New off lead dog exercise area opens

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn and his pooch Bella enjoying the new off lead dog area located in the Leonard T Green Memorial Park in Mahomets Flats.

Dog owners looking to exercise or socialise their furry friends in an open yet contained space are invited to test out the new off lead area recently opened in the Leonard T. Green Memorial Park.

Located in the centre of the Olive Street Reserve, the new +1000m2 grassed area features two fenced spaces, dog waste bag dispensers and bins. Drinking fountains with dog bowls will soon be installed as their delivery has been delayed by COVID-19.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said with nearly 10,000 dogs registered in Greater Geraldton the new off lead area will be a popular place to visit.

“Up until a few weeks ago we only had one fenced, off lead area, located at Woorree Park,” he said.

“This facility is well used by the community and also by the Geraldton and Districts Kennel Club who offer formal dog obedience and agility training on site.

“The addition of a second facility in Mahomets Flats will make it a much more convenient for dog owners living in the southern suburbs to exercise their pets in contained off the lead areas.”

To help meet the growing demand for places to exercise dogs off lead, four new off lead areas have been added in Greater Geraldton including Bayside Park in Drummond Cove, Bellimos Park in Wandina, the south west corner of the Leonard T. Green Memorial Park in Mahomets Flats and the Mullewa Recreation Grounds.

Although these areas are off lead, dog owners are still required to have their pet under control while in these public open spaces and are legally responsible for the behaviour of their dogs at all times.

“If your dog doesn’t listen to voice commands or runs up to others dogs or people, they are not permitted to be off lead in these designated areas,” Mayor Van Styn added.

In all other public open spaces where dogs are allowed, they must be on a lead. 

For more information on where dogs can be exercised off lead, head to the City’s website here

City supports bypass staged approach

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn has supported Minister Saffioti’s recent comments about the possibility of the proposed Dongara-Geraldton-Northampton being broken up into stages.

With more heavy haulage set for Geraldton after the announcement of Strandline Resources’ mineral sands project, Mayor Van Styn said it was about time the Northampton bypass was prioritised.

However the now acknowledged need to bypass Northampton demonstrates an urgent need to bypass the centre of Geraldton too.

The Oakajee to Narngulu Infrastructure Corridor (ONIC) should also prioritise to get heavy haulage, which is typically travelling into Geraldton, out of inner city residential areas.

It is noted this is a long way off being built, being reliant on Oakajee and will cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

There is a solution that has been planned by Main Roads for 20 years or more and has the full support of Council; The Geraldton North South Highway (inner bypass).

With most land already reserved, and able to be built for a fraction of the cost, this presents a real solution in the short term to remove the expected increase traffic through the centre of Geraldton.

“It is important we put an emphasis on construction on the Northampton bypass as well as the inner bypass – the southern section of any future bypass is irrelevant at this point,” Mayor Van Styn said.

“Strandline’s new project will see an increase in heavy haulage going through the centre of Geraldton, and the fact Northampton needs to be bypassed - means Geraldton should also have heavy traffic removed.

“The inner bypass would allow these trucks to be diverted out of urban Geraldton.”

Construction of the Northampton bypass has long been supported by the City, as has the construction of the ONIC.

“With all the talk about renewable hydrogen the ONIC must be made a priority as the total lack of infrastructure at the Oakajee Industrial Estate is forcing big businesses to look elsewhere,” Mayor Van Styn added.

“But the ONIC does not negate the need for the inner bypass.

“We need to look at the future of Geraldton and what needs to be implemented soon to not only ensure and improve safety when it comes to road haulage, but ensure smart and realistic routes for business to and from Geraldton and further north.”

Main Roads’ Dongara-Geraldton-Northampton bypass has been a topical project for some time, with concern from many rural property owners about the preferred route which was revealed in 2020.

Council were asked to comment on the proposed route in February this year with a consensus that there were several key issues with the draft alignment, resulting in continued unwavering support for the inner bypass.

Rural road closures following heavy rains

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise due to heavy rainfall the Carnarvon-Mullewa Road and the Beringarra-Pindar Road are closed until further notice.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these closures may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Temporary Chapman River Estuary Trail closure

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise the Chapman River Estuary Trail located on the south side of the Chapman River between Charles Street and Chapman Road is closed until further notice due to fallen trees and embankment erosion caused by Cyclone Seroja.

Members of the community are requested to avoid the area and use alternative routes.

The City apologises for any inconvenience this closure may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Aquarena outdoor pool upgrade gets green light

The Aquarena outdoor pool will receive a major upgrade, giving it another 20 years of use.

