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Geelong Victoria
Corner of Moorabool and Malop Streets, Geelong
Population:	160,991 (2006) [1] (12)
• Density:	165.3/km² (428/sq mi)
Established:	1836
Area:	1,240 km² (478.8 sq mi)
Time zone:  • Summer (DST)	AEST (UTC+10) AEDT (UTC+11)
LGA:	City of Greater Geelong
County:	Grant
State District:	Geelong South Barwon Lara Bellarine
Federal Division:	Corio Corangamite

Geelong is the second largest city in the state of Victoria, Australia and is the largest regional centre in the state. It is a port city with an urban population of 160,991 people,^{[1] [2]} and one of the largest provincial cities in Australia. The city is located on Corio Bay, 75 kilometres south-west of the state's capital, Melbourne, and is covered by the City of Greater Geelong municipality.

Geelong was named in 1837 by Governor Richard Burke, with the name derived from the local Wautharong aboriginal name for the region, Jillong, thought to mean 'land' or 'cliffs'.^[3] The city is notable as the home to car manufacturer Ford Australia, and the Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats. Geelong is also the gateway to tourist attractions including the Great Ocean Road and the Shipwreck Coast.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 City and suburbs 1.2 Climate 2 History 2.1 1800s: White settlement 2.2 1830s: Town beginnings 2.3 1850s: Gold rush 2.4 1860s: Growth slows 2.5 1900s: Now as a city 2.6 1970s: A time of change 2.7 21st century 3 Demographics 4 Politics 5 Economy 6 Facilities 6.1 Education 6.2 Utilities 6.3 Research laboratories 7 Transportation 8 Culture 8.1 Arts and entertainment 8.2 Media 8.3 Geelong in film 9 Sports 10 Tourism 10.1 Events and festivals 11 Sister cities 12 See also 13 References 14 External links

Geelong is located on the shores of Corio Bay, a south-western inlet bay of Port Phillip. During clear weather, the Melbourne skyline is visible from areas of Geelong when viewed across Port Phillip. The Barwon River flows through the city to the south before entering Lake Connewarre and the Barwon River estuary at Barwon Heads before going into Bass Strait.

Geelong is surrounded by many kilometres of developed farmland and is noted for its many wineries and nearby surf beaches along the Great Ocean Road.

Many materials used to construct notable Victorian buildings were quarried from Geelong, such as bluestone, used to construct the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne and sandstone, used to construct the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo.

A small number of brown coal deposits exist in the Geelong region, most notably at Anglesea where it is mined to fuel Alcoa's Anglesea Power Station.^[4]

See also: Suburbs of Geelong

Development in Geelong started on the shores of Corio Bay in what is now the inner city. Development later spread to the south towards the Barwon River, and the hill of Newtown and Geelong West. Major development south of the river in Belmont did not start until the 1920s, stimulated by the construction of a new bridge over the river in 1926, and the extension of the Geelong tramway system in 1927.^[5]

Industrial areas were traditionally located on the Corio Bay for port access,^[6] or the Barwon River for waste disposal. Heavy industry continued to establish itself in the flatter northern suburbs in later years,^[6] where today industries such as the Shell oil refinery, Ford Motor Company engine plant, and other heavy industries reside.^[7]

In the interwar and early postwar years residential development spread to the Corio in the north, with new housing commission estates built to cater for employees of many new industries in the city. From the 1960s growth moved to the hills of the south with the suburb of Highton growing, followed by Grovedale in the 1970s. From this time a number of light industrial areas were also established in Breakwater, Moolap and South Geelong^[6]

Changing cargo handing methods at the Port of Geelong left woolstores in inner Geelong unused, being redeveloped in the 1980s with the expansion of Westfield Bay City towards Corio Bay, and culminating in the Waterfront Geelong development.^[8] Gentrification of former working class inner suburbs such as Geelong West, North Geelong and South Geelong has also occurred.^[9] Today the major residential growth corridors are north towards Lara, east towards Leopold, and south towards Waurn Ponds.^[10]

