Geraldton - The windy city

Beaches -- if you're into surfing or windsurfing, Geraldton is the place to be.

Museum -- if you're interested in history, check out Geraldton's museum. While it's quite small, it has a permanent display on the shipwrecks around Geraldton such as the Batavia. (Hence the name Batavia Coast!)

HMAS Sydney Memorial -- Quite a nice memorial recently built in Geraldton. If nothing else, the site provides a good look-out over Geraldton.

Crayfish factory - Fishing is Geraldtons main industry. If you are here during the Carfish season make sure you take a tour of the crayfish factory.

Quick Tips:

Geraldton has earned it's name 'the windy city', especially in summer. It always pays to have a hair-tie with you and not wear skirts that have a tendency to blow up! The wind usually tends to come up in the arfternoon so if you're off to the beach or somewhere try to get an early start.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting There: There are two main options to get to Geraldton from Perth. 1) Take the plane. Very expensive for such a short trip. if you book in advance. Can cost though if you book at the last minute. Don't bother unless you have extremely limited time.

2) The bus. Integrity coachlines, TransWA, and Greyhound all run regulary from Perth. The trip takes approximately six hours - this includes a half hour break. The cost is on average for adults or if you have a concession card.

Within Geraldton:
Geraldton has a very basic public transport system. Buses are not very regular although they can save you a little bit of walking around town as Geraldton is quite spread out.

Walking is often the best way to get around Geraldton. There are good footpaths along the most of the beaches and the roads. There aren't too many spots where it would be considered 'unsafe' to walk, although depending on where you are heading you may find yourself walking a long way.

Surf Beaches:
If you are into surfing there are plenty of places for it in Geraldton.
-Hell's Gate is a popular surfing spot off Point Moore (where the lighthouse is). The only disadvantage is that it's a longggg paddle out unless you manage to score a lift out with someone who has a dingy.
-Back Beach ("Backers") is another popular spot. The waves are a bit tamer here. This spot is more for the kids.
-Greenough Beach. Just a regular surf beach, need I say more. -Flat Rocks. On the way south, turn off past S-bend. I haven't been here for years, so I can't really comment.
- There are a few other good surfing spots in Geraldton although I refuse to tell you where they are -- if you really want to know, ask the locals. One hint though, you generally need 4-WD to get to them.

Windsurfing/Kitesurfing:
Every October (?), hundreds of European backpackers flock to Geraldton to take advantage of the wind. The top windsurfing spot is Coronation beach, a 15-minute drive north of Geraldton. I think you can camp here. Other popular spots are Sunset Beach and Separation Point.

Swimming:
You have to hit it lucky in Gerladton to get a good day for swimming. In between the wind and seaweed, there aren't many perfect beach days.
Town Beach -- very shallow. No waves. Good spot of the kids.
Back Beach/Tarcoola Beach -- More popular swimming spots. The surf life-saving club is located at back beach.
However, the best way to find a good spot to swim in Geraldton is to get a 4-WD vehicle and travel south down the beach from South Gates (where the big sand dunes are). There are plenty of nice little spots to swim along the way.

The museum is broken up into three main areas: Geraldton history, shipwrecks, and temporary display. While the Geraldton history display is far from eye-opening, the shipwreck gallery is worth a visit. The gallery contains displays and the stories of the Dutch ships that were sunk of the coast of Geraldton in the 1600's-1700's, the most famous of which is the Batavia. If you're interested in history, the museum is definitely worth a visit.

The Abrolhos islands are made up of 122 islands off the coast of Geraldton. The closest island is only 50km off the mainland. There's plenty to do out at the island: diving wrecks, fishing, surfing, etc. The islands are magnificent and not to be missed. There are tour companies who can take you out near Geraldton. The two main ones are Abrolhos Charters and Abrolhos Adventures.

The Greenough Pioneer Village is located approximatly 15 minutes south of Geraldton. As the name suggests it is basically an old settlers' village. You can take a look around by yourself or you can join one of the regular guided tours. I do recommend taking a tour so that you can find out more about the village than you would be able to by just looking around yourself.

The village has several houses, a jail/courthouse, school, church, mill and a few other things. Last time I was there was a few years ago and they were doing restoration work so some of the buildings were shut off - it should be fully open now though.

Dongara/Denison: A small seaside town 45 minutes drive South of Geraldton. Has some beautiful swimming beaches. Dongara is basically your typical sea-side village. If you want to stay more than a day there's plenty of places to stay. The buses that run from Perth to Geraldton travel via Dongara so if you want to visit you can jump off the bus here.

Kalbarri: About an hour and a half North of Gerladton, Kalbarri is a very popular town. There are national parks all around it which are great to visit (especially in wildflower season). There are some fantastic swimming beaches, as well as a very popular surfing spot. I would recommend booking accomadation ahead, especially if you intend to go there over a long weekend or during the school holidays, as Kalbarri gets booked out. Although I've put it under day trips I would definitly recommend staying for a few days and exploring all the national parks. If you don't have your own vehicle it would be an idea to either hire one or get on a tour. Once more, you can catch the bus Kalbarri although it's much nicer to drive yourself and go via Port Gregory on the way.