Geraldton, Western Australia

Geraldton is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, 424 kilometres north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. It is the seat of government for the City of Greater Geraldton, which also incorporates the town of Mullewa, Walkaway and large rural areas previously forming the shires of Greenough and Mulle WA.

About Geraldton, Western Australia in brief

Geraldton is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, 424 kilometres north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. Geraldton is the seat of government for the City of Greater Geraldton, which also incorporates the town of Mullewa, Walkaway and large rural areas previously forming the shires of Greenough and Mulle WA. The original local Aboriginal people of Geraldton are the Naaguja people with the Nanda immediately to the north and Badimia to the east. Clear evidence has established indigenous people living on the west coast of Australia for at least 40,000 years, though at present it is unclear when the first indigenous people may have originally explored and lived in and around Geraldton. Many European mariners encountered, or were wrecked on, the Houtman Abrolhos islands 60 kilometres west of the current town during the 17th and 18th centuries. Two mutineers from the Batavia were marooned on the mainland in 1629 but there is no surviving evidence that they made landfall at or near the site of thecurrent town. Geraldon has a Mediterranean climate with semi-arid influence and receiving around 164 clear days annually. Summers are very hot and are long lasting with long lasting and mild nights. Winter is mild with daily highs around 20 °C. Most yearly rainfall falls in the summer months, with some days over 40°C.

In the winter months Geraldton averages 32–33 C, with the inland suburbs, such as Stralak, Utalbyn, Utarak and Stratharra, generally cooler than inland suburbs such as Greenough, Stralalak and Walkaway. The town of Geraldon, named after Governor FitzGerald, was surveyed in 1850 and land sales began in 1851. During World War II Geraldton was the location of the No. 4 Flying Service Training School RAAF. This flying school was formed on 10 February 1941 and disbanded in May 1945. The city is an important service and logistics centre for regional mining, fishing, wheat, sheep and tourism industries. It is also a major west coast seaport. The Port of Geraldson is a major West Coast seaports. The Western Australian Museum in Geraldton houses an exhibition of clay pipes, silver coins, cannons, the original Batavia stone portico and other notable local historical shipwrecks such as the Zuytdorp, Zeewijk and Vergulde Draeck. A member of his party, James Perry Walcott, discovered lead ore in 1848 in the bed of the Murchison River. The Geraldine mine was named after the County Clare family home of Charles FitzG Gerald, the 4th Governor of Western Australian. A decade later, explorer Augustus Gregory travelled through the area. The Geraldina mine was subsequently established, named. after the family home.

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