A major upgrade to the Aquarena outdoor 50m pool will soon be underway which will add greater accessibility for the community.

The much loved community asset is 50 years old and reaching its end of useful life, and the works will give it another 20 years of use.

As well as construction of a new disability access ramp into the pool, works also include renewal of the pool structure and its associated buried pipe hydraulic and filtration systems.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said it was an exciting project for the community.

“This project was proposed a couple of years ago and we’re grateful to receive $750,000 from CSRFF funding which has allowed us to review the scope of works,” he said.

“As well as maintenance and compliance works, the exciting element of this project is the disabled ramp which is going to open up the access for a lot more people in our community to utilise the pool.

“It’s a great project and we look forward to seeing it complete.”

The City secured $750,000 under the State Government’s Community Sporting & Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF).

At this week’s Council Meeting, a budget amendment was officially authorised for expenditure of $3.6 million for the project.

A cash transfer from the Asset Renewal Reserve of $2.85 million will make up the budget alongside the CSRFF funding.

The tender for the project is set to be released in April with the contract anticipated to be awarded in May.

Works will then take place over winter to be ready for the summer season.

Exhibition honours Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

GRAG will welcome the exhibition For Country, for Nation this Friday night.

Visitors to the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery (GRAG) will have the opportunity to view the Australian War Memorial exhibition For Country, for Nation when it launches this Friday night.

The display explores Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories of military service and is part of a three-year tour sweeping the nation.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the exhibition encourages people to remember those who fought for Australia.

“For Country, for Nation honours the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who served in our nation’s military forces and gave up so much for us to lead the lives we do today,” he said.  

“The collection of objects, art and photographs represents an experience of wartime and peace, and is deeply moving.

“It’s a great privilege to host this exhibition and to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for a better nation and world.”

For Country, for Nation is the first memorial exhibition dedicated exclusively to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories of military service.

The exhibition has already featured at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, Melbourne Museum, Queensland Museum, Glasshouse Gallery and the Araluen Cultural Centre.

For Country, for Nation will be on display at GRAG from Saturday 19 December to Saturday 30 January 2021. To view GRAG’s opening hours visit https://artgallery.cgg.wa.gov.au/

RSVP for opening night on Friday 18 December by booking a ticket via Eventbrite. RSVP is essential due to COVID-19 requirements.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government's Visions of Australia program; and we also kindly acknowledge the support of International Arts Services Australia.

City Services Update #17: Mandatory contact registers

The City of Greater Geraldton has been closely monitoring the WA COVID-19 Roadmap and as of Saturday 5 December, particular venues and businesses will be required to maintain mandatory contact registers to support COVID-19 contact tracing.

Records will only be used for the purpose of contact tracing, should it be required, and will only be kept for 28 days. 

Businesses or venues required to keep a contact register include:

• Food and licenced venues (restaurants, cafés, bars, pubs, taverns and nightclubs)

• Gyms, indoor sporting centres and pools

• Places of worship and funeral parlours

• Beauty and personal care services including hairdressers and barbers

• Galleries and museums

• Cinemas, theatres and other entertainment venues

• Auction houses and real estate inspections

• Community facilities, libraries and halls

• Zoos and amusement parks

• Function centres

• Accommodation facilities that already have check-in arrangements in place (i.e. hostels, hotels, large camp grounds)

The details required for the contact register will include the date, arrival time, names and telephone numbers.

Any person aged 16 years and over who attends a business, place or premises, listed above, including patrons, staff, volunteers and contractors will be required to register their contact details. Records are not required to be collected for people collecting takeaway or children under 16 years. 

The State Government have also released a free app, SafeWA, to help patrons check in and reduce the burden on businesses. 

The app is a contactless solution but not mandatory. Alternative formats for contact registers are available, including other electronic tools or a paper-based system, depending on what is suitable for the business, venue or individual.

All updates and information are being released in a timely manner as more decisions are made about facilities and services, and there will be updates on the City’s website and social media channels.

All changes to City facilities and programming can be found here.

Trading hours for Christmas and New Year

After consulting with local general retailers, the City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise there will be no changes to trading hours for general retailers over the Christmas/New Year period. 

The authorised trading hours in the Greater Geraldton region for general retailers from 1 December 2020 to 31 January 2021 will remain as:

• Monday – Friday: 8am - 9pm

• Saturday: 8am - 5pm

• Sunday & Public Holidays (other than Good Friday, ANZAC Day and Christmas Day): 11am – 5pm

Please note the above trading hours only apply to general retailers.

