QUICK FACTS
The name ‘Geelong' is derived from ‘jillong', the Aboriginal word for bay, which means ‘a place of the sea bird over the white cliffs'. This waterfront city offers a diverse range of food, wine, cultural and recreation attractions and colonial history evident in the city's 100 National Trust-listed buildings. Geelong is also the major gateway to the Bellarine Peninsula and Great Ocean Road. Geelong takes full advantage of its unique north-facing bay with fabulous waterfront eateries, landscaped gardens and walking paths set against the backdrop of Corio Bay. Stroll past the sculptured bollards dotted along the foreshore that chronicle characters from the city's past and present, including dapper young ladies in neck-to-knee bathing costumes, 1930s lifesavers, traditional Aussie families, a Geelong footballer, jaunty sailors, fishermen and a town band. Close by is Eastern Beach, which features an art deco-style pool, promenade complex and the restored pavilion that houses a pleasant restaurant, café and kiosk.Pakington Street, the wide tree-lined avenue linking the suburbs of Geelong West and Newtown, is also worth a visit and is only a few minutes from the city. There are many different restaurants and eateries to try as well as delicatessens, wine merchants, a park to relax in and a street ambience to experience. Activities and attractions
Major events
TOURISM At a glance:
Annual tourist visitations to the region: 4.6 million Fastest growing sector Tourism is one of the Region's fastest growing industry sectors. Targeted tourism marketing and networking plus substantial public infrastructure development has motivated continuous growth in visitor numbers and overnight stays. This has facilitated increased private investment and created many new tourism development opportunities. Geelong is now Victoria's most popular visitor destination outside Melbourne. Hospitality facilities, including waterfront restaurants, have each year and contributing an estimated $388 million to the economy. Geelong Otway Tourism Based in Geelong, Geelong Otway Tourism is the umbrella tourism promotion and marketing body for a large area in the south-west of the Australian state of Victoria. Geelong Otway Tourism acts as a catalyst in stimulating industry growth and development. As a regional tourism association, Geelong Otway Tourism is the co-ordinating and marketing body responsible for promoting the region to target markets on behalf of the local tourism committees and communities within the region. RESEARCH AND EDUCATION At a glance:
A number of major research and educational institutions have established in Geelong, working closely with industry on significant issues and opportunities. CSIRO The CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory is at the forefront of biotechnology, protecting the country's livestock industry from the threat of exotic diseases, as well as developing vaccines and offering support services to the farming community. The CSIRO's Material, Science and Engineering Division has made many groundbreaking developments in wool processing and textile manufacture. PIRVic Marine and Science Primary Industry Research VIctoria's Marine and Freshwater Science facility at Queenscliff supports the Region's seafood industry, including monitoring the marine environment and seafood products of the State's bay and coastal waters to ensure they remain clean, guaranteeing the quality of Victoria's finfish and shellfish.
Geelong is home to one of Australia's leading teaching and research universities, Deakin. The University has two campuses in Geelong one at Waurn Ponds and other along Waterfront Geelong. The University has recently become home to one of Australia's first Rural and Regional Medical Schools. Gordon Institute of TAFE Since 1887, the Gordon Institute of TAFE has been providing high quality education and training to the local community. The TAFE college offers national and international vocational education and training for more than 220 certificate/diploma courses and a further 200 specialist courses. Marcus Oldham Farm Management College The Marcus Oldham Farm Management College specialises in agriculture and farm management techniques. Overview GeelongAbout GeelongGeelong is the second largest city in Victoria after its capital Melbourne. The region is home to over 250,000 people making it the 12th largest city in Australia. Geelong is 74 kilometers south west of Melbourne and the gateway to the tourist resorts of the Bellarine Peninsula and Great Ocean Road, and only a around an hours drive to the historic gold fields towns Geelong is perfectly located for anyone visiting Victoria. The name Geelong comes from the term Jillong from the Wauthrong People which have a history in the region dating back thousands of years. Geelong boasts some of the best food and wine in the country, with rich farmlands the region has a diverse range of products, including vegetables, wine, fine beef and of course seafood. The city isn important Australian wool hub, a major port facility and manufacturing centre including Ford, Alcoa, Aerospace Technologies and Shell. Geelong also has major research and development facilities including the CSIRO Animal Health Laboratory, Textile and Fibres Technology Centre, Marine and Freshwater Resource Institute, Deakin University, Ford Motor Company's Asia Pacific and Africa hub for research and development and major