In this month’s Your Town with Cass column, Move To More blogger and Eugowra local Cassie Gates, chats with Lynn Whyatt about her life in the Mid-West-Australian town of Chapman Valley near Geraldton.
What’s your Geraldton story, Lynn? How did a Mexican-American gal like yourself end up living in Geraldton, WA?
Love! During the Summer before starting university, I fell in love with an Aussie boy from Geraldton. We were long-distance for a while; he then moved to the US and lived at Uni with me for a semester at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. I then received a Fulbright Scholarship to go to Germany for a year after graduation, which I did on my own, but I then got another scholarship to stay for another year, so he moved to Germany with me.
We decided in 2014 to settle down in Geraldton – his hometown – where we lived for about four years before moving 10 minutes away to the Shire of Chapman Valley, where we’ve got about 2 acres that backs onto a creek. We’ve built our dream home and enjoy a simple life with two dogs – both border collie crosses. Previously, my husband was in IT, and he now works for the family business, Raycol Engineering – after his dad had a battle with cancer a few years ago (he’s doing fab now – celebrating 45 years in business). They are sheet metal fabricators manufacturing stainless steel farm machinery components. They’ve got a laser cutter, a water jet, and a robot – lots of innovation is happening here!
I go back to the States when I can, usually once a year, and over the last twelve months, I have had my beautiful Mom stay with us. It has been wonderful having her here. She loves it, and coming from LA to Geraldton was a massive shock. After only a couple of days of being here, she asked me if she could sleep with her window open at night. It is both heartbreaking and beautiful to think she doesn’t feel safe in LA to open her window at night, but here in Geraldton, she is safe and comfortable. I am taking her back to LA in April, and seeing her go will be very sad.
So, Nick and I have been here ten years now, and we love it!
Do you miss certain things from the US? Are there things you wish you could have here in Australia?
For sure! I miss the melting pot of artistic and multi-cultural diversity LA has. The food, culture, and traditions of the mix of people who live in LA are vastly different from those here. But what I used to say to the kids I taught, living here is incredible. I could not afford to live the life I do here in Geraldton back in LA. It’s completely different and oh so expensive. I would never be able to afford the beautiful house and land I have here in Australia if I lived in LA. Recently, we have celebrated Harmony Day, and you can see the beginnings of more nationalities here in the region. It’s early days, and I’m sure it will grow as time progresses.
What is life REALLY like in Geraldton?
Geraldton has grown and changed so much in the last ten years. It is a very family-friendly place with great schools available. The lifestyle here is so lovely. It is a bustling town throughout the week, but to my surprise, it is relatively quiet on the weekends, especially Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, for some reason.
There has been a lot of development to the Geraldton foreshore, and it now has a bustling café strip on Marine Terrace. There are lots of creative arts activities going on, especially with Euphorium. I love the live music scene we have here, with local musicians at Regional Sounds, and with Cruise Ship tourism being very popular (I used to be a volunteer Meet and Greeter for the Cruise Ship Welcome Hubs, then a city tour guide, and worked at the visitor centre), there are tourists a plenty. We are an RV-friendly town with many accommodations and incredible festivals like the wildflower season between July and October, windsurfing, and the incredible Shore Leave Festival that celebrates our region’s amazing produce!
What sort of jobs are available?
A lot is happening in the “space economy” here in Geraldton, which is so exciting! SKAO – an Engineering Operations Centre, managed by Head of Engineering Operations, Angela Teale, is building the massive telescope comprising 130,000 antennas across 74 kilometres nearby. We have the operations centre here in Geraldton, and they employ a vast array of workers for that project. It’s incredible and so cool that we have this here! There is a lot of opportunity for growth in this area over the next 10-20 years, and I can’t wait to see how it develops. Angela is excellent, and in a recent talk she gave for International Women’s Day, she mentioned her current workforce consists of 70% Wadjarri people and 30% women. They are local people, reskilling to do the work in their communities, it’s fantastic!
This aligns with Astro-Tourism, which is also very big in the region and employs many people.
There is a lot happening in the Energy Transition space in the Mid-West, and this employs many blue-collar, skilled labour, technical skills, planners, managers, and environmental advisors.
The area is doing incredibly innovative work and attracting many workers of varied skills to the region.
Of course, there are regular jobs in education, healthcare, and construction. However, we are finding workforce shortages in some of these areas, and people are coming from Perth to fill in the gaps on a temporary basis.
What do you do on the weekend for fun?
There are so many options! My definition of fun may be very different from other people’s, but we usually tend to our little pocket of paradise by gardening, doing odd jobs like building a courtyard/spa area retreat for ourselves, and simply enjoying the space under the stars. Before I moved to Geraldton, I never experienced a night sky like I do here. You are not able to see many stars in the sky in LA with all the light pollution!
We occasionally head into town for breakfast at a Café, walking along the beach with the dogs, and every Sunday they have the Platform Markets which features local produce and vendors, kind of like a Farmers Market. It’s held where the old railway platform used to be in town.
