Geelong

Etymology The name Geelong comes from Djilang, used by the Wadawurrung traditional owners of the area at the time of settlement. Early history and foundation The area of Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula are the traditional lands of the Wadawurrung (Wathaurong) Indigenous Australian tribe. The first non-Indigenous person recorded as visiting the region was Lieutenant John Murray, who commanded the brig . Led by John Bowen, they explored the immediate area, returning to Lady Nelson on 4 February. On reporting favourable findings, Lady Nelson entered Port Phillip on 14 February, and did not leave until 12 March. During this time, Murray explored the Geelong area and, whilst on the far side of the bay, claimed the entire area for Britain. He named the bay Port King, after Philip Gidley King, Arriving not long after Murray was Matthew Flinders, who entered Port Phillip on 27 April 1802. In October of the same year, led by Lieutenant Colonel David Collins arrived in the bay to establish the Sullivan Bay penal colony. The party spent 22 to 27 October on the north shore of Corio Bay, where the first Aboriginal death at the hands of a European in Victoria occurred. and it was at this time they reported that the Aboriginals called the area Corayo, the bay being called Djillong. In 1835, John Batman used Indented Head as his base camp, leaving behind several employees whilst he returned to Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land) for more supplies and his family. In this same year, Buckley surrendered to the party led by John Helder Wedge and was later pardoned by Lieutenant-Governor Sir George Arthur, and subsequently given the position of interpreter to the natives. In March 1836, three squatters, David Fisher, James Strachan, and George Russell, arrived on Caledonia and settled the area. In 1849, Fyans was nominated as the inaugural Mayor of the Geelong Town Council An early settler of Geelong, Alexander Thomson, for which the area of Thomson in Geelong East is named, settled on the Barwon River, and was Mayor of Geelong on five occasions from 1850 to 1858. 1850s: Gold rush ''. 1856 oil painting by Eugene von Guérard. Gold was discovered in nearby Ballarat in 1851, causing the Geelong population to grow to 23,000 people by the mid-1850s. The Geelong Hospital was opened in 1852, and construction on the Geelong City Hall commenced in 1855. On the Market Square in the middle of the city, a clock tower was erected in 1856, and an Exhibition Building was opened in 1879. 1860s: The 'Sleepy Hollow' The gold rush had seen Ballarat and Bendigo grow larger than Geelong in terms of population. Melbourne critics dubbed Geelong 'Sleepy Hollow', The town became referred to as "The Pivot" in the 1860s, owing to its being a rail and shipping hub for western Victoria. 1900s: A city develops The town of Geelong officially became a city on 8 December 1910. The city gained a number of essential services, with electric light supplied by the Geelong Power Station starting in 1902, the Geelong Harbour Trust was formed in December 1905, and the Geelong Waterworks and Sewerage Trust formed in 1908. Electric trams began operation in 1912, travelling from the city centre to the suburbs until their demise in 1956. The first of many stores on the Market Square was opened in 1913, In 1938, one of the last Port Phillip Bay steamers, Edina, made its final trip to Geelong, ending a period of seaside excursions and contests for the fastest trip. The Eastern Beach foreshore beautification and pool was completed in 1939 after almost 10 years of work. Later, the Australian Animal Health Laboratory was opened in 1985, and the National Wool Museum in 1988. Market Square, the first enclosed shopping centre in the city, was opened in 1985, with neighbouring Bay City Plaza opened in 1988. The Pyramid Building Society, founded in Geelong in 1959, collapsed in 1990, leaving debts of AU$1.3 billion to over 200,000 depositors, and in 1995 the Barwon River overflowed in the worst flood since 1952. 21st century , 2007 In 2000, the Carousel Pavilion was opened as a landmark and symbol of the refurbishment of the Geelong waterfront. In 2004, Avalon Airport was upgraded to accommodate interstate passenger travel, providing a base for low-cost airline Jetstar to serve the Melbourne and Geelong urban areas. Major projects include the $150-million Westfield Geelong expansion works, involving a flyover of Yarra Street, the city's first Big W store, and an additional 70 new speciality stores; the $37-million Deakin Waterfront campus redevelopment, and the $23-million Deakin Medical School; the $50-million Edgewater apartment development on the waterfront; a number of multimillion-dollar office developments in the CBD; and a new $30-million aquatic centre in Waurn Ponds. The construction of the $80-million Brougham Street headquarters was completed in late 2008. In November 2008, Ford Australia announced that its Australian-designed I6 engine would be re-engineered to meet the latest emissions regulations, and that consequently the engine manufacturing plant would be upgraded (however, all manufacturing of motor vehicles in Geelong