, predominantly to Japan and China. These countries will pay top dollar for a lobster, however are very selective on the lobsters they receive. As an example, Japan only wants the smaller, darker ones (with no legs missing) where the colour red brings them good luck. China wants the larger ones where they will pay up to $400 for a lobster.

The processing plant had approximately 5 million dollars’worth of lobster ready for export. From the time they are brought in from the fisherman’s boat to being sorted (into size, grade & colour), held in tanks and ready for dispatch (still alive) it can take only 30 hours for them to be on a dinner plate somewhere overseas. A lot of back packer’s labour is used as part of this very impressive and efficient process.

One of many hundred holding tanks (already sorted)

Can I sneak him out whilst no one is looking?

The Chinese would pay $400 for this one

To get some more information on the tragic loss of the HMAS Sydney II warship (with its 645 crew) we headed to Geraldton’s museum. There was a lot more information about the battle with the German Ship ‘HSK Kormoran. It was interesting to learn that the German Ship posed as a merchant ship, gave misleading messages to the Aussie Ship and then when only 1.5km away put up its flag & fired upon the Sydney. There was also interesting facts on how the Sydney was finally located 67 years later by a research team (& left in its resting place out of respect of the sailors that died and at their relative’s request).

The museum also had a wealth of information and artefacts from the Batavia sinking in 1629, including details on the murder and mutiny at the Abrolhos Islands.

If you ever come across a Dome Café in WA, make sure you drop in for enticing meals and the world’s finest coffees. They need to open one of these franchises over in Melbourne. The kids loved their hot chocolate, fluffy koala and squashed frog (awesome chocolate drinks).