Geraldton

Just over 400km north of Perth, Geraldton (Sun City) has long been a favourite resort for Australians and travellers from overseas. It owes this to its year- round sunny climate, its pristine beaches, its pleasure harbours, its excellent fishing and its central position for touring up and down the coast or further inland.

Sun City is no empty boast. Geraldton has an average of 8 hours sunshine a day - summer, winter, spring and autumn. The Abrolhos Islands where the Dutch merchantmen in the "Batavia" ran aground, are the site of the first Europeans to set foot in Western Australia -
it is thought that two Dutch mutineers who were cast ashore managed to survive here and possibly lived the normal span of their lives here on the mainland.

Geraldton is a great place for just laying around and living the beach- life. You can hire windsurfers, charter fishing boats, tour inland, go horseriding, spend time scuba diving in the clear waters or take to the air in a charter plane to see the coast, the islands and inland scenery.

Geraldton is a deepwater port exporting grain and mineral sands to overseas markets.
A visit to the fishing boat harbour, the centre of rock lobster industry, is a must.

The town is a popular tourist destination and has a backpackers’ hostel, hotel-motel, motel, caravan parks, villas, cottages and a good shopping centre.
There are also al-la-carte restaurants, takeaway establishments and the usual counter meals at the hotel.

Water sports dominate the scene with windsurfing, surfing, swimming, body surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling and fishing, all accepted as everyday things.

Sixty four kilometres south of Geraldton is the picturesque fishing town of Dongara, its main street lined with Moreton Bay fig trees that join overhead to form an archway. It is another important link in WA’s multi-million dollar crayfishing industry.
Testimony to this is to be seen at “suburban” Denison, one and a half kilometres to the south of town where a modern marina home ports to the fishing fleet.

The coastal plain between Dongara and Geraldton is known as the Greenough Flats and consistently produces some of the state’s highest yielding wheat crops.
Along this stretch of road, visitors will see fully grown trees that have been forced parallel to the ground by the consistent south west winds.

The region boasts many historical buildings and museums but no visit to Geraldton could be complete without seeing the Greenough Historical Hamlet where several buildings have been restored to their original glory days of the mid-1800’s. Daily walk tours are conducted from 9.30am and are most informative.

Coach operators conduct regular tours of the region including the Greenough Hamlet, wildlife park (in the same area), Dongara, the city sights and Northampton.
During wildflower season (July to December), they also run tours to the top spots to see the most spectacular of our famous wildflowers.

An air charter company operates flights to the Abrolhos Islands taking in the coastal cliffs and the Murchison River Gorges.

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Kalbarri

Kalbarri is a tourist mecca that until relatively recent years was a fishing village known only as the mouth of the Murchison but the secret soon got out!

Today the town boasts a hotel/motel, tavern, two holiday resorts, numerous holiday villas, four caravan parks, takeaway fast food outlets, top class restaurants and two backpacker hostels.
Arguably the biggest attraction to Kalbarri are the inland river gorges of the Murchison where visitors can see the splendor and ever-changing colour hues of these hundred metre plus deep ravines with spectacular views from several lookout points.
The nearest of the gorges is 37km from town and has been out of reach to backpackers without a car but tours now run daily from town that allow visitors to not only see the magnificent view but to trek into their depths and even take a swim in one of the many deep pools.

On the way to the spectacular coastal gorges, a call into Rainbow Jungle parrot habitat is strongly recommended. It is a credit to its owner-operators who carted and laid thousands of tonnes of local rock to build it and then stock it with birds valued at up to $8,000 a pair. Impeccably clean, all parrots are clearly identified with information provided about their main place of domicile and food preference. Many are threatened species and are being bred from.

Catering for those who have never thrown a leg over a horse in their life or the experienced horse person, Big River Ranch conduct lessons in the morning, where ability is matched with a horse and afternoon rides along the river or sunset rides on the beach are available.

Surfing enthusiasts can be assured of a great time at Kalbarri for Jaques Point (just south of town on the Red Bluff Road) is reputed to have the best and most consistent left-hander on the western coast.

The Kalbarri region is rich in Australian history. In 1629, before being wrecked on the nearby offshore Abrolhos Islands, the Dutch East India trading ship Batavia (skipper Francisco Pelsaert), put two mutinous crew ashore at Wittecarra Creek (near Bluff Point, south of town). They are believed to be the first permanent European settlers, albeit unwillingly, of our nation. They were Jan Pelleeromm and Wouter Loos.

In 1712 another Dutch East Indies trading vessel, Zuytdorp, became the first recorded of the many boats wrecked on the rugged cliffs of the Murchison area. The site of the 1712 calamity is commemorated by the naming of the Zuytdorp Cliffs north of the rivermouth.

Besides being home to kangaroos, wallabies, feral goats, emus and of course the magnificent inland gorges, Kalbarri National Park suddenly bursts into magnificent colour after winter rains. Over 480 different species of wildflowers come into full bloom, spectacular as individual flowers but simply superb en masse.

Fishermen will have a ball in Kalbarri whether off the beach at Bluff Point, Wittecarra Creek, Jaques Point in the ocean, Chinaman’s Beach or the fishermen’s jetty in the river, and for the real fishing buff, deep sea excursions. If they’re biting and conditions are right, they’ll jump on your hook!

Sand boarding, snorkelling, 4 wheel driving on beaches, trekking through breathtaking gorges and bushtreks along with majestic sunset tours with fantastic views over the ocean, river and surrounding hills are all available.

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