Geelong Travel Guide
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Geelong
Combining industrial heritage with a modern cosmopolitan makeover, Geelong is Victoria’s second-largest city and the gateway to the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula.
Geelong, Victoria
Set around the sparkling Corio Bay, and surrounded by rolling hills dotted with award-winning wineries, breweries and farm gates, Geelong boasts a stunning waterfront, vibrant contemporary art and a burgeoning food and wine scene.
Things to do
With its unique north-facing bay, the famous Geelong Waterfront offers plenty to see and do, from a 19th-century carousel to the Baywalk Bollards trail dotted with public art. Explore the Eastern Beach Reserve, built in the 1930s with a curved art deco boardwalk and sea bath as well as a playground and children’s pool, perfect for a family day out. The kids will love a ride on the miniature train and the Giant Sky Wheel, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
Hit the calm waters of Corio Bay and try your hand at stand-up paddleboarding, with lessons available on The Waterfront, or join a tour of Port Phillip Bay and visit the local seal colony and resident dolphins near the Chinamans Hat pontoon. Get your thrillseeker on with a skydiving adventure or take a thrilling chopper ride high above the pristine Bellarine coastline.
Food and wine
Geelong has an evolving and exciting food and wine scene, with gastronomic pubs, award-winning cocktail bars and French-style eateries along with authentic Italian fare and Asian barbecue. Fine dine at hatted restaurants on superbly crafted seasonal dishes and savour quality-roasted coffee at busy cafes pumping out all-day breakfasts.
Wineries and cellar doors offering premium world-class wines abound in Geelong and surrounds, with farm gates and providores selling fresh, local produce direct from the makers and growers. In the mood for a day trip? Dive into the Bellarine Taste Trail, with over 50 foodie destinations to discover right across the peninsula.
Nature
The Geelong region abounds in natural attractions with coastal woodlands, lush wetlands, spectacular surf beaches and the iconic Barwon River that flows through the heart of Geelong on its journey to the sea at Barwon Heads. Explore the Barwon River Loop, a 12km riverside walking trail or head to the Serendip Sanctuary, home to hundreds of rare native wildlife.
The award-winning Kevin Hoffman Walk is one for nature lovers, an award-winning garden filled with Australian native species of plants and flowers. Spend a day hiking in the You Yangs, a range of granite peaks that rise up from the Western Plains. Climb the 450 steps to the top of Flinders Peak and keep a lookout for kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas and koalas.
How to get there
Geelong is about an hour’s drive 74kms southwest from Melbourne, around Port Phillip Bay. Enjoy the view from a window seat and catch the train or bus from Southern Cross Station, with the trip taking just over an hour. A ferry service also runs from Melbourne Docklands across the bay to Geelong, taking about 1.5 hours one way.
Top things to do in Geelong
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