Geraldton Western Australia Australia

Lobsters galore

The Batavia Coast offers a choice of great locations and facilities for traditional and relaxing ocean-side holidays. Attractions include fishing, reef diving, surfing, wind surfing, yachting and unspoiled beaches.
Many of the towns along the coast are really no more than villages, but all have lobster boats and pleasure craft riding at moorings or tied up in a marina.
The Batavia Coast is home to one of the world’s richest sources of rock lobster (crayfish) and from November to June at Dongara and Geraldton, you can take an educational rock lobster tour and learn more about the industry. Many of the area’s restaurants specialise in the freshest seafood.
Geraldton, with a population of 25,000, is the capital of the Mid West region and the commercial centre and port for the Batavia Coast.
The town of Kalbarri, 160 kilometres north of Geraldton, can only be approached through the 186,000 hectare Kalbarri National Park. Despite its popularity as a holiday destination, Kalbarri has retained its village atmosphere. With its breathtaking scenery of coastal cliffs and river gorges of the national park, whale watching, soft adventure options such as canoeing, abseiling, rock climbing, horse riding, and hiking, plus an excellent selection of accommodation, it is no wonder that Kalbarri is one of the state’s most popular holiday destinations.

Paradise found

Consisting of 122 islands, the area is home to an abundance of wildlife including sea lions, dolphins, migratory whales and sea birds.  The extensive coral reef system stretches for 100 kilometres and is home to many species, some as yet to be named. The unique wildlife and pristine beaches make for excellent swimming, snorkelling and beach walking.  The Houtman Abrolhos Islands provide idyllic surroundings for a quiet picnic on the beach, or an afternoon snorkelling over coral gardens just under the surface.
The warm southern flowing current creates a marine environment that breeds both tropical and temperate sea life. The current maintains water temperatures at about 20 – 22 degrees allowing corals, sea grasses, tropical fish and other sea life to thrive in an area they wouldn’t normally be found.
The Abrolhos Islands are the main source of supply for Western Australia’s rock lobster fishing industry. Home to fishermen from March until June, the Abrolhos remains almost deserted for the other eight months of the year. 
The Abrolhos are also famous for their historic shipwrecks, the best known being the Dutch East India Company vessel Batavia, which ran aground in 1629.The water surrounding the islands is the graveyard to 18 other wrecks, mostly believed to be from the 19th century. Visitors can access these pristine islands by charter, fishing and eco boat tours from Geraldton and Kalbarri, float plane tours from Geraldton, and aerial tours from Dongara, Geraldton and Kalbarri.
Geraldton is the region’s largest city and is also well know for being one of the windiest places in Australia, making it ideal for windsurfing.  From Geraldton there are also many diving tours to the reefs and shipwrecks.