Geraldton sits on Champion Bay, about four hundred kilometres north of Perth, and it is the largest city on the Coral Coast, with more than twenty-six thousand people. It has a deep working harbour, long white beaches and a stiff southerly wind that makes it a magnet for windsurfers and kitesurfers, who flock to the beaches near the city in summer. The air smells of salt and diesel, and the light is brilliant.
The city's economy is built on rock lobster, locally called crayfish, and the fishing fleet works the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, a coral archipelago about sixty kilometres offshore. These islands hold a grim piece of history: in 1629 the Dutch ship Batavia was wrecked on the reefs, and the survivors suffered a terrible mutiny and massacre. The shipwreck museum in Geraldton and the Western Australian Museum tell the story with real artefacts. On a hill above the city stands the memorial to HMAS Sydney, lost with all hands in a battle with a German raider in 1941, a quiet, moving place with a view across the bay.
The cathedral of St Francis Xavier, designed by the priest and architect John Hawes in the early twentieth century, is a striking piece of Spanish mission style with domes and arches, and an unexpected sight in a Western Australian port. Geraldton has all the services a rider needs, with many fuel stations, supermarkets, cafes and fish and chip shops, and it is the last big town before the long, sparsely populated run north.
Top the tank here before heading north to Kalbarri and Shark Bay, because distances between towns are long. The road north follows the coast closely at first, with sand dunes, limestone cliffs and wide views, and in spring the roadside bursts with wildflowers. Winds can be strong, particularly in the afternoon, so keep a firm grip. In summer, temperatures can be fierce, so start early and carry water.