Plans Change

So with my car kitted out, I dropped back by the hostel to pick up my bags, and I was on my way. It just so happened that my route took me right by Gaynor's house, so I dropped in to say hi/bye. By the time I finally left there, it was around 2 PM, and I was planning on staying the night in Kalbarri (563 km away). Needless to say, I didn't make it. The nice lady at the hostel I was planning to stay at told me (over the phone) that I wasn't going to make it, and that I should stay the night in Geraldton. Good advice. As it was, I didn't make it to Geraldton until after dark, and it's dangerous to drive at dawn/dusk especially and while it's dark also (animals roam across the road, and my car doesn't have roobars).

The hostel I stayed at in Geraldton (Batavia Backpackers) seemed a little more run-down than the Perth one, but the staff was very nice. There was also an angry guy (kinda grumbly about everything, etc...) staying in the dorm, people like that weird me out too. The dorm was one huge room, and the grumbly guy said it was packed full (40-something people) about four days before I got there, over a long weekend.