Geelong has stable weather while still offering four distinct seasons.^[11] It has a temperate climate with dominant westerly winds, variable cloud, moderate precipitation and cool temperatures.^[12]

January is the hottest month, and July is the coldest.^[13] The highest temperature recorded was 45.8 °C on January 25 2003, with the lowest of -4.4 °C recorded on August 5 1997.^[14] The average annual rainfall is 536.4 millimetres.^[13]

Source: Averages for GEELONG SEC, 1870 - 1970, Bureau of Meteorology.^[13]

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Temperatures (°C)
Mean daily maximum	25.0	24.8	23.2	19.8	16.6	14.1	13.6	14.8	16.9	19.2	21.3	23.2	19.4
Mean daily minimum	13.2	13.8	12.5	10.3	8.1	6.1	5.2	5.8	7.0	8.5	10.1	11.9	9.4
Precipitation (millimetres)
Mean total rainfall	30.8	37.1	41.3	44.9	49.9	49.0	45.6	47.8	51.3	51.9	47.5	39.6	536.4
Highest recorded total	142.9 (1886)	165.2 (1928)	203.3 (1913)	131.6 (1935)	157.0 (1896)	133.1 (1952)	131.0 (1936)	155.2 (1951)	160.3 (1916)	176.6 (1949)	156.9 (1934)	121.1 (1933)	877.3 (1952)
Lowest recorded total	0.0 (1878)	0.3 (1891)	0.3 (1889)	0.0 (1923)	3.6 (1895)	6.9 (1969)	5.7 (1902)	10.7 (1898)	13.1 (1968)	5.5 (1967)	0.0 (1895)	0.0 (1904)	268.7 (1967)
Notes: Temperatures are in degrees Celsius. Precipitation is in millimetres. Geelong SEC Latitude: 38.12S Longitude: 144.37E Elevation: 17 m ASL

See also: Timeline of Geelong history

The area of Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula was originally occupied by Aboriginal tribes, notably the Wautharong people, before white settlement in the early 1800s.^[15]

The first non-Aboriginal person recorded as visiting the Geelong region was Lt. John Murray, who commanded the brig Lady Nelson.^[16]

After anchoring outside Port Phillip Heads (The narrow entrance to Port Phillip, onto which both Geelong and Melbourne now front) on 21 February 1802^{[citation needed]} he sent a small boat with six men to explore^{[citation needed]}.

Led by John Bowen they explored the immediate area, returning to the Lady Nelson on 4 February. On reporting favourable findings, the Lady Nelson entered Port Phillip on 14 February, and did not leave until 12 March. During this time, Murray explored the Geelong area and, whilst on the far side of the bay, claimed the entire area for Britain. He named Port Phillip Bay, Port King, after Philip Gidley King, then Governor of New South Wales. Governor King later renamed the bay Port Phillip Bay [with two ells] after the first governor of Australia.^[17]

Hot on Murray's heels was Matthew Flinders, who entered Port Phillip Bay on 27 April 1802.^[16] He charted the entire bay, including the Geelong area, believing he was the first to sight the huge expanse of water, but in a rush to reach Sydney before winter set in he left Port Phillip on 3 May. In December 1802, Surveyor-General Grimes and Lt. Charles Robbins walked around Port Phillip Bay, but finding no fresh water in the Geelong area reported it as uninhabitable. Staying close to the bay, they had completely missed the Barwon River, which, flowing into the ocean and not the bay, passes through present day Geelong on the inland side of a ridge^{[citation needed]}.

