What does it take to change a town?
Geraldton is a port city, whose main source of revenue comes from Mining and Agriculture - The Mining boom that ranged till 2013 gave the economy something to piggy back on, but the golden days didn't last nearly as long as everyone hoped.
The boom collapsed, years before its expected time.
So what to do with Geraldton.
Quite a few things, it turns out - And one of those was taking advantage of the foreshore, and changing it into a grassy boardwalk in favour of the previous railway tracks and sharp rocks that lined it. With this small change, it opened up the gateway for tourism to creep in on a town that was never really known for this.
Enter Christian and Karen Sanders, who started up first a gift shop, Cavania, based on Karen's british roots and love of all beautiful material things, and then their little baby - The Jaffle Shack on Marine terrace. With a focus on surf and turf fare by way of varieties of Jaffles, this little hub has made it, and its success spawned the growth of a sister cafe next door - Fleur High Tea, which caters for the other end of the spectrum with delicate floral patterns and gorgeous China ware, all of which is also for sale in their gift shop. Both the coffee and food is delicious, and the staff is a turnover of both young gap year locals and incoming travellers. It's a mix and mash that hails to both class and chill.
But leaving the foreshore not forgotten, the two entrepreneurs recently opened up another cafe on the foreshore. The Jaffle Shack 2.0 you could say, a literal shack crafted out of a seed container that caters for takeaway and hot, sunny days on the beach side with family.
Given the prolific nature now of Cafes in Geraldton, it's hard to understate how much these two people who have aided the cities tourism and hospitality - Part of this is that when they set about a project, they do it well.
So next time you hit town, be it in dress or boardies, go grab a Jaffle or a cup of tea.
It's practically ritual.
