Things to do in Geraldton
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Geraldton
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, with warm days, lighter winds than summer and a swimmable sea, plus spring wildflowers inland.
Wind season, world class for kitesurfing and windsurfing, but summer heat and the afternoon sea breeze beat beach lounging.
Mild, wetter and quietest in winter, with rougher seas for the Abrolhos and the first wildflowers from July.
Wildflower season runs July to October and peaks in August and September around Mullewa, Coalseam and the Chapman Valley.
What's on
- Shore Leave Festival late April, from 23 April in 2025
Five days of Mid West seafood and culture, headlined by the Abrolhos Long Table Lunch on East Wallabi Island.
- Geraldton Gold Cup late March to early April
The feature race day of the Geraldton Turf Club at Utakarra, with the Batavia Sprint, a genuinely local social day.
- Sunshine Festival early October
A long running community festival on the foreshore with a parade, markets and family events in spring school holidays.
- Wave Rally Geraldton January
International level wave sailing in peak wind season, when the wind tribe is in residence and the backpackers fills.
Best things to do in Geraldton
Eco Abrolhos Cruises
A family run multi day cruise to the coral Abrolhos Islands, with snorkelling, sea lions and Batavia shipwreck history.
HMAS Sydney II Memorial
A dome of 645 steel seagulls above Champion Bay honouring the sailors lost in 1941, moving at any hour and best with the free tour.
Museum of Geraldton
Shipwreck relics from the Batavia coast and a 3D film of the Sydney II and Kormoran wrecks, plus Yamaji history.
St Francis Xavier Cathedral
A striped twin towered cathedral designed by priest architect Monsignor Hawes, stranger and warmer inside than out.
The Esplanade
A boardwalk pier into Champion Bay on the town foreshore, with bay views, binoculars and sea lions on the rocks below.
Point Moore Lighthouse
The red and white 1878 lighthouse tower at Point Moore, a fenced photo stop that earns its visit at sunset.
Geraldton Regional Art Gallery
A class A regional gallery in the 1907 town hall, with a strong permanent collection and national touring shows.
Central Greenough
A preserved 1860s stone hamlet on the Greenough Flats, walked as a self guided tour among wind bent river gums.
Where to stay in Geraldton
CBD and Foreshore
first trip, all round base
Walk to Town Beach, the museum, the cathedral, the memorial hill and most restaurants.
Batavia Coast Marina and Beresford
self catering, families and longer stays
Quieter apartment stays by the marina with kitchens, a short drive or a longer walk from the centre.
Sunset Beach and Tarcoola Beach
beach first families with a car
Holiday parks and motels with sand at the door, at the cost of driving to sights and restaurants.
Think twice about
- Chapman Road highway strip, Wonthella and Rangeway
A truck route with highway noise, no footpath life and a drive for every coffee. Sound motels, wrong base for a visitor on foot.
- Point Moore and the West End
An industrial port and lighthouse point, exposed and isolated after dark with almost no services. Visit for sunset, sleep in town.
Best restaurants in Geraldton
Salt Dish
Geraldton's best kitchen, a heritage cafe by day that serves its serious seasonal dinner on Friday and Saturday only.
Skeetas Restaurant and Cafe
The waterfront occasion room over the marina, and the address locals name for western rock lobster and whole baked fish.
L'Italiano Restaurant
The town's Italian institution and most reliable dinner, pizza and pasta in the centre at a fair mid range price.
The Provincial Geraldton
A small bar and grill doing Neapolitan pizza, local seafood share plates and the amaretto sour reviewers keep praising.
Old Man & the Sea Rooftop Bar
Geraldton's only rooftop bar, with 270 degree ocean views, good bar food and the sunset slot every visitor should claim once.
Cafe Fleur
A French leaning cafe locals treat as their own, praised consistently for excellent coffee and warm service.
Jambinu Cafe & Bar
A foreshore cafe named for the Yamaji word for Champion Bay, with specialty coffee and native ingredient touches from 6.30am.
