Geraldton Youth Centre, transformed from old Club Rocky’s Gym, set to open this school holidays

City staff and local students toured the newly refurbished youth centre in Geraldton this week.

The centre will be officially opened on July 24, but in the meantime the state-of-the-art facility will be trialled during the winter school holidays with a stacked program of activities.

In collaboration with PCYC, the new Geraldton Youth Centre is offering a range of free activities including netball, wheelchair basketball, indoor soccer, cooking and craft classes, drumming sessions, flower arranging and handprint painting as part of NAIDOC Week.

The Geraldton Guardian was invited for a sneak peek of the centre this week. Located next to PCYC and across the road from the Aquarena and Wonthella Skatepark, the new space features a multi-use sports court with scoreboard, netting, padded walls and spectator seating, CCTV security and a versatile space for workshops, training programs and presentations.

City of Greater Geraldton mayor Jerry Clune was looking forward to seeing young people enjoy the new centre.

“Our officers have prepared another fantastic school holiday program and one of the most exciting additions this break is a selection of activities being hosted at our Youth Centre,” he said.

“Those who book into the programs being held at the Geraldton Youth Centre will get an exclusive first look, and in usual school holiday program fashion, I encourage you to secure your tickets quick because they always sell out.”

The city committed $1.5 million from its 2024–25 budget to deliver the multipurpose space, that together with a $950,000 Lotterywest grant, supported the transformation of the former Club Rocky’s gym delivered by local contractor GBSC, into a dedicated youth hub.

The winter holiday program also features events held at various locations around town including the Museum of Geraldton, Sunflower Studios and Maitland Park.

For a full list of locations and times of activities visit the city’s website at cgg.wa.gov.au/schoolholidayprogram.