Port Gregory

• Summary
• Weather for Port Gregory

Port Gregory, a thriving fishing and tourist village situated 47 kilometres north west of Northampton, is bounded by the fascinating "Pink Lake" and protected by a five kilometre exposed coral reef which provides safe anchorage and boat launching areas for fishing and water sports. There is also a beautiful safe swimming beach, complete with shelter sheds. Other facilities include a caravan park, community hall, tennis courts and general store.

Due to the reef there is a natural harbour featuring a clean beach for swimmers. There is a large jetty and water-ski area. jetty and offshore fishing swimming and windsurfing are popular activities. Port Gregory is also recognised as a popular area for rock lobsters.

The Hutt Lagoon is a magnificent pink lake. The colour of the lagoon is due to a bacteria (Dunaliella Salina) which becomes trapped in the salt granules. This provides a rich source of Beta Carotene, which is harvested from small ponds. Visitors should view the lake at sundown as the lagoon changes colour from mauve to pink to a slightly darker purple.

Today, Port Gregory is a far more pleasant place than its early history. In 1853 a convict hiring depot was established at Lynton to supply labour for the newly established Geraldine lead mine and pastoralists in the area. The depot served as an employment agency where "ticket of leave" holders could be employed by private enterprise. The ruins of the stone buildings and the depot still stand with the Commandant Captain Sanford's house set into the hillside above the buildings of Lynton Station being the most imposing. These historical remnants are today being restored to their former glory. Further down are the Pink Lakes of the Hutt Lagoon where Beta carotene is extracted from the lakes and industrial garnet is mined in the nearby sandhills.