and elsewhere throughout Australia ceased by 2017). A change to the city skyline is occurring with a number of modern apartment buildings on the Waterfront and central business district planned or under construction. On 10 July 2008, approval was given for a $100-million twin-tower apartment complex of 16 and 12 floors to be built on Mercer St in the city's western edge. The towers will become the tallest buildings in the city, taking the title from the Mercure Hotel. Further highrise developments are planned as part of the City of Greater Geelong's Geelong Western Edge strategic plan. A$17-million 11-story apartment tower has also recently been proposed to be built next to the Deakin Waterfront Campus. Geelong's new Library and Heritage Centre opened to the public in November 2015. The new addition to Geelong offers new research facilities, display areas and hosts Geelong's extensive heritage, modern and Indigenous. The new library was awarded the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture in 2016. Geelong is subject to a major revival effort: the Green Spine Project. The Green Spine project aims to connect Johnstone Park to the Botanic Gardens by a continuous line of trees via Malop Street. The redevelopment of Malop Street will see the installation of bike lanes separated from both pedestrians and local traffic by greenery, the design is an Australian first. This project includes the installation of art sculptures and street art throughout the city centre. Major redevelopments are also occurring at Johnstone Park, with a new raingarden installation, and Lt Malop Street is seeing more upgrades. In the suburbs, Geelong West's Pakington Street is seeing major upgrades, with new plantings and improvements to many of the shops. Shannon Avenue in Manifold Heights will see redevelopment to make it more pedestrian friendly. To Geelong's north, Rippleside is undergoing major changes, with the development of Balmoral Quay which will see Rippleside Park and nearby St Helens Park connected via a waterfront footpath, as well as beach restoration and a boat dock expansion. Recently new high rise buildings are being built giving Geelong more jobs and housing. Worksafe Victoria opened up a new 14-storey building on Malop St. It opened in mid-2018 and was the tallest building until it was announced that two residential high rises would be built and completed in late 2019. They are called The Mercer and Miramar Apartments. ==Geography==

Geelong is located on the shores of the western tip of Corio Bay, a southwestern inlet of Port Phillip Bay. During clear weather, the distant Melbourne skyline is visible from higher areas of Geelong when viewed across the waters of Port Phillip. The Barwon River flows through the southern fringe of the Geelong city centre before entering Lake Connewarre and the estuary at Barwon Heads before draining into the Bass Strait. The city is situated just east of the gap between the Otway Ranges and Brisbane Ranges, and commands the only lowland passage between the Werribee Plain and Western Volcanic Plains. Geologically, the oldest rocks in the area date back to the Cambrian period 500 million years ago, with volcanic activities occurring in the Devonian period 350 million years ago. In prehistoric times water covered much of the lowlands that are now Geelong, with the Barwon River estuary located at Belmont Common, the course of the river being changed when Mount Moriac erupted and lava was sent eastwards towards Geelong. suitable for intensive farming, grazing, forestry, and viticulture. Many materials used to construct buildings were quarried from Geelong, such as bluestone from the You Yangs and sandstone from the Brisbane Ranges. Limestone has also been quarried for cement production at Fyansford since 1888, or the Barwon River for waste disposal. In the interwar and post-World War II years, heavy industry continued to establish itself in the flatter northern suburbs, Today, the major residential growth corridors are north towards Lara, east towards Leopold, and south towards Mount Duneed as the Armstrong Creek Growth Area. Climate Geelong has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb in the Köppen climate classification) with dominant westerly winds, variable clouds, moderate rainfall that tends to fall lightly, mild to warm summers, and cool winters. {{Weather box {{Weather box ==Economy==

More than 10,000 businesses employ over 80,000 people in the Geelong region, The Geelong region attracted over 6 million tourists during 2001. Major tourist attractions include the Waterfront Geelong precinct and Eastern Beach on the shores of Corio Bay, and the National Wool Museum in the city, and more than 30 historical buildings listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The Geelong area hosts regular international events which are also tourist drawcards, including the Australian International Airshow. Geelong has a number of shopping precincts in the CBD and surrounding suburbs. The two main shopping centres are located in the CBD - Westfield Geelong and Market Square, with smaller centres in the suburbs including Belmont Village and Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre