The picturesque Shire of Chapman Valley northeast of Geraldton extends from the coast of Coronation Beach, eastward to the Greenough River, north to the Rabbit Proof Fence and south to the East Chapman River.  A predominately broadacre agricultural area, Chapman Valley is renowned for its magnificent flat-topped Moresby Ranges, pristine coastline and a beautiful array of wildflowers.

In 1839, when explorer Sir George Grey discovered the Chapman River during his trek south after being ship wrecked at Gantheaume Bay, at Kalbarri, he recorded positive impressions of this region. His words beautifully describe the Moresby Ranges. “A lofty chain of mountains, flat-topped, so irregular in their shape and outline that they seemed rather the work of art than of nature”. Grey named the district the “Province of Victoria”.  The region would grow into a rich agricultural area that would also include economic development through the mining of copper and lead, and a limestone quarry which provided stone for the harbour works and buildings in Geraldton. The regions agriculture and resource industries together with the introduction of the railway line in 1910, saw an increase in population and further expansion to the area.