Quiet Life Specialty Coffee
The coffee purist's stop, a small specialty bar praised for doing Western Australian coffee properly.
Outdoor things to do in Geraldton
Nationwest Aviation
Scenic flights that land on East Wallabi Island in the Abrolhos, then return over the Batavia wreck site and Pink Lake.
Batavia Coast Dive and Watersports
The local dive shop for Abrolhos charters, guided diving, courses and honest advice on which sites are working.
KiteWest Watersports and Tours
One on one kitesurfing lessons with radio coaching at Coronation Beach, plus wing foiling and gear rental in season.
Coronation Beach
A famous wind beach north of town with a cheap beachfront campground steps from the launch and sunset over the water.
Back Beach
Geraldton's surf beach, with a consistent shore break and flagged swimming in season, best surfed at dawn before the wind.
Spalding Park Golf Club
A tight, tree lined 18 hole championship course against the Moresby Ranges, famous for its salt tolerant greens.
Geraldton Golf Club
The friendlier, cheaper 18 holes near the centre, with a driving range, tuition and night golf under lights.
Hutt Lagoon
The Pink Lake beside Port Gregory, coloured by algae and strongest at midday in full sun on the Kalbarri road.
Best hotels in Geraldton
The Gerald Apartment Hotel
Geraldton's top address, spacious serviced apartments in the centre with the town's only rooftop bar on top.
Ocean Centre Hotel
A reliable 92 room beachfront hotel across from the foreshore, with ocean view balconies and secure parking.
Mantra Geraldton
Self contained marina apartments with kitchens and ocean views, suiting families, groups and longer stays.
Geraldton Backpackers on the Foreshore
A clean, well run hostel right on the foreshore, and the social base for solo and wind season travellers.
Sunset Beach Holiday Park
A beachfront holiday park with sites and cabins, best for families doing Geraldton as a beach holiday with a car.
Is Geraldton expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | A$110 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | A$230 a person |
| Splurge | A$480 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Eco Abrolhos Cruises: months ahead
- Queens Park Theatre: weeks ahead
- Nationwest Aviation: weeks ahead
- Batavia Coast Dive and Watersports: a few days ahead
- KiteWest Watersports and Tours: weeks ahead
- Spalding Park Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Geraldton Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Kalbarri National Park: a few days ahead
- Book the Abrolhos cruise and scenic flights first, as small capacities and weather buffers should anchor your dates.
- Book Salt Dish dinner as soon as a Friday or Saturday night is fixed, and Skeetas for lobster on weekends.
- Book central stays early for Shore Leave in April, wildflower season, school holidays and the Gold Cup period.
Is Geraldton safe?
- Swim at patrolled beaches in season and respect rips at unpatrolled surf beaches.
- Lock cars and keep gear out of sight at beach car parks, the opportunistic crime locals actually mention.
- Carry more water than feels reasonable on gorge and island days, and treat sun protection as safety equipment. Emergency number 000.
Geraldton travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A one hour drive by stop misses the islands, the museum and the water, and is why travellers undersell Geraldton.
- Hutt Lagoon under cloud can look grey, so fold it into the Kalbarri road or a scenic flight instead of driving for it alone.
- Point Moore Lighthouse is a photo stop, not an attraction, and you cannot go inside.
- Sunday and Monday night dining in the centre is thin, so plan the rooftop, a pub or a self catered night.
Getting around Geraldton: public transport and more
- Base on the foreshore and the centre is walkable, but hire a car for Coronation Beach, Greenough, Hutt Lagoon and Kalbarri.
- Perth is 424 km south, about 4.5 hours by road or a one hour flight to Geraldton Airport.
- Download offline maps before day trips north, as coverage thins fast beyond town.
- Watch for kangaroos at dawn and dusk on the highways, and never plan a tight connection after an island or flight day.
Who Geraldton suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Geraldton your trip
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