The next visit to the Geelong area, apart from a short-lived settlement at Sorrento, on the far side of the bay (1803/4) was by the explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell. They reached the northern edge of Corio Bay - the area of Port Phillip Bay that Geelong now fronts - on 16 December 1824,^[18] and it was at this time they reported that the Aborigines called the area Corayo, the bay being called Jillong.^[16] Hume and Hovell had been contracted to travel overland from Sydney to Port Phillip, and having achieved this they stayed the night and begun their return journey two days later on 18 December.^[18]

William Buckley, an escaped convict from the Sullivan Bay settlement, lived among the Wautharong people for 32 years in the Bellarine Peninsula.^[19]

In 1835, John Batman used Indented Head as his base camp,^[20] leaving behind several employees whilst he returned to Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land) for more supplies and his family. In the same year, Buckley surrendered to the party led by John Helder Wedge and was later pardoned by Lieutenant-Governor Sir George Arthur, and subsequently given the position of interpreter to the natives.^[21]

In March 1836, three squatters, David Fisher, James Strachan and George Russell arrived on the Caledonia and settled the area.^{[citation needed]} Geelong was first surveyed by Assistant Surveyor, W. H. Smythe three weeks after Melbourne, and was gazetted as a town on 10 October 1838.^[16] There was already a church, hotel, store and wool store, 82 houses, and the town population was 545.^[16] By 1840, the first wool had been sent to England and a regular steamer service was running between Geelong and Melbourne.^[20]

Captain Foster Fyans was commissioned as the local Police Magistrate in 1837 and established himself on the Barwon River at the site of the area of present-day Fyansford.^[22] Fyans constructed a breakwater to improve the water supply to the city by preventing the salty lower reaches from mixing with fresh water and pooling water. This structure gave its name to the area now known as Breakwater, today an eastern industrial and residential suburb of Geelong.

The Geelong Keys were discovered around 1845 by Governor Charles La Trobe on Corio Bay. Embedded in the stone in such a way, he believed that they had been there for 100-150 years, possibly dropped by Portuguese explorations.^[23]

In 1849, Fyans was nominated as the inaugural Mayor of the Geelong Town Council.^[22] An early settler of Geelong, Alexander Thomson, for which the area of Thomson in East Geelong is named, settled on the Barwon River, and was Mayor of Geelong on five occasions from 1850 - 1858.^[24]

See also: Victorian Gold Rush

Gold was discovered in nearby Ballarat in 1851, causing the Geelong population to grow to 23,000 people by the mid 1850s.^[16] To counter this, a false map was issued by Melbourne interests to new arrivals, showing the quickest road to the goldfields as being via Melbourne.^[16] The first issue of the Geelong Advertiser newspaper was published in 1840 by James Harrison, who also devised the world's first successful ice making and refrigeration machinery in 1856.^[16] The Geelong Hospital was opened in 1852, and construction on the Geelong Town Hall commenced in 1855.^[5]

The Port of Geelong started to develop when the first shipping channel in Corio Bay was started in 1853,^[5] and the Geelong to Melbourne railway was opened by the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company in 1857,^[25] and the line was extended to Ballarat by 1862.^[25]

Rabbits were introduced to Australia in 1859 by Thomas Austin, who imported them from England for hunting purposes at his Barwon Park property near Winchelsea.^[26] HM Prison Geelong, built using convict labour, was opened in 1864.^{[citation needed]} One of Geelong's best known department stores, Bright and Hitchcocks, was opened in 1861.^[5]

In 1866 Graham Berry started a newspaper, the Geelong Register, as a rival to the established Geelong Advertiser. When this proved unsuccessful, he bought the Advertiser and made himself editor of the now merged papers.^[27] Using the paper as a platform, he was elected for West Geelong in 1869. In 1877 he switched to Geelong, which he represented until 1886, and served as Victorian Premier in 1875, 1877–1880, and 1880–1881.^[28]

On the Market Square in the middle of the city, a clock tower was erected in 1856,^[29] and an Exhibition Building was opened in 1879, ahead of Melbourne.

The gold rush growth had stopped, and Geelong was overtaken by Ballarat and Bendigo. Melbourne critics dubbed Geelong 'Sleepy Hollow',^[16] a tag that reoccurred many times in the following years. A number of industries became established in Geelong, including Victoria's first woollen mill at South Geelong in 1868.

