First settled in 1850, Geraldton was originally named after the then Governor of Western Australia Sir Charles Fitzgerald.
The area had attracted interest from Lieutenant Grey as possessing fertile farming land and presented as a natural port from which to ship lead being mined in Northhampton.
The name Batavia Coast comes from the story of the Dutch East Indies Ship, the Batavia which ran aground on the Abrolhos Islands off the coast of Geraldton in 1629.
The mutiny which followed is now a part of Australian folklore.
The first recorded landing on the Cape was by the Dutch Captain Jacobsz of the Mauritius in 1618.
Australian Captain Philip Parker King later visited in 1818 and named the Peninsula North West Cape, and also named Exmouth Gulf after a British Royal Naval Officer.
In the coming years Pearl Luggers visited the area form Broome and during World War II the area became important for military operation named "Operation Potshot". During the 1950's the area was also known for fishing, pastoral leases and oil exploration.
The Houtman Abrolhos Islands are a complex of 122 low-lying islands and reefs spread over 100 kilometres of ocean located at the edge of the continental shelf. The Abrolhos Islands are located approximately 60 kilometres offshore from Geraldton on the Mid West coast of Western Australia and Geraldton is located some 424 kilometres north of Perth.
The Houtman Abrolhos Islands are considered an important part of Western Australia’s environment. The unique environment of natural and cultural features of the Abrolhos Islands are of great interest to visitors and support a relatively small, but growing, recreation and tourism industry.