in the south, Bellarine Village in Newcomb in the east, and Corio Shopping Centre in the north. Geelong is also home to Mitre 10's largest franchisee – Fagg's – operating five stores across the town and employing over 160 people. These major research laboratories are located in the Geelong area: the CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory in East Geelong, CSIRO Division of Textiles and Fibres Technology in Belmont, and the Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute at Queenscliff. The scheduled closure of Ford's Australian manufacturing base in 2016 was confirmed in late May 2013. Headquartered in the Victorian suburb of Broadmeadows, the company had registered losses of AU$600 million over the five years prior to the announcement. It was noted that the corporate fleet and government sales that accounted for two-thirds of large, local car sales in Australia were insufficient to keep Ford's products profitable and viable in Australia. Following the decision by Shell to close its Geelong refinery in April 2013, a third consecutive annual loss was recorded for Shell's Australian refining and fuel marketing assets. Revealed in June 2013, the writedown is worth AU$203 million, and was preceded by a $638-million writedown in 2012 and a $407-million writedown in 2011 after the closure of the Clyde Refinery in Sydney. In April 2016 Target announced that it would be moving its headquarters out of North Geelong to Williams Landing in Melbourne's west. ==Demographics==

As of the 2006 census, 160,000 people resided in 68,000 households. The median age of persons in Geelong was 37 years. About 19.4% of the population of Geelong were children aged between 0–14 years, and 26.6% were persons aged 55 years and over. Each dwelling is on average occupied by 2.59 persons, slightly lower than the state and national averages. The median household income was $901 per week, $121 less than the state average, partly due to higher reliance on manufacturing for employment. About 78.4% of people from Geelong are Australian-born, with the most common overseas birthplaces being: England (3.6%), Italy (1.1%), Croatia (1.0%), the Netherlands (0.9%), and Scotland (0.8%). Around 14.2% of households speak a language other than English in the home. and with migration since World War II are now the largest Croatian community in Australia, and the German settlers who founded Germantown (now Grovedale) in 1849 to escape repression in Prussia for their Lutheran faith. The 2006 census found the most common religious affiliation in Geelong was Catholicism at 29.4%. St. Mary of the Angels Basilica is the largest congregation in the city. Other affiliations of resident of Geelong include no religion 20.5%, Anglican 14.6%, Uniting Church 7.9%, and Presbyterian and Reformed at 4.3%. The city has a large number of traditional Christian churches, as well as Orthodox Christian churches in the northern suburbs. ==Governance==

Local governance In local government, the Geelong region is covered by the City of Greater Geelong. The council was created in 1993 as an amalgamation of a number of other municipalities in the region, with the council chambers located at the Geelong City Hall in central Geelong. The city is made up of four wards - Brownbill (central Geelong and inner suburbs), Bellarine, Kardinia (southern Geelong, south of the Barwon River) and Windermere (northern suburbs). Brownbill, Kardinia and Bellarine are each represented by three councillors, whereas Windermere is represented by two. From 2012 to 2016, the Mayor of Geelong was directly elected by the public to a four-year term. On 16 April 2016, the Victorian Government dismissed the Mayor and Councillors of the Greater Geelong City Council, following a Commission of Inquiry which found that the council is riven with conflict, unable to manage Geelong's economic challenges, has dysfunctional leadership and has a culture of bullying. The government appointed administrators to run the council until council elections were held in 2017. In 2023, the Victorian Government announced that it would appoint monitors to oversee the appointment of a new CEO. State politics In state politics, the Legislative Assembly districts of Geelong, South Barwon, Lara, and Bellarine cover the Geelong area. After the 2022 Victorian Election, all four of these electorates are held by the Australian Labor Party. Lara and Geelong are currently safe Labor seats with South Barwon increasing its margin and Bellarine more marginal. On 12 February 2020, Minister for Planning Richard Wynn established Geelong Authority to advise on strategies to attract investment to central Geelong and on major planning applications to help create jobs and drive growth in Geelong. The committee is chaired by Diana Taylor (lawyer) and consists of Mark Edmonds (former Chairman of Geelong Chamber of Commerce), Aamir Qutub (CEO of Enterprise Monkey), Jill Smith (former General Manager of Geelong Arts Centre) and Rory Costelloe (Executive Director of Villawood Properties) and Dr Sarah Leach. Federal politics In federal politics, the House of Representatives seats – the Division of Corio and Division