Renowned as the gateway to the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula, Geelong is situated on the shores of Port Phillip Bay and marks the beginning of the iconic touring route of the Great Ocean Road. The second largest city in Victoria, Geelong enjoys all the comforts of a modern city but still enjoys the relaxed atmosphere of its bayside position and boasts a stunning waterfront home to landscaped gardens, public artworks, eateries and ice cream parlours.
From Cunningham Pier to Eastern Beach, Geelong offers fantastic waterfront cafes and restaurants that take full advantage of the city’s unique north-facing bay. The wonderful restored pavilion and promenade complex at Eastern Beach also boasts a beautiful art deco-style pool, perfect for cooling off on warm days. Pakington Street also offers a gourmet wining and dining experience with its variety of wine merchants, delicatessens and homemade goodies. The nearby vineyards and cellar doors of Geelong’s wine region also make for the perfect day trip.
A picturesque city in its own right, Geelong is also spruced up by a range of public artworks positional along the waterfront including iconic cargo boxes, shark fins and the whimsical Baywalk Bollards. An iconic sight synonymous with Geelong, these sculptured bollards line the foreshore and depict characters from the past and present including jaunty sailors, 1930s lifesavers, traditional Aussie families and young ladies in neck-to-knee bathing suits.
Home to 100 buildings listed on the National Trust, Geelong is an historic city and nowhere is its past better displayed then at the National Wool Museum. A popular family friendly attraction, the museum is also home to an historic wooden carousel that is one of 200 still operational in the world. When it comes to culture, the Geelong Art Gallery has it in spades thanks to its amazing collection of Australian sculpture, paintings and decorative arts including the famous 1890 A Bush Burial by Frederick McCubbin.
Art lovers will enjoy the outstanding collection of Australian paintings, sculpture and decorative arts at the Geelong Art Gallery, including Frederick McCubbin's A Bush Burial from 1890. There’s also plenty of opportunity to soak up music, film, theatre and a range of events with Geelong’s calendar always full. If you’re lucky enough to be visiting during the Festival of Sails, you’ll get to experience the biggest annual keel boat regatta in the Southern Hemisphere and Victoria’s oldest sporting event.
