Story: Perfect Pearls
Episode: 19
Presenter: Christina Morrissy
Air Date: 16th June 2024
Chrissy loves pearls, and travels WA's coral coast to find some.
- The Abrolhos Islands are renowned for their rare black pearls, and several jewellers in Geraldton operate pearl farms, crafting high-quality jewellery from these pearls.
- The Abrolhos Islands had it’s first culturing experiments starting in 1998, where an initial small pearl harvest proved the viability of a pearl culturing industry. Shortly after, the first commercial harvest was released in September 2000.
- A unique fact about pearls is that they take approximately five years to grow, and that the water temperature and the Leeuwin Current influence the colour of black pearls. Another is that the colours cannot be influenced artificially, Australian authentic pearls have varied colours unlike uniform-coloured Tahitian pearls.
- Visitors often find it surprising that Geraldton hosts a thriving pearl industry, where there are six pearl farms that operate in the area and these pearl farms owners also own jewellery shops. Visitors to Geraldton can learn about pearl culture by walking down the main street and meeting industry insiders.
- The Coral Coast Highway offers breathtaking ocean views and access to the Abrolhos Islands, where the Abrolhos Islands and Geraldton are promoted as a combined tourism destination. The Abrolhos Island pearls add to Geraldton's allure, making it a must-visit destination on the Coral Coast Highway.
For more information, head to:
https://www.australiascoralcoast.com/
