Everything about Geelong Victoria totally explained
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, The area was first surveyed in 1838, three weeks after Melbourne. The first woolstore was erected in this period and Geelong became the port for the
wool industry of the
Western District. The
gold rush in Ballarat saw the population of Geelong increase to 22,000 by the mid 1850s. The city then diversified into manufacturing, rivalling Sydney, Hobart and
Melbourne as wool mills,
ropeworks, and
paper mills were established, but the next few decades saw the population stay relatively constant until the 20th century.
Geelong was proclaimed a city in 1910, with industrial growth from this time until the 1960s establishing the city as a manufacturing centre for the state, Population increases over the last decade were due to growth in service industries, as the manufacturing sector has declined.
Redevelopment of the inner city has occurred since the 1990s, as well as
gentrification of inner suburbs. Geelong now has a population growth rate higher than the national average, and is the 12th largest city in Australia.
History
1800s: White settlement
The area of Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula was originally occupied by
Aboriginal tribes, notably the
Wathaurong people, before white settlement in the early 1800s.
The first non-Aboriginal person recorded as visiting the Geelong region was
Lt. John Murray, who commanded the brig
Lady Nelson. 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 didn't 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 the bay Port King, after
Philip Gidley King, Arriving not long after Murray was
Matthew Flinders, who entered Port Phillip Bay on
27 April 1802. In October of the same year, the
HMS Calcutta led by Lieutenant-Colonel
David Collins arrived in the bay to establish the
Sullivan Bay penal colony. The party spent 22 October to 27 October on the north shore of Corio Bay, where the first
Aboriginal death at the hands of European in Victoria occurred. and it was at this time they reported that the Aborigines called the area
Corayo, the bay being called
Jillong. In 1835,
John Batman used
Indented Head as his base camp, leaving behind several employees whilst he returned to
Tasmania (then known as
Van Diemen's Land) for more supplies and his family. In this 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.
1830s: Town beginnings
In March 1836, three
squatters, David Fisher, James Strachan and George Russell arrived on the
Caledonia and settled the area. 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.
The
Geelong Keys were discovered around 1845 by Governor
Charles La Trobe on Corio Bay. They were embedded in the stone in such a way that he believed that they'd been there for 100–150 years, possibly dropped by
Portuguese explorers. In 1849, Fyans was nominated as the inaugural Mayor of the Geelong Town Council.
1850s: Gold rush
Gold was discovered in nearby
Ballarat in 1851, causing the Geelong population to grow to 23,000 people by the mid 1850s. and extended to Ballarat in 1862. One of Geelong's best known department stores,
Bright and Hitchcocks, was opened in 1861,
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. 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. On the
Market Square in the middle of the city, a clock tower was erected in 1856, and an Exhibition Building was opened in 1879, ahead of Melbourne.
1860s: Growth slows
The gold rush had seen
Ballarat and
Bendigo grow larger than Geelong in terms of population.
Melbourne critics dubbed Geelong 'Sleepy Hollow',
1900s: A city develops
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, 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. The first of many stores on the
Market Square was opened in 1913,
Federal Government policy changes on
tariff protection led to the closure of many Geelong industrial businesses from the 1970s. The woollen mills closed in 1974 and hectares of warehouse space in the
city centre were left empty after wool handling practices changed. Later, the
Australian Animal Health Laboratory was opened in 1985, and the
National Wool Museum in 1988.
Market Square, the first enclosed shopping centre in the city was opened in 1985, with neighbouring
Westfield Bay City (formerly Bay City Plaza) opened in 1988. The
Pyramid Building Society, founded in Geelong in 1959, collapsed in 1990 leaving debts of AUD $1.3 billion to over 200,000 depositors, and causing the Geelong economy to stagnate. On
18 May 1993 the
City of Greater Geelong was formed by the amalgamation of a number of smaller municipalities with the former City of Geelong. The
Waterfront Geelong redevelopment started in 1994 designed to enhance use and appreciation of
Corio Bay and in 1995 the Barwon River overflowed in the worst flood since 1952.
21st century
In 2004,
Avalon Airport was upgraded to provide for interstate passenger travel, providing a base for the
low-cost airline Jetstar to service the Melbourne and Geelong urban areas. Geelong expanded towards the coast with
Mount Duneed becoming a residential area and plans for anew neighborhood known as Armstrong Creek were developed by City of Greater Geelong. 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 speciality 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. The construction of the $80 million Brougham Street headquarters is due to be complete by late 2008. In July 2007
Ford Australia announced it would close its Geelong engine plant in 2010 with the loss of about 600 jobs.
Geography
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.
Geologically the oldest rocks in the area date to the
Cambrian period 500 million years ago, with
volcanic activity occurring in the
Devonian period 350 million years ago. In
prehistoric times water covered much of the
lowlands that are now Geelong, with the Barwon River estuary located at
Belmont Common, the course of the river being changed when
Mount Moriac erupted and
lava was sent eastwards towards Geelong. suitable for intensive
farming,
grazing,
forestry and
vineyard plantation.
Many materials used to construct buildings were
quarried from Geelong, such as
bluestone from the
You Yangs and
sandstone from the
Brisbane Ranges.
Limestone has also quarried for
cement production at
Fyansford since 1888,
City and suburbs
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 didn't 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. or the Barwon River for waste disposal.
In the interwar and post World War II years
heavy industry continued to establish itself in the flatter northern suburbs,
Gentrification of former working class inner suburbs such as
Geelong West,
North Geelong and
South Geelong has also occurred. Today the major residential growth corridors are north towards
Lara, east towards
Leopold, and south towards
Mount Duneed.