All shops are regarded as general retail shops unless they fall under any one of the other categories including small retail shops, special retail shops, filling - service stations or motor vehicle shops, and need to follow different regulations. 

Please refer to the following link for more details:  https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/consumer-protection/retail-trading-hours

Corella management re-commences

Activities to manage the Corella population will recommence on Monday 9 November with recent sightings in the CBD and outer suburbs.

Initial reports indicate up to 50 Corellas have been sighted in Deepdale and Utakarra.

A City contractor will commence feeding, trapping and culling activities next week at nominated locations approved to undertake trapping activities.

City Rangers are conducting regular patrols of the CBD to monitor any Corella activity and will implement necessary activities if required.

For more information contact the City on 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au

Roundabout construction detour for light vehicles only

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to remind the community that the one-way detour currently in place from Durlacher Street to Maitland Street over the QEII carpark is for light vehicles such as cars, utes and motorbikes only.

To ensure community safety buses, trucks and vehicles towing trailers or caravans must use alternative routes.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Eadon Clarke Sporting Complex renewal works

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise fencing renewal works will be undertaken at the Eadon Clarke Sporting Complex located in Spalding with works commencing Monday 2 November 2020 for a period of approximately five days.

Works will take place from 6.00am to 5.00pm daily. Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Heavy vehicle bans on rural roads

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise due to heavy rainfall a heavy vehicle ban (four or more tonnes) is in place until further notice for Erangy Springs Road, Casuarinas Road and Peters Road.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these closures may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

October road works across the City

Glenview Street closure for road repairs to the Ackland Street intersection.

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise road resealing works will be commencing at various locations beginning Monday 19 October 2020 until 30 October 2020.

The works are part of the City’s 2020/21 Road Resealing Program and will take place progressively over the two week period at the following locations. Local residents will be notified of the specific start dates.

• Beachlands: Burges Street between Dampier Street and Stroud Street

• Cape Burney: River Drive from Greenough River Road to cul-de-sac

• Cape Burney: Rother Road from River Drive to Thames Drive

• East Chapman: Chapman Road East from Angel Road to Woodbine Bridge

• Rudds Gully: Meadowcroft Street between Janadol Road and Luderick Street

• Mount Tarcoola: Intersection of Glenview Street and Ackland Road. During works Martin Street to Ackland Road will be closed with a detour in place. 

• Spalding: Adeena Close from Broome Street to cul-de-sac

• Spalding: Houston Street between Mitchell Street to Houston Place

• Spalding: Houston Place between Houston Street to Crawford Street

• Sunset Beach: Baler Road between Bosley Street to Swan Drive

• Tarcoola Beach: Watterson Road from Brand Highway to Glendinning Road

• Walkaway: Evans Road between Meadow Lane and Padbury Road

• Walkaway:  McCartney Road from Brand Highway to Bridge

• Walkaway: Padbury Road from Levett Road to Desmond Place cul-de-sac

• West End: Crowther Street between Marine Terrace and Augustus Street

• West End: Pollard Street from August Street to cul-de-sac

The anticipated hours of works will be from 7am – 5pm Monday to Saturday and traffic management will be in place during this time.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.  If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Temporary closure of Mitchell Street including Anderson Street roundabout

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise a temporary closure of Mitchell Street, including the Anderson Street roundabout, will take place on Wednesday 7 October 2020 from 7am to 6pm to undertake final road resurfacing works.

To ensure community safety during this time detours will be in place. Members of the community are encouraged to use alternative roads and are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Café installation at Champion Beach

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise the installation of a café at Champion Beach will begin on Friday 28 August 2020 for a period of approximately four weeks.

Temporary fencing will be erected on site to ensure community safety during the works. Car parking in the immediate vicinity of the construction site may be limited during works.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Tourism soars as visitation peaks in Geraldton

Visitors have chosen to chase the sun to Geraldton this winter with record visitation numbers.

Geraldton has proved itself as a popular holiday destination as visitation numbers absolutely soared over the past two weeks.

Feedback from local businesses including restaurants, accommodation and tourism providers indicates that Geraldton was the place to be these winter school holidays!

Many accommodation providers were nearing 100% occupancy throughout the last two weeks and some businesses described it as the busiest fortnight they’d ever experienced.

A recent Visit Geraldton tourism marketing campaign, mixed with borders re-opening as the COVID-19 pandemic somewhat calmed down for WA, saw people from the south embrace the opportunity to head north this winter.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn thanked those travelling to the Coral Coast which has given the local economy a much needed revival.