medical infrastructure with Barwon Health. Geelong is known for its fabulous events, including the Annual Bells Beach Surfing Classic, The Australian International Airshow, Skandia Geelong Week Yacht Racing and many triathlon and sporting events. The Geelong region is quiet diverse, with quaint bayside townships, farm areas of the Bellarine Peninsula to the bushland and the scenic surf coast towns of Torquay and Anglesea, gateway to the world renowned Great Ocean Road Geelong is under an hour's drive from Melbourne Airport and only 15 minutes from Avalon Airport, home of new domestic carrier Jetstar which services Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney. Other carriers are planning to use the airport for both domestic and international travel over the next few years. Rail services connect Geelong with Warnambool, Ballarat and Melbourne Lines. Geelong is currently undergoing a huge building boom, with new apartments, Deakin University, Transport Accident Commission head offices and Ford Research and Development expansions plus the a 150 million dollar expansion of the Westfield Bay City shopping centre in the heart of the city. Geelong is home to the mighty Cats, Geelong's own AFL football club and winners of the 2007 AFL Premiership. Geelong is also home to the champion Geelong Supercats Basketball Team and an off season training centre for the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team from Japan. The Geelong region is also notoriously known for the place where the first rabbits were introduced into Australia. 24 wild rabbits were let go at Barwon Park for hunting purposes and went on to infest almost all of Australia. Geelong has sister cities in Lianyungang in northeastern Jiangsu province of China and Izumiotsu which is a city of Osaka Japan. Geelong in recent years has taken full advantage of its north facing bayfront, with multi million dollar transformation into a modern, cosmopolitan city. Beautiful landscaping and other public works combined with new eateries, accommodation, museums, galleries and Deakin University have rejuvenated the city into one of Australia's most beautiful. Around the Geelong RegionThe region around Geelong is one of the most diverse in the state with bayside villages, surf beach resort towns, rugged bushlands, spectacular rainforests and farmlands. The Bellarine Peninsula to the east of the city is home to many of our favorite bayside resort towns, Portarlington, St Leonards, Indented Head and the lovely Victorian era town of Queenscliff are popular daytrips and holiday destinations all year round. Facing the open ocean of Bass Strait are Point Lonsdale and Ocean Grove both with magnificent sandy shorelines, feature some of the regions best beaches for surfing and other water sports. The rural heartland of the Bellarine Peninsula around Drysdale and Wallington hare home to many of our farmers, crop planting, with onion, canola and potatoes, orchards with apples, pears and even strawberries. Animal farming is also successful with cattle, horses and even some of the newer more specialty animals like deer and alpaca. The beautiful rolling hills of the Bellarine Peninsula are home to some of state's best wine, the sunny skies, rich soil and fresh sea breeze give the wine a distinct and delicate flavor and many fine drops are found in our best restaurants. To the south of the Barwon River heading down the coastline is the tranquil seaside resort town of Barwon Heads overlooking the huge limestone bluff at the head of the river. A little further south west the fantastic surfing beaches of 13th Beach and Breamlea followed by one of the surfing capitals of the world- Torquay home to a huge surfing industry and Bells Beach. Anglesea is the next town down the coast and has a beautiful natural bushland setting. Kangaroo spotting at the Anglesea golf course is one of the many things to do in this lovely surf beach town. Airiey's Inlet is a few minitues drive further down the Great Ocean Road and is home to the Split Point Lighthouse which is one of the major icons of the coast. Fairhaven with its interesting beach house architecture follows then the cosmopolitan township of Lorne, with beautiful bayfront, boutiques, quality accommodation and alfresco dining overlooking the blue waters. Apollo Bay through to Cape Otway follows where the Great Ocean Road enters the rich Otway's rainforest with tall timber and lush tree ferns. Inland visitors will find the beautiful green farmlands of the Western District home to much of the regions dairy industry with the towns of Camerdown and Colac. Heading back towards Geelong along the Princes Highway is Winchelsea at the half way point between Geelong and Colac along the Barwon Pains followed by Mount Moriac one of the regions wool producing farmlands. Waurn Ponds is the sprawling outer suburb of Geelong with many new housing estates and home to Deakin University. The suburbs of Highton, and Belmont follow fronting the Barwon River where the city suburbs begin. To the west of Geelong there are the gateways to Ballarat and Hamilton with many rural communities including Fyansford, Bannockburn and Teesdale. To the north of the city are Lara, Little River home to the beautiful You Yangs and Avalon, with its thriving airport and home to the International Airshow. A little to the west the historic townships of Anakie, Stiglitz and the lovely bushland of the Brisbane Ranges. The