In 1869 the clipper ship Lightning caught fire at the Yarra Street pier, being cast adrift in Corio Bay and finally sunk by artillery fire.^[20] Improvements to transport made Geelong the centre of the Western District of Victoria, with railway line being extended towards Colac in 1876, and to Queenscliff in 1879.^[25] The Hopetoun shipping channel was also started in 1881, but was not completed until 1893.^[5]

The Geelong Cup was first run in 1872, and Victoria's first long distance telephone call was made from Geelong to Queenscliff on January 8, 1878, only one year after the invention of the device itself.^[5] Geelong was also the home of a prosperous wine industry, until the emergence of the grapevine eating insect phylloxera vastatrix in 1885 killed the industry until the 1960s.^[5]

Between 1886 and 1889 the central business district's major banks and insurance companies erected new premises in a solid and ornate character.^[16] The current Geelong Post Office was also built during this time, and the Gordon Technical College was established. Further industrial growth occurred, with the Fyansford cement works opening in 1890.^[30]

The town of Geelong officially became a city on 8 December 1910. The city gained a number of essential services, with electric light supplied by the Geelong Power Station starting in 1902, the Geelong Harbour Trust was formed in December 1905,^[31], and the Geelong Waterworks and Sewerage Trust formed in 1908.

Electric trams began operation in 1912, travelling from the city centre to the suburbs until their demise in 1956. ^[32] The first of many stores on the Market Square was opened in 1913,^[5] and the first Gala Day festival was held in 1916.^[5]

Geelong's industrial growth began in the 1920: woollen mills, fertilizer plants and the Ford Motor Company's vehicle plant at Norlane, and the Corio whiskey distillery.^[25] The Geelong Advertiser's radio station 3GL (now K-Rock) commenced transmission in 1930,^[20], the Great Ocean Road was opened in 1932, and the T & G Building in 1934. The Eastern Beach swimming area was completed in 1939 after almost 10 years of work.^[5]

In 1938 one of the last Port Philip Bay steamers, Edina, made its final trip to Geelong, ending a romantic period of seaside excursions and contests for the fastest trip. On the eve of the Second World War the International Harvester works were opened beside Ford at North Shore, a grain elevator at nearby Corio Quay, and the Shell Australia oil refinery.^[25] Government housing was constructed in the suburbs of East Geelong, Norlane, North Shore and Corio from the 1950s to provide accommodation for the growing workforce.

During June 1952, the banks of the Barwon River burst, flooding nearby Belmont Common.^[33] The Geelong Football Club won premierships in 1925, 1931, 1937, 1951, 1952,1963 and 2007.

Development of Geelong continued outwards, with Corio, Highton and Belmont expanding at such a rate that in February 1967 Geelong accounted for 21 per cent of private home development in non-metropolitan Victoria.^[16] The car took over Geelong, with the first parking meters in Geelong introduced in 1961, petrol stations taking over every corner, and the first supermarket in the City was opened by Coles in 1965.^[16] Industrial growth still continued, with a second cement works opening at Waurn Ponds in 1964^[25], and the Alcoa Point Henry aluminium smelter in 1962.^[34]

Federal Government policy changes on tariff protection led to the closure of many Geelong industries from the 1970s. The woollen mills closed from 1974, and hectares of warehouse space in the city centre was left empty after wool handling practices changed.^[16] Deakin University was established at Waurn Ponds in 1974, the Target head office opened at North Geelong, the Geelong Performing Arts Centre in 1981,^[35] the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in 1985,^[36] and the National Wool Museum in 1988.^[37]