“Firstly, a huge thank you goes to all of those travellers – families, young couples, caravaners, and everyone in between, for choosing Geraldton as your holiday destination,” he said.

“If you’ve been to the CBD in the last two weeks you would definitely agree that Geraldton has been absolutely pumping.

“We launched our ‘Adventure Awaits’ tourism marketing campaign back in May, which prompted many of our friends down south to book their next trip north, with Geraldton front of mind as a destination of choice.

“It’s great to see that people have chased the sun this winter and basked in some beautiful Geraldton weather.

“Our iconic ‘Take a Fresh Look’ Geraldton tourism brand is just as relevant as ever.”

The City’s Adventure Awaits campaign launched earlier this year in a bid to encourage tourists to holiday in their own backyard and placing Geraldton and the Midwest front of mind for those planning their next getaway.

Embracing Geraldton as the ‘hub’ to explore the whole of the Midwest region, there was a heavy push on exploring the Midwest and places such as the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Pink Lake and Kalbarri.

As part of the campaign, a series of online advertising targeting people in the south was released with more than 50,000 impressions.

A collaboration with digital community Perth is OK had more than 146,000 impressions, driving people to find out more about Geraldton.

Businesses were encouraged to join the campaign to help promote Geraldton, with stats from the Geraldton Visitor Centre showing 75% of people through the door were either first-time visitors to Geraldton, or hadn’t visited in more than 10 years.

Owner of local cafes Jaffle Shack and Cafe Fleur, Christian Watters said he had received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from customers.

“Business has been steadily building since restrictions were lifted but the previous two weeks have been our busiest on record,” he said.

“There’s been massive energy in town with the number of visitors being super impressed with the city in general and stating often that they hadn’t been here in so long and how much it has changed. The new focus on domestic tourism could be a real benefit to Geraldton.

“I hope this trend continues and with Geraldton giving such a great impression, these people will hopefully visit again and again.”

A high volume of visitors to the Midwest is predicted to continue with wildflower season about to bloom.

The Adventure Awaits campaign will continue to feature in Perth with a series of bus backs from August through to mid-October.

There will also be a Visit Geraldton feature on a billboard on Perth’s Tonkin Highway in September.

If you’re looking for information on things to do in Geraldton, head to www.visitgeraldton.com.au

Have your say on recycling and waste management in the City

Plastic bottles baled and ready for transport.

If you have an opinion on how the City of Greater Geraldton manages waste and recycling services the City wants to hear from you.

Following the recent release of the WA government’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (WARR) Strategy 2030, the City is developing a long term waste management plan that will include targets for managing and reducing waste generated within the City region.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the waste management plan is about becoming a sustainable, low-waste circular economy.

“The key focus of the WARR Strategy is to generate less waste, recover more value and resources from waste, and to protect the environment by managing waste responsibility,” he said.

“The City’s long term Strategic Waste Management Plan will provide a commitment to achieving a 60% diversion of waste from landfill by 2030 and guide continuous improvement in the way the City manages waste generated within the community.

“To be in a position to achieve the 60% diversion target the City will introduce progressive ways to minimise waste to landfill through targeted activities, education and information programs.”

To better understand the community’s knowledge and views on waste and recycling and inform the development of education programs about waste services and waste reduction for inclusion in the plan the City is surveying residents.

Members of the community who would like to have their say on waste management and recycling in the City can take the online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/CGGwastemanagement

Hard copies of the survey are also available at the City Civic Centre, Geraldton Regional Library, QEII Seniors and Community Centre and the Mullewa District Office.  Survey closes Sunday 2 August 2020 at midnight.

Community Nursery volunteers green the City

Community Nursery Volunteers show off some of the 30,000 seedlings and plants they produced this year. From left to right Doug Lee, Joan Earl, Anna Beyer, Helen Sumpton, Dennis Mills, Leonie Marsh, Gail Taylor, Lorraine Crothers and Darryl McCaw.

The 2020 winter planting season is off to a great start with thousands of seedlings and cuttings produced by the 35 City of Greater Geraldton’s Community Nursery volunteers now taking root in parks, reserves and private gardens across the City region.

Up 7000 plants from last year, the 30,000 plants grown in 2020 mostly filled orders placed by the City of Greater Geraldton’s Parks department and Natural Areas and Coastcare Team along with The Drylands Permaculture Nursery.