Geelong Region has so much to see and do- there is something for everyone. Geelong - A Brief HistoryGeelong's original owners are the Wathaurong People who called the bay "Jillong" and surrounding land "Corayo". The name Jillong has a meaning similar to "a place of the sea bird over the white cliffs". somehow we got it mixed up and now call the land Geelong and the bay Corio. The Wathaurong People have left Geelong with a lasting legacy, many of regions much loved names and its streets are Anglicized versions of their names, including Moorabool, Gheringhap, Malop, Moolap, Corio, Geelong, Barwon, You Yangs, Bellarine, Colac, Beeac and Birregurra just to name a few. The first recorded European to visit the Geelong region was Lt John Murray who sailed the Lady Nelson who on February 1st 1802 sent a party lead by John Bowen to explore the region. Murray returned a few days later and clamed the entire region for Britain. But it is thought Murray might not have been the first European to sail into Corio Bay, others including the Dutch, Portuguese or Spanish might have been in the region centuries earlier. There is a bit of a legend that Charles La Trobe in 1871 found a set of Spanish keys in an excavation near where Limeburners Point stands a few hundred meters to the east of Eastern Beach. The keys (if they ever) no longer exist and details are a bit sketchy but there are some other stories in the region that help back it up including a story of a large mahogany ship wreck near Warnambool, again to this day only a myth and never found. Matthew Flinders, sailed into Corio Bay on the 27 April 1802. He charted the entire bay, including the Geelong area. In January 1803, Surveyor-General Charles Grimes aboard the Cumberland sailed into the bay and mapped the area. If not the first, one of the earliest reported deaths of an Aboriginal person by Europeans occurred in October of 1803 when the First Lieutenant JH Tuckey and his party camped in the area around North Shore. Escaped convict William Buckley escaped to the area also around this time. Explorers Hamilton and Hume were the next through the region in 1824. The name Geelong was given to the town in 1837 by Governor Richard Burke and was surveyed in 1838. Geelong in its early days main trade was in wool. Some of the world's best wool is grown in the Western District and region around Geelong and the city was important as a port. Much of the Geelong waterfront was surrounded by huge wool stores, some still remain today being redesigned for modern use including the Deakin University Waterfront Campus, Westfield Shopping Centre and National Wool Museum. Woolen mills saw Geelong's first big manufacturing industry and in 1925 it became the centre of Ford's manufacturing facilities with a huge plant opening in North Geelong in 1926. Ford is still a major employer in the city with stamping, engine manufacturing and design facilities still in the city. Other major industry in Geelong today include Alcoa and Shell. The gold rush in the 1850's saw a turning point for Geelong. Geelong with its wool prosperity was starting to the town gain a bit of ground on Melbourne. But Melbourne ran a campain dubbing Geelong a Sleepy Hollow which stuck with the town nearly 100 years and fooled many of the Gold Seekers that the goldfields were much closer from Melbourne. Melbourne won the day and developed much faster than 'sleepy' Geelong. Through the World Wars and through to the mid 70's Geelong's manufacturing boomed, but with the change in markets and modern needs much of the industry slowed with many jobs lost including Internatinal Harvester on North Shore. Geelong went through a tough times and the colapse of Pyramid Building Society in the 1990's really hit hard in the region. But with new investment and new opportunities Geelong picked up it's socks and looked to the future transforming it's heavy reliance on industry. Today industry is still a force in the city, but thousands of new jobs have been created in health, education, services, retail, business, hospitality and tourism. With such great natural assets its not hard to see why the change has been so successful. Today the tag "sleepy hollow' is fortunatly dead and burried, the city and surrounds are one of the most vibrant in Australia. The city centre and magnificent waterfront is a buzz of new developments and has been tranformed into one of the finest expamples of modern cities in Australia. New buisness is coming to town, hotels, shopping, apartments and places of leisure are all adding to the jewel that is Geelong. The suburbs are growing at a huge rate, Avalon airport is recieving visitors from all over Austrlia, our new ring road is almost complete and we are thriving. With its beautiful north facing waterfront, location to the Great Ocean Road's magnificent beaches and Bellarine Peninsula Geelong is a winner. We have some of the country's best major events and our Football club isn't doing too bad either winning the 2007 AFL Grand Final (we aren't talking about 2008!) but watch out in 2009, because those mighty cats have 9 lives and will be back for another premiership cup. TORQUAYQuick facts