Major city shopping centre Market Square Shopping Centre was opened in 1985, with neighbouring Westfield Bay City (formerly Bay City Plaza) opened in 1988.^[38] The Pyramid Building Society, founded in Geelong in 1959,^[39] collapsed in 1990 leaving debts of AUD $1.3 billion to over 200,000 depositors.^[40] Many Geelong investors were financially affected by the society's collapse. The first Australian International Airshow at Avalon Airport was held in 1992. The City of Greater Geelong was formed in 18 May 1993 out of a number of smaller municipalities.^[41] The Waterfront Geelong redevelopment also started in 1994 to make the most of Geelong's asset, Corio Bay.^[42]

In 2004, Avalon Airport was upgraded and provides for interstate travel for the first time to Geelong residents, who previously travelled to Melbourne for air transport. Geelong expands towards the coast, with Mount Duneed becoming a suburb as the City of Greater Geelong planns a new suburb known as Armstrong Creek. The Geelong Ring Road will take the Princes Highway around the city of Geelong from Corio to Waurn Ponds, with construction started in 2006 it is due to be finished in 2009.

2007 has seen more than $500 million dollars worth of major construction under way in Geelong.^[43] Major projects include the $150 million Westfield Bay City expansion works, involving a flyover of Yarra Street, the city's first Big W store and an additional 70 new specialty stores; the $37 million Deakin Waterfront campus redevelopment and the $23 million Deakin Medical School; the $50 million Edgewater apartment development on the waterfront; a number of multi-million dollar office developments in the CBD; and a new $30 million aquatic centre in Waurn Ponds.^[43]

The Bracks State Government announced the relocation of the Transport Accident Commission headquarters from Melbourne to Geelong in October 2006, which will create 850 jobs and an annual economic benefit of over $59 million to the Geelong region.^[44] The construction of the $80 million Brougham Street headquarters is due to be complete by late 2008.^[45] In July 2007 Ford Australia announced it was closing its Geelong engine plant. About 600 jobs will be lost when the plant closes in 2010.^[46]

Geelong now has 210,000 people in the City of Greater Geelong and approximately 260,000 in the immediate vicinity, a population growth rate higher than the national average,^[47] and is the 12th largest city in Australia.^[48]

Population over time[5]
1841	454
1846	2065
1851	8291
1854	20,115
1861	22,929
1891	17,445
1901	25,017
1907	28,021
1921	31,689
1933	39,223
1946	51,000
1954	72,995
1961	91,666
1966	105,059
1976	122,080
1981	125,279
1988	125,833

As of the 2006 Census, there were 160,000 people residing in 68,000 households. Geelong residents are 78.4% Australian born. Of those born overseas: England (3.6%), Italy (1.1%), Croatia (1.0%), Netherlands (0.9%), Scotland (0.8%). 85.8% of households English is the only language spoken at home.^[49]

The median age of persons in Geelong was 37 years. 19.4% of the population of Geelong were children aged between 0-14 years, and 26.6% were persons aged 55 years and over. 48.5% of residents were male and 51.5% were female. Of persons aged 15 years and over, 49.2% are married, 32.4% never married, 11.2% are separated or divorced, and 7.2% are widowed.^[49]

The 2006 Census found the most common religious affiliations in Geelong was Catholicism at 29.4%, No Religion 20.5%, Anglican 14.6%, Uniting Church 7.9% and Presbyterian and Reformed at 4.3%.^[49]

In local government, the Geelong region is covered by the City of Greater Geelong. The council was created in 1993 as an amalgamation of a number of other municipalities in the region.^[41] The council chambers are located at the Geelong Town Hall in central Geelong. The City is made up of 12 wards, each represented by a councillor elected once every four years by postal voting.^[50] From these councillors, the Mayor of Geelong is then elected by their colleagues for a one year term.^[50]

In state politics, Geelong is located in the Legislative Assembly districts of Geelong, South Barwon, Lara, and Bellarine. All seats are currently held by the Australian Labor Party.^[51]