Climate
Geelong has stable weather while still offering four distinct seasons. It has a
temperate climate with dominant westerly winds, variable cloud, moderate
precipitation and cool temperatures. January is the hottest month, and July is the coldest. The highest temperature recorded was on January 25 2003, with the lowest of recorded on August 5 1997. The average annual rainfall is .
Geelong has a number of shopping precincts in the CBD and surrounding suburbs. The two main shopping centres are located in the
CBD -
Westfield Bay City and
Market Square, with smaller centres in the suburbs including Belmont Plaza and
Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre in the south, Bellarine Village in
Newcomb in the east, and
Corio Village Shopping Centre in the north. The median household income was $901 per week, $121 less than the state average, partly due to higher reliance on manufacturing for employment. and the
City of Greater Geelong had the highest rate of building activity in Victoria outside metropolitan Melbourne.
78.4% of Geelong residents are Australian born, with the most common overseas birthplaces being:
England (3.6%),
Italy (1.1%),
Croatia (1.0%),
Netherlands (0.9%),
Scotland (0.8%). 14.2% of households speak a language other than
English in the home. and with migration since World War II are now the largest Croatian community in Australia, and the German settlers who founded Germantown (now
Grovedale) in 1849 to escape repression in
Prussia for their
Lutheran faith.
The 2006 Census found the most common religious affiliations in Geelong were
Catholicism at 29.4%,
No Religion 20.5%,
Anglican 14.6%,
Uniting Church 7.9% and
Presbyterian and Reformed at 4.3%. with the council chambers 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. The Mayor of Geelong is elected from these councillors by their colleagues for a one year term.
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. 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. It was reclaimed by the Australian Labor Party for the first time since 1931 at the
2007 federal election.
Culture
Arts and entertainment
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, and
Denis Walter. Geelong also hosts festivals such as the
Queenscliff Music Festival,
Meredith Music Festival, the
Offshore Festival and
Poppykettle Festival, and has a number of cultural venues, including the
Geelong Performing Arts Centre (commonly known as GPAC), the 1500 seat Costa Hall auditorium, and the
Geelong Art Gallery.
Media
The
Geelong Advertiser, the oldest newspaper title in Victoria and the second oldest in Australia, was established in 1840. Also circulated are the free
Geelong Independent, and
Geelong News newspapers.
Geelong receives
free to air television broadcasts from Melbourne, including community channel
Channel 31. The Geelong region also receives
cable and
satellite television service through Pay-TV operators
Foxtel &
Neighbourhood Cable.
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 near
Drysdale.
Tourism
The Geelong region attracted over 6,000,000 tourists during 2001. Major tourist attractions include the
Waterfront Geelong precinct and
Eastern Beach on the shores of
Corio Bay, the
Ford Discovery Centre and
National Wool Museum in the city, and more than 30 historical buildings listed on the
Victorian Heritage Register.
Geelong in film
The Geelong region was used as the setting of the
SeaChange television series, filmed on location at
Barwon Heads between 1998 and 2002. The city has also been the filming location of a number of feature films; including the final scenes
On the Beach (1959) at
Barwon Heads,
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, and
December Boys (2007) in
South Geelong at
Kardinia Pool.
Education
Geelong is served by a number of
public and
private schools that cater to local and overseas students. Over 40,000 primary and secondary students are enrolled in schools in Geelong, with another 27,000 students enrolled in tertiary and further education courses.
The Gordon Memorial Technical College opened in 1888, and is known today as the
Gordon Institute of TAFE.
Deakin University enrolled its first students at its
Waurn Ponds campus in
1977. Today the university is located on a 365 hectare site and has over 1,000 staff and over 4,000 on-campus students. The university also has a campus located on the waterfront of Corio Bay in the
Geelong CBD, and from 2008 the campus at Waurn Ponds will be home to Victoria's first regional medical school.
Infrastructure
Utilities
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 were from the Stony Creek reservoirs near
Steiglitz, but today the
West Barwon Reservoir system supplies approximately 70 per cent of the water for Geelong. 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 when the
Geelong power station opened on the corner of Yarra and Brougham Streets. 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, 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. 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.
Transportation
Princes Freeway (M1), to Warrnambool by the Princes Highway (A1), the Bellarine Peninsula 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. Construction began in 2006.
The city is also located at the junction of
railway lines to Melbourne,
Warrnambool,
Ballarat, and
Adelaide. 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. Freight trains also operate from Melbourne to Geelong serving local industries, as well as to Warrnambool and other western Victorian towns. The main
Melbourne-Adelaide standard gauge line 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 Busways and
McHarry's Buslines. 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. Major commodities include
crude oil and petroleum products, export
grain and
woodchips,
alumina imports, and
fertiliser. The
Bellarine Peninsula has been linked to the
Mornington Peninsula since 1987 by the
Searoad ferry, which runs every hour using two roll-on/roll-off ferries.
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. 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 Airways since 2004. Flights to Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth use the airport.
Geelong also has many kilometres of
bicycle trails covering the shores of Corio Bay and the Barwon River parklands, in addition to the
Bellarine Rail Trail.
Sports
Geelong is home to the
Geelong Football Club Australian Football League team, the second
oldest AFL club 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. There are also three 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, and is considered one of the most reliable guides to the result of the
Melbourne Cup.
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. The
Eastern Beach foreshore and nearby Eastern Gardens regularly host internationally televised
triathlons, and annual
sports car and
racing car events such as the
Geelong Speed Trials.
Corio Bay is also host to many sailing and yachting events. Geelong also has 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.
Sister cities
Geelong has two
sister cities. They are:
Izumiotsu, JapanFurther Information
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