Torquay is Victoria's surfing capital and a major holiday resort town, where the beach-based culture is at its strongest. Some of the biggest names in surfwear and accessories are headquartered here, with huge retail outlets at Surf City Plaza selling everything connected with the sport. The Surfworld Museum captures the spirit of the popular pursuit in words, pictures and hands-on displays. Torquay has the both protected family beaches, and the action of the surging surf. Nearby Jan Juc is a little wilder. Bells Beach is next stop on the coast where the big swells are definitely for experienced surfers. This world famous beach is the venue for the Rip Curl Pro, one of the most sought after titles on the World Championship Tour, which is held every Easter. Just a short drive away, Point Addis provides breathtaking views out to sea and back to the gently arching bay from high up on the point. The dense bush and towering yellow cliffs contrast with the ocean's wide blue expanse through to Anglesea and beyond.While at its busiest in the hot summer months, Torquay is a year-round destination offering more than just amazing beaches. There are great walks, shops, eateries and excellent accommodation.In any weather a walk around the Surf Coast is spectacular. The Surf Coast Walk, an established track stretching more than 35 kilometres from Jan Juc, near Torquay, to Moggs Creek and past Anglesea, brims with fantastic coastal views, thick forest, colourful heath, native birds - many rare and endangered - and kangaroos. Activities and attractions
Events
Torquay is located 95 kilometres south west of Melbourne. Travel by car via the Surf Coast Highway.Daily rail services are available from Melbourne to Geelong. Local bus services are available from Geelong Overview TorquayAbout TorquayTorquay is the surfing capital of Australia and one of the fastest growing towns in the Geelong region with new developments going up everywhere, Being only 25 minutes from the centre of Geelong and under an hour and a half from Melbourne people are moving to Torquay for its magnificent beaches, cosmopolitan energy and great lifestyle. The new ring road around Geelong is going to cut substantially more time off the drive to and from Melbourne, which will lead to Torquay becoming more appealing to the commuter. Located between Barwon Heads and Anglesea the Torquay area takes in some of the best beaches in the region, with the most famous being Bells Beach a few kilometers towards Anglesea from the centre of Town. Bells Beach is the venue for one of the World's great surfing competitions The Bells Beach Classic which attracts the cream of surfing at the Easter event. Bells Beach like all the great beaches either side of Torquay has wide sandy shores and is protected by sand cliffs. Jan Juc is located between Torquay and Bells and is a very popular place to live and also has magnificent water. Bremlea and the clothing optional Point Impossible are to the north west of the town looking out over the rugged Bass Straight. The original Torquay township nestled the protected Zeally Bay but over the past few decades the town has spread in all inland directions. There are two main shopping and entertainment areas. The original town with its alfresco dining, great cafes and shopping in Gilbert Street just off the Esplanade. and the huge surf complexes on the Surf Coast Highway. Torquay is home to the surf industry, many of the big brands like Rip Curl, Piping Hot and Quicksilver have surf factories in town. The Surf Coast plaza is a vibrant collection of the big surf brands, cafes, specialty stores and the Surfworld Museum. Surfworld is a hands on museum and traces the history of surfing and this popular sport in the region. Torquay is home to many sporting events throughout the summer taking advantage of the magnificent beaches. The Australian Strongman Triathlon is held in early February, and the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club recognized as one of Australia's finest, along with the Jan Juc Surf Life Saving Club have various competitions over the summer months. The Danger 1000 open water swim and beach cricket are also held in January. The first weekend in December is the High Tide festival, this huge community event celebrates the uniqueness of Torquay and has a wide array of fun and entertainment. The event kicks of with a huge parade, there are stalls, art, food and even a Billy cart race. The Outrigger race is another favorite of the carnival like atmosphere and the eco friendly Cowrie Market, which also runs on the third Sunday of the month between September and April at the Elephant walk on the Esplanade. Over the summer months Torquay swells with hundreds of visitors taking advantage of the great camping grounds and a good selection of hotels, apartments and motels. Recently several large hotels have been opened to cater for the demand including Crowne Plaza Torquay which offers over 160 rooms of luxury accommodation. Bed and Breakfasts are also popular with quiet a few in the town and there are even a few farm stays a few kilometers inland at property around Freshwater Creek and Bellbrae. The dawn of April every year Torquay celebrates Anzac Day with a very moving service at Point Danger. Thousands brave the usually cold and windy conditions to pay respect for the fallen. The Torquay service is regarded as one of the state's best Anzac Day traditions. Torquay HighlightsTorquay is the most vibrant seaside resort town in the Geelong Region and attracts thousands for its modern lifestyle, great beaches and surf culture. For visitors there is so much to do, some of the big attractions include Surfworld, the Australian Surfing Museum which is