 Visit Geraldton WA
Located 424 kilometres north of Perth and the gateway to the State's vast north, Geraldton is a bustling coastal town.
Blessed with beautiful beaches and warm, sunny weather, Geraldton is also a major export centre for far flung pastoral, mining, agricultural, manufacturing, construction and fishing industries.
Situated on Champion Bay on a spectacular stretch of coastline known as the Batavia Coast, Geraldton offers cultural, entertainment, shopping and sporting facilities.
Lovely natural beaches provide a smorgasbord of water based recreational and sporting activities, with special emphasis on yachting, surfing and diving. The town is also world renowned as a Mecca for windsurfers.
Geraldton is an ideal base for self drive tours, especially during the famous wildflower season from July to November, and is within a few hours' drive of sealed roads to the real 'Outback'. Throughout the year there are scenic flights along the Batavia Coast to Monkey Mia (where wild dolphins visit), Kalbarri National Park and the spectacular Murchison River gorges. Tours to the Abrolhos Islands are also available by boat and float plane, offering fascinating views of these unique islands.
Among Geraldton's many attractions are first class theatres, art galleries, museums, lookouts and parks. Two of the town's most striking historical buildings are the Monsignor Hawes designed St Francis Xavier Cathedral and the unique all steel Point Moore Lighthouse, dating back to 1878.
Recent additions are the Western Australian Museum, Geraldton, which houses relics of ships wrecked off the rugged coastline, and the magnificent Memorial to the 645 crew members who were lost when HMAS Sydney went down on 19th November, 1941.
In 1879, Geraldton was the western terminal for the State's first government built railway line between the port and Northampton. In the 1890s it boomed through gold discoveries in the Murchison region and became increasingly important as a supply and shipping centre for the pastoral and agricultural industries.
Now almost three million tonnes of grain and minerals are shipped from the port each year and huge ships can be seen entering the port from the open sea.
A marine commercial centre, it is distinguished as the world leader in rock lobster fishing, producing world class quality as a result of the pristine water conditions.
An excellent range of restaurants and cafes, many featuring local seafood, are available. Geraldton also offers a number of hotels, motels, holiday flats, villas and caravan parks.
For more information on travelling to the the West Coast region visit Western Australia Tourism's website.
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