diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/geos/base.py b/django/contrib/gis/geos/base.py
index e36db67ae0..b431ef15bf 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/geos/base.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/geos/base.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 from ctypes import \
      byref, string_at, create_string_buffer, pointer, \
      c_char_p, c_double, c_int, c_size_t
-from types import StringType, UnicodeType, IntType, FloatType
+from types import StringType, UnicodeType, IntType, FloatType, BufferType
 
 # Python and GEOS-related dependencies.
 import re
@@ -30,9 +30,13 @@ class GEOSGeometry(object):
     #### Python 'magic' routines ####
     def __init__(self, geo_input, srid=None):
         """
-        The base constructor for GEOS geometry objects, and may take the following
-         string inputs: WKT and HEXEWKB (a PostGIS-specific canonical form).
-
+        The base constructor for GEOS geometry objects, and may take the 
+         following inputs:
+         
+         * string: WKT
+         * string: HEXEWKB (a PostGIS-specific canonical form)
+         * buffer: WKB
+        
         The `srid` keyword is used to specify the Source Reference Identifier
          (SRID) number for this Geometry.  If not set, the SRID will be None.
         """
@@ -55,6 +59,11 @@ class GEOSGeometry(object):
             # When the input is either a memory address (an integer), or a 
             #  GEOSPointer object.
             g = geo_input
+        elif isinstance(geo_input, BufferType):
+            # When the input is a buffer (WKB).
+            wkb_input = str(geo_input)
+            sz = c_size_t(len(wkb_input))
+            g = lgeos.GEOSGeomFromWKB_buf(c_char_p(wkb_input), sz)
         else:
             # Invalid geometry type.
             raise TypeError, 'Improper geometry input type: %s' % str(type(geo_input))
@@ -413,6 +422,13 @@ class GEOSGeometry(object):
         h = lgeos.GEOSGeomToHEX_buf(self._ptr(), byref(sz))
         return string_at(h, sz.value)
 
+    @property
+    def wkb(self):
+        "Returns the WKB of the Geometry as a buffer."
+        sz = c_size_t()
+        h = lgeos.GEOSGeomToWKB_buf(self._ptr(), byref(sz))
+        return buffer(string_at(h, sz.value))
+
     @property
     def kml(self):
         "Returns the KML representation of this Geometry."
diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/geos/libgeos.py b/django/contrib/gis/geos/libgeos.py
index 65e80b40de..4dcdb16d66 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/geos/libgeos.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/geos/libgeos.py
@@ -52,8 +52,12 @@ lgeos = CDLL(lib_name)
 #  Supposed to mimic the GEOS message handler (C below):
 #  "typedef void (*GEOSMessageHandler)(const char *fmt, ...);"
 NOTICEFUNC = CFUNCTYPE(None, c_char_p, c_char_p)
-def notice_h(fmt, list, output_h=sys.stdout):
-    output_h.write('GEOS_NOTICE: %s\n' % (fmt % list))
+def notice_h(fmt, lst, output_h=sys.stdout):
+    try:
+        warn_msg = fmt % lst
+    except:
+        warn_msg = fmt 
+    output_h.write('GEOS_NOTICE: %s\n' % warn_msg)
 notice_h = NOTICEFUNC(notice_h)
 
 ERRORFUNC = CFUNCTYPE(None, c_char_p, c_char_p)
diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/tests/geometries.py b/django/contrib/gis/tests/geometries.py
index b2602c1b24..564630d161 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/tests/geometries.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/tests/geometries.py
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ errors = (TestGeom('GEOMETR##!@#%#............a32515', bad=True, hex=False),
           TestGeom('POINT (5, 23)', bad=True, hex=False),
           TestGeom('AAABBBDDDAAD##@#1113511111-098111111111111111533333333333333', bad=True, hex=True),
           TestGeom('FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF1355555555555555555565111', bad=True, hex=True),
+          TestGeom('', bad=True, hex=False),
           )
 
 # Polygons
diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/tests/test_geos.py b/django/contrib/gis/tests/test_geos.py
index be0da42e5a..062da04098 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/tests/test_geos.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/tests/test_geos.py
@@ -31,14 +31,48 @@ class GEOSTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test01d_errors(self):
         "Testing the Error handlers."
+        # string-based
         print "\nBEGIN - expecting GEOS_ERROR; safe to ignore.\n"
         for err in errors:
-            if err.hex:
-                self.assertRaises(GEOSException, fromstr, err.wkt)
-            else:
-                self.assertRaises(GEOSException, fromstr, err.wkt)
+            self.assertRaises(GEOSException, fromstr, err.wkt)
         print "\nEND - expecting GEOS_ERROR; safe to ignore.\n"
+        
+        class NotAGeometry(object):
+            pass
+        
+        # Some other object
+        self.assertRaises(TypeError, GEOSGeometry, NotAGeometry())
+        # None
+        self.assertRaises(TypeError, GEOSGeometry, None)
+        # Bad WKB
+        self.assertRaises(GEOSException, GEOSGeometry, buffer('0'))
                 
+    def test01e_wkb(self):
+        "Testing WKB output."
+        from binascii import b2a_hex
+        for g in hex_wkt:
+            geom = fromstr(g.wkt)
+            wkb = geom.wkb
+            self.assertEqual(b2a_hex(wkb).upper(), g.hex)
+
+    def test01f_create_hex(self):
+        "Testing creation from HEX."
+        for g in hex_wkt:
+            geom_h = GEOSGeometry(g.hex)
+            # we need to do this so decimal places get normalised
+            geom_t = fromstr(g.wkt)
+            self.assertEqual(geom_t.wkt, geom_h.wkt)
+
+    def test01g_create_wkb(self):
+        "Testing creation from WKB."
+        from binascii import a2b_hex
+        for g in hex_wkt:
+            wkb = buffer(a2b_hex(g.hex))
+            geom_h = GEOSGeometry(wkb)
+            # we need to do this so decimal places get normalised
+            geom_t = fromstr(g.wkt)
+            self.assertEqual(geom_t.wkt, geom_h.wkt)
+    
     def test02a_points(self):
         "Testing Point objects."
         prev = fromstr('POINT(0 0)')