In federal politics, Geelong is located in two House of Representatives divisions - the Division of Corio to the north of the Barwon River, and the Division of Corangamite to the south. The Division of Corio has been a safe Australian Labor Party since the 1970s, and was the seat of Richard Casey, a leading Cabinet member in the 1930s and later Governor-General, and Gordon Scholes, who was Speaker during the Whitlam government.^[52] The Division of Corangamite had been a safe seat for the Liberal Party since the 1940s, and was the seat of the ninth Prime Minister of Australia James Scullin.^[53] It was reclaimed by the Australian Labor Party for the first time since 1931 at the 2007 federal election.^[54]

More than 10,000 businesses employ over 80,000 people in the Geelong region.^[55] Manufacturing and processing industries provide around 15,000 jobs, followed by 13,000 in retail, and 8,000 in health and community services.^[55]

Geelong's major industries and employers include the Ford Motor Company engine plant in Norlane, which was founded in Geelong in 1926; Godfrey Hirst Carpets in South Geelong, the Alcoa Point Henry aluminium smelter, the Steggles chicken processing plant, and Shell oil refinery at Corio. Major Australian retailer, Target began operations in Geelong in 1925, with its head office remaining at its North Geelong premises in Thompsons Road. The nearby town of Torquay is the location of many surfing equipment and clothing manufacturers, notably Rip Curl, as well as some of Australia's finest surf beaches and the Surf World Museum.

Geelong has a number of shopping precincts in the CBD and surrounding suburbs. The two main shopping centres located in the CBD are:

• Westfield Bay City - Major retailers include Myer, Target and Coles Supermarkets. Coles is currently closed for renovations and will not be finished until 2008
• Market Square - Major retailers include Best and Less, JB Hi-Fi and Harris Scarfe

In 2007, Westfield had started the expansion of Bay City and the flyover for Yarra Street and adding a Big W on the other side of Yarra Street is currently under construction^[56]. In the surrounding suburbs, major shopping centres include Belmont Plaza, Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre in the south, Bellarine Village in Newcomb in the east, and Corio Village Shopping Centre.

Main article: List of schools in Geelong

Geelong is served by a number of schools, both public and private, catering to both local students, those from Geelong region and overseas students. Over 40,000 primary and secondary students are enrolled in schools in Geelong, with another 27,000 students a year enrolled in tertiary and further education courses.^[55] The first schools in Geelong were established when the town was settled from the 1850s, among them were the elite private schools The Geelong College and Geelong Grammar School.

In 1888 the Gordon Memorial Technical College was opened, known today as the Gordon Institute of TAFE.^[5] In 1976 the Gordon Institute was divided into two parts, with academic courses becoming part of the newly formed Deakin University based at the Waurn Ponds campus.^[57]

Deakin University enrolled its first students at its Waurn Ponds campus in 1977. Today the university is located on a 365 hectare site, has over 1,000 staff and over 4000 on-campus students.^[58] The university also has a campus located on the waterfront of Corio Bay in the Geelong CBD. The campus at Waurn Ponds will be home to Victoria's first and only regional medical school, opening its doors in 2008.

Also located in Geelong are the Marcus Oldham Farm Management College, the Reformed Theological College, and the International Fibre Centre.

See also: Barwon Water, Geelong Power Station, and Geelong Gas Company

Water storage and supply in Geelong is managed by Barwon Water, a Victorian Government owned urban water corporation. Geelong is supplied with water from three river systems: the Barwon River, the East Moorabool River and the West Moorabool River. The catchment areas are the Brisbane Ranges to Geelong's north-west, and the Otway Ranges to the south-west. The first water supplies to Geelong was from the Stony Creek reservoirs near Steiglitz, but today the West Barwon Reservoir system supplies approximately 70 per cent of the water for Geelong.^[59] Sewage from Geelong and district is treated at the Black Rock Treatment Plant at Breamlea and then discharged into Bass Strait.

Geelong was first supplied with electricity in 1902, Geelong A power station was opened on the corner of Yarra and Brougham Streets in the city. Later known as 'Geelong A', the power station was rebuilt in 1920 to increase the capacity, with the station continued operating until 1961. In 1936 Geelong was connected to the state electrical grid. The 'Geelong B' power station at North Geelong opened in 1954, ^[34] and was closed in 1970 due to the much higher efficiency of the power stations in the Latrobe Valley.