Sometimes, we head to the Queens Park Theatre to catch comedy shows, concerts, and travelling film festivals. It’s good I get my culture hit here! Also, Euphorium and City for Greater Geraldton put on lots of free community engagement activities, which I love. With the whole circular economy thing being so popular at the moment we have events like the Buy Nothing Geraldton Markets, plant swaps, clothing, and book swaps. It’s great!
When the weather is nice, we sometimes go to Sundays by the Sea to see local artists perform by the foreshore, you can bring a picnic rug and sit back and chill-out to some great music on a Sunday afternoon.
Sometimes we do a day trip to another Shire for Ag shows, which are great, like the Chapman Valley Show or Mingenew Expo!
What is the art & culture scene like?
Geraldton is good for art and culture and is getting better every year. We have the Museum of Geraldton, which has an incredible collection.
The Geraldton Regional Art Gallery – the GRAG – has opening night soirees, local artists, travelling exhibitions, and student work.
We have a great library, the Geraldton Library, which has events as well as features the travelling sketchbook & art. Big Sky Writers Festival is a yearly literacy festival held in Geraldton.
Geraldton has turned into a film set recently with the filming of the Stan Series, Invisible Boys, featuring You Moved Where?! Artists Pip Grandison and Steve Marquard. The bestselling YA author Holden Sheppard is from Geraldton.
My friend Emmaline James has started the Geraldton Open Studios and Surrounds for regional artists, a driving tour where you visit fellow artist workshops.
We sometimes drive out to Mingenew or Carnamah for events at The Exchange Galleries by the North Midlands Project or head to Bob’s Gin Bar in Geraldton to hear some jazzy sounds from local artists.
Is there a sporting culture in Geraldton? What sports are there on offer?
Definitely a sporty town! I found it quite cliquey when I moved here, trying to find my scene with people who had grown up, went to school, and played sports together.
Waterpolo is massive here in Geraldton! Then there’s footy, cricket, basketball, netball, and hockey. All levels are catered for with kids through to adult leagues.
I bet there are some nice restaurants/pubs to eat at in town. What ones can you recommend? Can you get a good coffee anywhere?
Since moving here I’ve learnt that American coffee (percolated coffee) is awful! I do appreciate a good Aussie coffee now. Recently, there has been a lot of promotion around “Mid-West is best” food and produce, which is exciting.
My favourite Restaurant is Salt Dish, down on the Marine Terrace. It truly is one-of-a-kind, locally-owned dining, featuring local produce and changing seasonal menus. With such a beautiful location and beautiful food, I highly recommend it.
My favourite Café is the Quiet Life. It has the best bagels and coffee in town! They have a little outdoor area too so I can take my dogs.
And my favourite Pub is the Nabawa Valley Tavern in Chapman Valley. It is fast becoming a community hub outside of Geraldton, with camping available and all kinds of events to cater for everyone.
Are there good transport options available for both local movements and going further afield?
We have an airport, and recently, it was announced there is a newcomer on the tarmac; Nexus will be offering daily flights to and from Geraldton. Qantas also offer flights from here. Some buses go north and south from here. We are a port city, so we regularly see Cruise ships and Tankers in the harbour. There is train access to Geraldton going inland, but it is mainly used for mineral transportation to and from port. Road transport is the main form here in the Mid-West.
What are the schools like in town?
There are lots of schooling options in town for primary and even secondary. I’m told by friends and family with kids that Geraldton is a great place for families. We have fur babies and don’t know first-hand what the education situation is like for people. I do know, though, that I was able to study through the Geraldton University Centre – which is where I went to get my Graduate Diploma for Teaching and Learning (Secondary) when I moved here. My degree is actually with Central Queensland University. Still, the GUC was the facilitator, provided some face-to-face lectures and study spaces, and brought our cohort together, which can be an issue when studying online – like I’m doing for my Master’s degree – it can feel isolating. If you prefer face-to-face students would have to travel to Perth.
We do have Central Region TAFE here, which has a lot of courses on offer.
What is the housing situation like in the region?
From community chatter, I have heard rental prices have increased, and it is hard to find affordable housing options. There is an increase in homelessness, and alarmingly, women over 50 are the most likely demographic to find themselves homeless. Can you believe that?!
Can you get in to see a doctor?
In Geraldton, yes, for emergencies, but I think the wait for an appointment with a GP is like 1-2 weeks. We have a public and a private hospital in Geraldton. For specialists, the wait is often months for private and 12-18 months for public as they only visit once a month generally.
In the smaller shires in the Mid-West, some have had to fight to keep a GP in town, and some don’t even have one, so they must travel to Geraldton or Perth to see one.
Ok. Here’s your time to pitch! If you had to give someone one reason to move to Geraldton, what would it be?
LIFESTYLE!
- It’s a slower pace than the city, but there is still access to (some) amenities;
- Geraldton is a regional hub – technically a city but still with a beach town vibe, people walking around with wet hair and bare sandy feet;
- The Foreshore development has been amazing and creates a nice environment for residents to be around;
- I see the water every single day from my house, and when I drive into town, there is something healing about it;
- If Geraldton is too big or not your scene, move to Chapman Valley! It has a real sense of community, beautiful landscapes, and close enough for the 20–30-minute drive to Geraldton.