This year Nursery volunteers also produced their most advanced and healthiest Geraldton Wax cuttings to date and successfully struck Spotted Eremophila cuttings, which are native to the Chapman River, for the first time ever.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn congratulated the volunteers on another successful year.

“Growing 30,000 plants is an amazing accomplishment,” he said.

“Congratulations to everyone who was involved.

“Thanks to their passion and dedication to greening our City region, our parks, bushland and coastal reserves continue to be revegetated with a wide variety of native species.”

Geraldton Wax ready for planting.

The recently planted community nursery seedlings have been added to the Million Trees Project, pushing the tally to nearly 500,000 trees and shrubs planted since the project began in 2012.

Have you planted one or more trees or shrubs on your property lately?  Make your trees count by registering them on the City’s website towards the Million Trees Project (search Million Trees) and watch the tally grow.

Qantas sale to encourage tourism in Geraldton

Qantas have released affordable airfares to Geraldton as part of their network sale.

If your friends and family have been planning their Geraldton getaway, now is the perfect time to book flights as Qantas released affordable airfares as part of their domestic network sale.

In a bid to help revive the tourism industry following the COVID-19 pandemic, Qantas’ Love Australia Sale offers affordable price points to WA regional routes including Geraldton, Broome and Exmouth.

One-way flights from Perth to Geraldton will be available from August through to October, with the sale on now and ending this Friday 10 July.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn thanked Qantas for their proactive efforts in encouraging people to travel north.

“Everyone has been extremely impacted by COVID-19 but we are doing all we can to boost our economy, especially the tourism sector,” he said.

“We’ve implemented an Economic Development Relief Recovery Strategy to help stimulate tourism and the economy in our region which has included the launch of our ‘Adventure Awaits’ campaign.

“The campaign is encouraging people to explore their own backyard and having the Coral Coast as front of mind for those travelling north.

“We applaud Qantas for offering these amazing deals to help encourage travellers to our region and to help boost many of the regions who are struggling at the moment,” he added.

Embracing Geraldton as the ‘hub’ to explore the Midwest region, the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Pink Lake and Kalbarri are not far.

“Travelling to Geraldton and basing yourself here means you can explore some amazing places which are all in close proximity,” Mayor Van Styn added.

“While you can explore what beautiful sunny Geraldton has to offer, you can also visit our friends in Kalbarri to experience their brand new Skywalk and check out the Pink Lake along the way.

“Or take a trip to the breathtaking Abrolhos Islands.”

Bookings for the Qantas Love Australia Sale are currently open with one-way flights from Perth to Geraldton available from $159.

Travel dates for the sale are from 1 August 2020 and run through to 31 October 2020.

For bookings and further details click here.

Botanic Garden begins to grow

Friends of Geraldton Gardens Chairperson Irene Ghannage is joined by group members and volunteers as she plants the first Banksia seedling in Stage 1 of the Maitland Park Botanic Garden Project. From left to right Roxanne Grant, Cheryl Galloway, Leslie Colliver, Stan Maley, Ray Morton, City of Greater Geraldton Councillor Natasha Colliver and Member for Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney.

The staged transformation of Maitland Park into a botanic garden has begun with the first native seedlings being planted by Friends of Geraldton Gardens (FroGGs) members and volunteers on Saturday.

The first project in Stage 1 of the Maitland Park Botanic Garden Master Plan involves replacing the shrubs at the existing park entry wall with a variety of native plants to show case the Mid West’s diverse plants and wildflowers.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said he was pleased to see Stage 1 of the project Council endorsed in July 2016 finally take root.

“This project which is supported by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City has been a number of years in the making and it’s great to see ‘in’ ground works finally starting to happen,” he said.

“The first step in the transformation of Maitland Park into a botanic garden featuring local native trees, shrubs and wildflowers is an excellent and sustainable use of public open space and Council is pleased to be able to support a community group’s passion.”

FroGGs Chairperson Irene Ghannage said the first plantings have successfully laid the foundation for the project.

“Since signing an MOU with the City in November 2016 to create the botanic garden, FroGGs has been growing its member base and working diligently towards this day,” she said.

“I am thrilled that the project is finally starting and we are turning our master plan into reality.

“Now that the entry wall is completed we can concentrate on the remainder of Stage one plantings which will be spectacular cross section of a few of our region’s diverse and unique flora.”

The 160 local native seedlings including Geraldton Wax and Banksias planted in an around the entry wall were provided by the Community Nursery and The Drylands Permaculture Nursery.   Everlasting wildflower seeds were also sown between the plants.