The port of Geraldton is located to the North of Perth in Champion Bay. Since the sun shines an average of 8 hours a day here, the city is also known as "Sun City". The Abrolhos Islands lie before the coast of the city; these are banks of coral and islands that until very recently caused many, many ships to sink. The most famous of these was the Batavia, a trading and passenger ship that sank in 1629 with around 300 people on board. The survivors' story is re-told at the Geraldton Museum with finds, photographs and a gripping film. The city with the second-largest port in all of Western Australia also has a number of other interesting sights: St. Francis Xavier cathedral, the Shell Museum and the view point at Mount Scott.