located at the huge Surfcoast Plaza complex amongst the massive surf gear shops which is an attraction in itself. Tiger-moth world to the town's south is also a popular thrill adventure and some fine wineries are within a few minutes drive including Mount Duneed Winery and Minya. But the beach is what makes Torquay- soft wide sandy beaches and some of the best surf beaches in the world. The beautiful blue waters play host to surfer's everyday and each Easter bring the world's best to the Rip Curl Pro Surfing Classic at Bells Beach a few kilometres to the south west of the Torquay centre. For those wanting to learn how to Surf, well there is probably no better place than at Torquay plenty of skilled instructors operate in the area and run regular classes. The beaches are popular all year round; surfers brave the cold winter waters for the best waves while runners and walkers hit the sand every day of the year for exercise. Swimming is popular at Fisherman's Beach during the summer months, the waters are not as fierce as some of the other Torquay beaches, being protected in Zeally Bay. Sailing and boat launching is also very popular on this beach. There are many nature walks in Torquay to experience, many taking in special habitat areas and are good places to see native birdlife and the odd native marsupial like kangaroo or even echidna. Spring Creek walk starting at the Torquay Surf Lifesaving Club is a very popular walk so is the coastal walk between Jan Juc and Bells Beach. For a walk around a field chasing a little white ball, Torquay has some great golf clubs. Torquay Golf Club ran by the RACV has some amazing views of the rugged cliffs and is quiet challenging. Torquay Sands is a huge and new resort and has a course designed by champion golfer Stuart Appleby. The resort is has a huge residential zone and is home to many Torquay residents. Over the past few years the café set have moved into Torquay and the township now has some great places for a coffee or a healthy lunch. Some of the regions best dining is found in Torquay with places like Growlers overlooking the water, the Southern Rose, Imperial Rhino and Nocturnal Donkey being amongst the more popular. The Torquay pub is also a favourite place for both tourists and locals. As well as a cold beer and good feed, the pub offers some great entertainment throughout the year including regular cover bands and even some of Australia's biggest names. Some huge artists who have played there recently include James Reyne and Jimmy Barnes. Torquay - A Brief HistoryThe Wathaurong people inhabited the lands around Torquay for centuries before the first Europeans visited the area in the early 1800's Robert Zeally who now has Torquay's bay named in his honor was one of the first settlers to the area. He took up land around 1851. The area was nothing much more than a place to picnic and then in the 1870's some settlement started, with several people settling at Spring Creek, which was also the name of the township. Land was subdivided by the lands department in 1886 and the name was changed to Torquay in 1892 after Torquay a popular holiday resort town after the holiday resort in Devonshire England. The Post Office opened on in August of 1894 and a bridge across Spring Creek gave easier access to towns further down the cost including Anglesea. 1891 saw tragedy off Point Danger on a nasty reef, when the sailing ship the Joseph H Scammell broke up in the heavy seas. Much of the cargo was washed up onto the beach and looted. Today the anchor of the Scammell stands as an eerie monument at the Torquay front beach. The coastline has reportedly taken over 15 ships between Torquay and Barwon Heads over the past 200 years. This wreck was responsible for the construction of the light house at Airey's Inlet to try and stop some of the tragedies. In 1900 a primary school was opened along side the newly-built Presbyterian Church in the community hall. A permanent school building was opened in 1910. Then other town facilities started to pop up including a bowling green, tennis courts and a golf course which were opened by the 1920s. With car travel becoming popular in the 1920's Torquay became a very popular holiday and day trip destination- and in the 90 years since has never looked back. The Torquay Surf Life Savings Club was formed in 1946, it is the oldest and largest club in Victoria and one of Australia's best respected. Their clubrooms were opened in 1971 after their original burnt down. Bells Beach held its first Surf Classic in 1961. It is now the world's longest running surfing competition - the Rip Curl Pro Surf attracts the world's best surfers every Easter. Ripcurl now one of the world's great surf brands started in Torquay in 1969 when Alan Green moved to town and started making wetsuits and other clothes in a old bakery. He then went onto make another huge international surf brand Quicksilver with his friend John Law. Ripcurl and Quicksilver still operate in Torquay and have huge stores in the Surfcoast Plaza complex. The 1980's saw the beginning of the boom to hit Torquay which is still gathering momentum. The surfing industry expanded offering employment manufacturing and at the huge surf retail complexes. Today Torquay is one of the most popular places to move to in the region. The rolling hills of Torquay are rapidly changing from fields to huge housing estates.
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