The supply of piped Coal gas in Geelong started in 1860 by the Geelong Gas Company. The gasworks were located in North Geelong next to the North Geelong railway station.^[60] Geelong was converted to natural gas in 1971, with the Geelong Gas Company being taken over by the Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria on June 30 1971.^[61]

Located in Geelong are major research laboratories, the CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Moolap, CSIRO Division of Textiles and Fibres Technology in Belmont and the Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute at Queenscliff.

Geelong is served by road, rail, sea and air transport.

The city is well-connected by roads to all of south-west Victoria. It is connected to other cities such as to Melbourne by the Princes Freeway (M1), to Warrnambool by the Princes Highway (A1), the Bellarine Peninsular by the Bellarine Highway (B110), Ballarat by the Midland Highway (A300), and to Hamilton by the Hamilton Highway (B140). The $380 million Geelong Ring Road is under construction to bypass the greater Geelong metropolitan area, leaving the Princes Highway near Corio and rejoin the highway at Waurn Ponds.^[62] Construction began in 2006.

Geelong is also located at the junction of railway lines to Melbourne, Warrnambool, Ballarat, and Adelaide.^[25] V/Line operates from seven railway stations on the Geelong line,^[63] running hourly services to Melbourne, as well as services on the Warrnambool line further west three times daily. Great Southern Railway's The Overland service between Melbourne and Adelaide also calls at North Shore three times per week.^[64]

Freight trains also operate from Melbourne to Geelong serving local industries,^[7] as well as to Warrnambool and other western Victorian towns. The main standard gauge railway line to Adelaide sees heavy use carrying interstate freight.

Public transport is provided by local bus routes covering the city centre and most surrounding suburbs. They are operated under the umbrella of the Geelong Transit System, and are contracted to Benders Buslines and McHarry's Buslines.^[65] Another government transport initiative, Bellarine Transit, is contracted to McHarry's Buslines and provides interurban services between Geelong and the towns of Torquay, Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove and the Bellarine Peninsula.^[63] V/Line services link Geelong with Ballarat, Daylesford, Bendigo, Apollo Bay, the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles and Warrnambool.^[63]

The Port of Geelong is located on the shores of Corio Bay, and is the sixth largest seaport in Australia by tonnage.^[66] Major commodities include crude oil and petroleum products, export grain and woodchips, alumina imports, and fertiliser.^[67] The Bellarine Peninsula has been linked to the Mornington Peninsula since 1987^[68] by the Searoad ferry, which runs every hour using two roll-on/roll-off ferries.^[69]

Avalon Airport is located approximately 15 kilometres to the north-east of the city of Geelong. It was established in 1953 to cater for the production of military aircraft.^[70] It was also used for the repair of commercial aircraft, and for pilot training. Avalon Airport has also been home to low cost airline Jetstar since 2004.^[71] Flights to Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth use the airport.

Geelong also has many kilometres of bicycle trails covering most of the city and the Bellarine Peninsula.

Geelong is home to a number of pubs, nightclubs and live music venues and has also given birth to a number of notable Australian bands and musicians such as Barry Crocker, Gyan Evans, Magic Dirt, Jeff Lang, Denis Walter and also festivals such as the Meredith Music Festival, the Offshore Festival and Poppykettle Festival. Geelong also has the Geelong Performing Arts Centre (commonly known as GPAC), which is an art centre consisting of two theatres (the Ford Theatre and the Blakiston Theatre).

The Geelong Advertiser, the oldest newspaper title in Victoria and the second oldest in Australia,^[72][73] was established in 1840. Also circulated are the free Geelong Independent, and Geelong News newspapers, as well as smaller regional suburban newspapers serving the Bellarine Peninsula area such as the Ocean Grove Voice.

