Geraldton

Sister cities

• Kosai

History

Clear evidence has established Aboriginal people living on the west coast of Australia for at least 40,000 years, though at present it is unclear when the first Aboriginal people reached the area around Geraldton. The original local Aboriginal people of Geraldton are the Amangu people, with the Nanda immediately to the north and Badimaya immediately to the east. Today the Aboriginal people of the region generally identify as Yamatji or Wajarri people. Wajarri country is inland from Geraldton and extends as far south and west as Mullewa, north to Gascoyne Junction and east to Meekatharra. The Aboriginal people of the Murchison-Gascoyne region were instrumental in assisting early settlers in the area in identifying permanent water sources, and worked in the pearling, pastoral and fishing industries. Yamatji art is a distinctive style of painting, using thousands of dots of ochre and other earth-based pigments to create patterns and images relevant to Yamatji/Wajarri culture. The Western Australia Museum at the marina in Geraldton hosts a permanent exhibit on Yamatji/Wajarri culture and history of the region. Many European mariners encountered, or were wrecked on, the Houtman Abrolhos islands west of Geraldton during the 17th and 18th centuries. Although two mutineers from the were marooned on the mainland in 1629 there is no surviving evidence that they made landfall at or near the site of the current town. The wreck of the Batavia, flagship of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) fleet on her maiden voyage, on Morning Reef of the Houtman Abrolhos on 4 June 1629, and the events surrounding the subsequent mutiny, rescue and punishment of her crew are of great historical significance to the region. A detailed account of the events is recorded in a 24 December 1897…

Most-observed species

• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  353
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  320
• Silver Gull

  Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae (Stephens, 1826) · Aves
  309
• Laughing Dove

  Spilopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  276
• White-plumed Honeyeater

  Ptilotula penicillata (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  260
• Singing Honeyeater

  Gavicalis virescens (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  251
• Australian Raven

  Corvus coronoides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 · Aves
  243
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  223

Most recent

• M 4.1 — 2005-12-20
  80 km W of Port Denison, Australia
• M 2.5 — 2003-05-11
  61 km SW of Tarcoola Beach, Australia
• M 3.3 — 2003-04-10
  57 km W of Port Denison, Australia