The 4th Camino San Francisco saw 28 keen walkers embark on the 2 day walk through the hinterland of Geraldton, discovering some of the historic buildings and properties associated with the earliest settlers in the Geraldton region and the churches that were built to cater for them. The group gathered at St Francis Xavier Cathedral on Friday evening, 30th April and after walking the labyrinth and having their shells and passports presented in the Cathedral, they were bussed by Mr Norm Reynolds to their home for the next 2 nights – Echidna Park Sporting Club.
The weather was perfect for walking both days and all enjoyed the hospitality offered along the way by the property owners who welcomed the group and stamped their passports.
The meals prepared by Jane Whitaker and Lex Pace assisted by Luci, were up to the usual high Camino standard and all appreciated the back to school ‘lunch order’ routine which saw their prepared lunches delivered to the pre-determined lunch stop.
Thanks to Peter McGowan at McBoats Seafoods and Julie Boschetti at Latitude Direct in Geraldton for providing us with local Abrolhos Scallop Shells.
Thanks also to those who welcomed the group to their churches/properties
Pat Mills at St James Kojarena
Jenny Collins at Tibradden Station
Tania Moffat at Minninooka
Sarah Thurkle at St Thomas’s Church
Helen and Rick McCracken at St John’s Convent
Brian Ware at St Peter’s Greenough
Saturday Highlights:
Mass at Kojarena – Welcome by Pat Mills
Breakfast at Tibradden – Welcome by Jenny Collins
Morning Tea at Minnenooka – Welcome by Tanya Moffat
Lunch by the Greenough River
Visit to St Thomas’s Church – Thanks to Sarah and Aiden Thurkle
& St John’s Church and Convent – Welcome by Rick and Helen McCracken
Pass by the property on which Dominie is buried
Sunday:
Mass at St Peter’s Greenough –
Breakfast at Greenough Cafe
Walk from Bootenal Springs Rd via the Greenough River Nature Walk to Greenough River Mouth
Lunch by the Greenough River
Walk to The Hermitage
Arrival at St Francis Xavier Cathedral to a welcome by The Geraldton Bells and presentation of Certificates
- Walking the Labyrinth
- Walking the Labyrinth
- Norm patiently waiting for all to board the bus.
- Jarrod arriving at Echidna Park
- All in readiness at Echidna Park
- Under the Stars at Echidna Park
- Fr Dominic and Pat Mills at St James Kojarena
- Gerry and Pat preparing for the Mass
- Fr Robert Kojarena Mass
- Fiona – Mass Readings Kojarena
- Moira and Pat – stamping
- Colleen and Jo – Kojarena
- Norm- Kojarena
- Jenny Collins stamping passports at Tibradden
- Passport stamping Tibradden
- Pat Mills at Tibradden
- Ana, Jo, Moira and Paul getting stamped
- Fiona at Tibradden
- Breakfast Tibradden – Jane, Luci and Lex
- The workers – Rachel, Norm and Mandy
- Mary Anne and Michelle at Tibradden
- Leigh and Sterling at Tibradden
- Rachel, Mandy and Janice Breakfast at Tibradden
- Breakfasting at Tibradden
- Shearing Shed Tibradden
- The convoy
- Cecile and Heather
- Arriving at Minninooka
- Minninooka Homestead
- Morning Tea at Minninooka
- Fiona and Leona at Minnenooka
- Minninooka
- Leaving Minninooka
- View from Minninooka
- Day 1 Route
- A long straight road
- Windmills on the landscape
- Views across the Greenough Valley
- More cool feet
- Foot cooling in the Greenough River
- Rachel cooling her heels
- Jo, Colleen and Cheryl near Greenough River Crossing
- Fiona by the Greenough
- St John’s Convent Bootenal
- St Thomas’s Church Bradley Crossing
- Sterling at Minninooka
- Fr Robert in St Thomas’s Church at Bradley Crossing
- Inside St Thomas’s Church
- St John’s Church Bootenal
- St John’s Convent Bootenal
- Cecile having passport stamped by Jenny McCracken at St John’s Convent
- Rick McCracken at St John’s Convent Bottenal
- Vincent and Sterling
- Sylvia and Janice
- Sally, Heather and Cecile
- Rachel
- Norm, Jarrod and Moira
- Moira and Letitia
- Lara and Paul
- The wine labellers
- Leigh, Tania and Paul
- Leona and Michelle
- Letitia and Leone
- Lynette and Fiona
- Mandy
- Janice Jo and Cheryl
- Colleen and Marlene
- Liberty and Ana
- Paul with his Camino label and T Shirt
- Rachel with her Camino Label
- Cecile with her Aching Ankles drop
- Kitchen crew, Jane, Luci and Lex
- Mary Anne
- Valerie
- Ordering lunches
- St Peter’s Greenough
- St Peter’s Window
- Mass in St Peter’s
- Moira and Fr Robert
- Stamping the Passports by Brian Ware, a St Peter’s parishioner
- Michelle and Mary Anne
- Showing the Way
- Fiona
- Cheryl and Colleen
- Fr Robert leading the way – for a short time
- Lynette and Paul on their 3rd Camino
- Cecile
- Leigh and Sterling
- Lara
- Liberty, Janice, Sylvia, Rachel and Ana Day 2
- Walking the sandy path Day 2
- Geraldton here we come
- Geraldton at last
- Enjoying a break – Mary Anne, Jarrod, Sally, Moira and Letitia
- Ana and Michelle
- Marlene
- Fr Robert (alias Monsignor Hawes) outside The Hermitage
- Dominie in The Hermitage
- The Hermitage Geraldton
- Gerry stamping passports in The Hermitage
- Jarrod arriving at The Hermitage
- Walking to SFX Cathedral
- Triumphant arrival at the Cathedral
- Arriving at the Cathedral
- Maureen stamping the passports of Sterling and Leigh
- Passport Stamping – Norm
- Marueen and Mandy
- Jo with her stamped passport
- Maureen and Sally
- Vincent has his passport completed
- Vincent Lau
- Valerie Harris
- Tania Cross
- Sylvia Vong
- Sterling Brown
- Sally Vigilante
- Moira McClean – with Dominie
- Norm Reynolds – the every reliable bus driver
- Paul Davies
- Paul Barndon – veteran of all 4 Caminos
- Rachel Baker
- Sisters – Sally and Leone
- Michelle Hughes
- Mary Anne Milloy -Rakich
- Marlene Cowan
- Mandy Ley
- Mandy. Fr Robert and Rachel – Camino Organisers
- Lynette Davies
- Leigh O’Brien
- Leona Della Sale
- Leone Marsh
- Letitia Martinez
- Liberty Lopez – the shortest walker
- Lynette and Paul Davies – 3rd Camino
- Lara Sampson
- Jo Sullivan
- Janice King
- Heather Beswick
- Fiona Angelatos
- Ana Hill
- Cecile O’Connor
- Colleen Smith
- Fiona and Leona – Mother and Daughter