Geelong does not have television broadcasting facilities and receives free to air television broadcasts from Melbourne, including low power community channel Channel 31. The Geelong region also receives cable and satellite television service through Pay-TV operators Foxtel & Neighbourhood Cable. A local TV service known as GOTV briefly was broadcast on Neighbourhood Cable in mid 2006, it has since stopped broadcasting.

Local radio stations are 3GL (Ethnic service), K-Rock (FM), Rhema FM (Christian Community station), The Pulse (Community Radio service), Vision Australia Radio 99.5FM (Print Radio), and Bay FM. Transmitters for K-Rock, The Pulse, Rhema FM & Bay FM are located at a shared transmitter site on Mt Bellarine on the Bellarine Peninsula near Drysdale.

Geelong has been used as a filming location for several television series, the most notable being SeaChange, filmed on location at Barwon Heads between 1998 and 2002.^[74] The city has also featured in a number of feature films; including the final scenes On the Beach (1959) at Barwon Heads,^[75], Mad Max (1979) around Lovely Banks and Lara, Everynight ... Everynight (1994) at HM Prison Geelong, Ned Kelly (2003) and Ghost Rider (2007) at the Little River Earth Sanctuary,^[76] and December Boys (2007) in South Geelong at Kardinia Pool^[77]

Geelong is home to AFL club, the Geelong Football Club, the second oldest AFL club^[78] and one of the oldest in the world. For many years it was the only VFL/AFL club to exist outside of the greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It continues to participate in the national competition, based out of the Kardinia Park stadium and Telstra Dome in Melbourne, and also fields a reserves side in the Victorian Football League. The club won the 2007 grand final against Port Adelaide by 119 points, the biggest grand final winning margin in history and the first Geelong premiership victory for 44 years.^[79] There are also 3 football leagues running in the area, including the Geelong Football League, the Bellarine Football League and the Geelong & District Football League.

The annual Geelong Cup thoroughbred horse race was first run in 1872,^[80] and is considered one of the most reliable guides to the result of the Melbourne Cup.^[81] The Arena stadium in North Geelong is the home of the Geelong Supercats basketball team, and was also used during the 2006 Commonwealth Games for basketball matches.^[82] The Eastern Beach foreshore and nearby Eastern Gardens is regularly host to internationally televised triathlon events and annual sports car and racing car events such as the Geelong Speed Trials^[83]. Corio Bay is also host to many sailing and yachting events.

Geelong also boasts many golf courses, sporting and recreation ovals and playing fields, as well as facilities for water skiing, rowing, fishing, hiking, and greyhound and harness racing.^[84] Geelong also fields teams in the Victorian Cricket Association's premier competition. The Geelong Karting Club is based at the "Beckley Park International Racetrack".

See also: Visitor attractions in Geelong

The Geelong region attracted over 6,000,000 tourists during 2001.^[85] Major tourist attractions include the Waterfront Geelong precinct and Eastern Beach on the shores of Corio Bay, and the Ford Discovery Centre and National Wool Museum in the city. Geelong also has more than 30 historical buildings listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.^[86] The city is also the gateway to the Great Ocean Road and the Bellarine Peninsula.

Geelong has an array of events and festivals from the multicultural Pako Festa to the Australian International Airshow. Other festivals hosted in the Geelong region include the Meredith, and Queenscliff Music Festivals, the cultural Poppykettle Festival, National Celtic Festival, the fundraising Gala Day, and the Royal Geelong Show.

The city also hosts a number of sporting events, including home games of the Geelong Football Club, the Geelong Cup, World Cup Triathlon, Skandia Geelong Week and the Women's Cycling World Cup. In February 2007, Geelong hosted the Australian Leg of the International Ironman Triathlon.

Geelong has two sister cities. They are:

• Lianyungang, China^[87]

• Izumiotsu, Japan^[88]

• Committee for Geelong
• List of Heritage listed buildings in Geelong
• List of Mayors of Geelong
• Category:People from Geelong