beach
Bells Beach
Australia's most famous surf beach near Torquay at the start of the Great Ocean Road, home of the world's longest-running surfing contest, the Rip Curl Pro, each Easter.
26 km · about 30 min drive
OceaniaAustraliaVictoria
Geelong
Victoria, Australia · Oceania
About Geelong
Geelong is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Herne Hill, 56km from Erskine Falls.
Geelong is in Victoria, Australia, with about 280,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Herne Hill, about 4 km away.
Geelong ( jih-LONG; Wathawurrung: Djilang/Djalang) is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the western end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, about 75 km (47 mi) southwest of Melbourne. With an estimated population of 282,809 in 2023, Geelong isRead more
the second-largest city in the state of Victoria. It is the administrative centre for the City of Greater Geelong municipality, which is Port Phillip's only regional metropolitan area, and covers all the urban, rural, and coastal reserves around the city including the entire Bellarine Peninsula and from the plains of Lara in the north to the rolling hills of Waurn Ponds to the south, with Corio Bay to the east and the Barrabool Hills to the west.
The traditional owners of the land on which Geelong sits are the Wadawurrung (also known as Wathaurong) Aboriginal people of the Kulin nation. The modern name of Geelong, first recorded in 1827, was derived from the local Wadawurrung name for the region, Djilang, thought to mean "land", "cliffs", or "tongue of land or peninsula". The area was first surveyed by the European settlers in 1838, three weeks after Melbourne. During the 1850s Victorian gold rush, Geelong experienced a brief boom as the main port to the goldfields of central Victoria. The town then diversified into manufacturing, and during the 1860s became one of the largest manufacturing centres in Australia with its wool mills, ropeworks, and paper mills. During the city's early years, inhabitants of Geelong were often called Geelongites or Pivotonians, derived from the city's nickname of "The Pivot", referring to the city's role as a shipping and rail hub for Ballarat and the Western District.
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, and the population grew to over 100,000 by the mid-1960s. Population increases during the 21st century were largely 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, and the city has a population growth rate higher than the national average.
Geelong is an emerging healthcare, education, and advanced manufacturing centre. The city's economy is shifting quickly, and, despite experiencing the drawbacks of losing much of its heavy manufacturing, it is seeing much growth in other tertiary sectors, positioning itself as one of the leading non-capital Australian cities. It has become Australia's second fastest-growing city. Geelong is regarded as the "Gateway City" due to its critical location to surrounding western Victorian regional centres, providing a transport corridor for surrounding regions to the state capital Melbourne. It is also home to the Geelong Football Club, the second-oldest club in the Australian Football League.
Where to Stay in Geelong
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Geelong?
Within an hour or so of Geelong: Bells Beach (26 km), Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch Cafe (45 km), Teddy's Lookout (Great Ocean Road) (56 km), Erskine Falls (56 km).
Are there any good drives near Geelong?
The nearest famous roads are Great Ocean Road.
Where is Geelong?
Geelong is in Victoria, Australia, about 4 km from Herne Hill.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 282,809
- Continent
- Oceania
- Country
- Australia
- Region
- Victoria
- Timezone
- Australia/Melbourne
- Coordinates
- -38.1471, 144.3607
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Australia
112 works from mobiles. Distances between fuel stops in the outback can exceed 200 km: plan ahead. Wildlife is most active at dawn/dusk.
Full driving guide for AustraliaTags
Worth the detour from Geelong
4 notable places within an hour's drive.
cafe
Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch Cafe
The starting point cafe at the iconic timber arch gateway to the Great Ocean Road in Eastern View, where every Great Ocean Road trip photo begins.
45 km · about 50 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Teddy's Lookout (Great Ocean Road)
A clifftop viewpoint above Lorne on the Great Ocean Road with sweeping views along the coastline and the forested Otway Ranges.
56 km · about 65 min drive
waterfall
Erskine Falls
A 30-metre plunge waterfall in the Otway Ranges, reached by a sealed road from Lorne and a short staircase to two viewing platforms among tree ferns. Skipped by most Great Ocean Road traffic that stays on the coast.
56 km · about 65 min drive
Driving roads near Geelong
- 56 kmTeddy's Lookout (Great Ocean Road)A clifftop viewpoint above Lorne on the Great Ocean Road with sweeping views along the coastline and the forested Otway Ranges.
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