Rating: 3/5
Location: Batavia Coast Caravan Park, 239 Hall Road, Waggrakine, Geraldton, Western Australia
“Objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are ...” Meatloaf
Hello again my friend.
Our eastbound route would not include any big towns for the next few weeks so we decided to stay in Geraldton for a couple of days to get the car and caravan serviced. There’s been some rain in the area since we last visited so the scenery on the way in was lush and green.
Batavia Coast Caravan Park is proof that one should never judge a book by its cover. We actually did a drive by and kept going. We had to come back because it’s the only park in Geraldton that allows dogs. The good news is that the place is not too bad at all.
On the day that we left Murchison River, there was a Wicked Camper – I don’t mean a naughty person in a tent – but one of those Wicked Camper hire vehicles which had a rather profound slogan. “If you don’t have something to live for, you’ll die for nothing”. I’ve got nothing meaningful to say about it, I just thought it was interesting.
I sometimes wonder why someone would name a tourist destination after something negative. The Batavia Coast Caravan Park – and indeed the Batavia Coast itself – is named after a shipwreck.
The Dutch East India ship Batavia was wrecked on the Houtman Albrolhos islands about 80 kilometres off the coast of Geraldton in 1629 on its maiden voyage. It was infamous for the mutiny and massacre that ensued. Let’s hope that the other punters in the caravan park don’t get any ideas!
If it was my place, I would name it after a something that conjured up positive images. Maybe … Cold Beer Caravan Park. Colin Firth Resort. Clooney (George) camping.
The caravan park has lots of permanent residents which can sometimes be off-putting but there was no trouble. Moreover, the facilities are pristine!
We decided to take a grassy, big rig camp site which had plenty of space. The park also has a large dog exercise area at the back which the boys loved.
The other thing they loved was those wascally wabbits that boldly hopped around – close enough to whet Indy’s hunting instinct. Perhaps we’ll start calling him Elmer Fudd!
We took a drive around Geraldton while we waited for our caravan service to finish. There’s a replica of the Batavia’s long boat tied up at the wharf keeping company with a lot of very expensive and more modern boats.
Once we picked up the caravan, we filled up our water tanks at the information centre. It is located in a beautiful building which was formerly a hospital built in the 1800s.
We had to take the caravan back to the service agent within the hour because they ‘forgot’ to adjust the brakes. Gee whiz, … the caravan had no brakes after the service. If Kev hadn’t tested them, goodness knows what could have happened. What did I tell you about travelling with angels?
You my friend, stay safe and may the vision in your rear view mirror be as great as your view ahead.
Cost: $26 unpowered/$29 powered/$33 big rig site
Dump point: Yes
Fishing: No
Phone/internet: Yes
Showers: Yes
Toilets: Yes
Water: Yes
An adventure ... around Oz with dogs in a caravan 