On Champion Bay, 424km north of Perth - Geraldton is a flourishing little city with an almost perfect climate, averaging a temperature of 24C, with lovely warm summers and mild winters. The key cargo port of the region, Geraldton has some brilliant, white-sand beaches, warm, clear waters, and the fishing up this way borders on the legendary.
It’s also the centre of WA’s lobster fishing industry - with the main base for this lucrative activity out on the Abroholos Islands, about 64km offshore. There’s a major fishing fleet operating out of Geraldton’s harbour and, if you’re here during the lobster season (November to June), make sure you make your way down to Fisherman’s Wharf to watch the lobsters being unloaded before tasting.
A must-visit is the Geraldton Region Museum down at the waterfront in Marine Terrace. Here you'll find displays from the Dutch East India Company ships Batavia, Zuytdorp and Zeewijk which were wrecked off the Abroholos Islands and on the central-west coast in the 17th and 18th centuries. These are among the oldest wrecks found so far in Australian waters.
Festivals - Batavia Celebrations (June)
Things to do
Windsurfing - on Geraldton's wonderful beaches
Fishing - at Fisherman's wharf, or charter a deep sea fishing tour
Point Moore Lighthouse - all steel lighthouse dating back to 1878
Western Australian Museum - with relics of ships wrecked off the coast including a memorial to the crew who went down with the HMAS Sydney in 1941
Visitor Information Centre - cnr of Bayley and Chapman Road
In the area
Greenough River Walk - a National Trust walk with guided tours
Ellendale Bluffs and Pools - with a waterhole at the base of a stunning rock face
Chapman Valley - reknown for wildflowers in spring
Australia - plan it, book it
