Geelong

Geelong is a city located 70 km to the south west of Melbourne on Corio Bay which is part of Port Phillip Bay. Geelong is the west of Melbourne and the second largest city in Victoria, first settled in 1838.

The port provided early wealth helped by the export of wool. In 1925, the Ford Motor Company established a plant in Geelong. Other industries followed including an oil refinery, aluminum smelting and cement manufacture. Trains from travel from Geelong to Melbourne every hour. To the south Geelong is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road and close to many coastal towns, bays and beaches.

Bellarine Peninsula
Close by is the Bellarine Peninsula part of encircling of Port Phillip Bay. This is a great scenic drive from Geelong, where long stretches of beaches, scuba diving and fishing locations can be accessed.

Eastern Beach
Eastern Beach has art deco pools, beach side promenades, cafes and summer carnivals. The botanic gardens are a short walk past Eastern Beach.

Ford Discovery Centre
The Ford Motor Company has strong ties with Geelong with it's main plant operating here. This centre has a history of the design of cars over the years as well as displays of motor engineering. Gheringhap Street (03 5227 8700).

Geelong Botanic Gardens
An old garden with some very well established trees and includes the largest maidenhair in Australia.

Geelong Gallery
A collection of late nineteenth and early 20th Century paintings mainly by British artists.

National Wool Museum
This old bluestone wool store plays host to history of Australian wool and sheep farming. Wool auctions are also held here. Moorabool Street (03 5227 0701).

Old Geelong Gaol
Old Geelong Gaol opened in 1853 and remained in service until 1991 and there is a recreation of the hanging of James Murphy in 1863.

Port of Geelong Maritime Museum
This museum is a chronological maritime history lesson of the shipping in and around the Corio bay and Port Phillip bays. Eastern Beach Road (03 5277 2260).

Serendip Sanctuary
Just out of Geelong and attracts a diversity of birds that breed in the park.

Werribee Park and Open Range Zoo
Inside the park is a an 1870's mansion with 12 hectares of gardens. Next to the park is the Werribee Open Range Zoo and replicates the African savannah.

You Yangs Regional Park
Granite outcrops that rise above the plains.

 

Geelong Waterfront & Eastern Beach
Although seaside towns and surf beaches surround it, the township of Geelong is just as strong in maintaining its own coastal flair, as is evident when you visit Eastern Beach and the connecting Waterfront. Hugging the waters of Corio Bay, and less than a five-minute walk from the city centre, the area is both picturesque and practical. You can have a barbecue or picnic, swim in the public art-deco style pool, play in one of several playgrounds, or walk around the promenade. Buy an ice cream from one of the vans parked along the beach, or grab a coffee from one of the cafes. Walk a little further and you'll come across some of Geelong's famous Bollards (painted wooden sculptures that represent local history and characters), of which there are over 100 scattered along the Waterfront. By this point, you should be able to hear the lilting tunes of the fully restored Carousel, which has just celebrated its 10th birthday, and see Cunningham Pier stretching out into the ocean. There is much to see and do when you visit this part of Geelong, and the views are always extremely popular with photographers and tourists, both young and old.
Catherine Van Bergen

Werribee Open Range Zoo
There are many zoos and wildlife parks you can visit in Australia, but none come close to the experience you will have when you visit Werribee Open Range Zoo. Spread over 225 hectares of open grasslands, the zoo features all the animals you would expect to see in an African Savannah, including lions, zebras, hippopotamus', monkeys and giraffes (unfortunately there are no elephants- you'll have to visit Melbourne Zoo in order to see them). There's also an area dedicated to Australian wildlife, where you can walk among the kangaroos, wallabies and emus. You can take a guided walking tour or look at the animals at your own pace. There are award winning interactive displays for the children and plenty of things to see and do. Part of the entry fee includes a bus tour around the savannah area (which you are not permitted to walk around), and this allows you to see some of the animals up close and personal as the bus manoeuvres alongside them. This zoo is a must for all animal lovers, and if you're feeling especially adventurous, there are accommodation packages available where you can spend the night in the zoo surrounded by some of the African animals.
Catherine Van Bergen