of Corangamite cover the Geelong region. Corio roughly covers the northern half of Geelong and has been a safe Australian Labor Party seat since the 1970s, but was previously the seat of Richard Casey, a leading conservative Cabinet member in the 1930s and later Governor-General, as well as Hubert Opperman, a former cycling champion and a prominent minister in the 1960s. It was also the seat of Gordon Scholes, who was Speaker during the Whitlam government. Corio is currently held by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, first elected in 2007. Corangamite, which includes roughly the southern half of Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula, was traditionally safe for the Liberal Party, but become more marginal in recent years due to demographic changes, and redistributions which led to it including more of suburban Geelong.{{cite web ==Culture==

Events and festivals The Royal Geelong Show is held each year at the Geelong Showgrounds. Other events include Pako Festa (held annually in February), Gala Day Parade (annual event that celebrated its 96th year in 2012) and Family Fun Day (held annually as part of the Gala Day celebrations), and the Geelong Heritage Festival that is run by the local branch of the National Trust. The Gala Day Parade was axed in 2023. Geelong hosts Victoria's only international photographic salon 'VIGEX' every two years. VIGEX is an acronym for "VIctoria Geelong EXhibition" and the inaugural event was held in 1980. The Australian Photographic Society, the world governing body of exhibition photography the International Federation of Photographic Art and the Victorian Association of Photographic Societies are patrons of the biennial photographic salon. Geelong's History is preserved through both the Geelong Historical Society, and the associated Geelong Heritage Centre, housed in the regional library building opened in 2015. Now defunct, Geelong hosted a digital conference Pivot Summit which was headlined by Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak in 2017. Arts and entertainment , 2016 Recognising a long history in design excellence, Geelong was designated as a UNESCO Creative City of Design in 2017. Geelong is home to a number of pubs, nightclubs, and live-music venues. The city is also the birthplace or starting point for a number of notable Australian bands and musicians, such as Barry Crocker, Gyan Evans, Magic Dirt, Jeff Lang, Denis Walter, Chrissy Amphlett, and Helen Garner. Geelong also hosts music festivals such as the Meredith Music Festival, Offshore Festival, Poppykettle Festival, and National Celtic Festival. The city's prominent cultural venues are the Geelong Performing Arts Centre (commonly known as "GPAC"), the 1500-seat Costa Hall auditorium and the Geelong Art Gallery. Based in Geelong, Back to Back Theatre is a globally renown, contemporary Australian theatre companies engaging with disability on stage. With work produced by the company, Back to Back Theatre explores questions about politics, ethics and philosophy in humanity and tours nationally and globally. In 2022, Back to Back Theatre was awarded the $300,000 International Ibsen Award. Local community-led, not for profit Creative Geelong Inc was established in 2015 to support local creatives and highlight the opportunities for creative industries practitioners in the region. In 2017, Creative Geelong partnered with Deakin University to crowdfund and produce three documentaries about Geelong's transformation from a heavy manufacturing hub to a creative destination. Hubcaps to Creative Hubs series showcase three locations in Geelong including the Federal Woollen Mills, RS&S Woollen Mills and the Fyansford Paper Mills and tells the story of their industrial past and new purpose as creative hot spots. Media The Geelong Advertiser, the oldest newspaper title in Victoria and the second-oldest in Australia, was established in 1840. The free Geelong Independent and Geelong News are the city's other major newspapers. Geelong is part of the Melbourne television licence area, and receives all of the free-to-air stations from Melbourne, including ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, Ten, and the community channel C31. In some elevated areas of Geelong it is also possible to pick up UHF Ballarat channels but a high-gain antenna and amplifier must be used. The Geelong region also receives cable and satellite television services through pay television operators Foxtel and Neighbourhood Cable. The local radio stations are K-Rock (rock and pop music), 3GL (classic hits), Rhema FM (now 96three FM) (Christian community station), Hot Country Radio (country music station), The Pulse (community station), 3GPH (radio reading service), and Bay FM (adult contemporary music). The transmitters for K-Rock, The Pulse, Rhema FM, and Bay FM are located at a shared transmitter site on Mount Bellarine, near Drysdale. The transmitter for 3GL is located at a transmitter site in Leopold on 1341 AM, with low-power FM translators also on-air throughout the region between 87.6-88.0 FM, with another servicing Colac on 88.0 FM. Most Melbourne-based AM and FM radio stations can also be received clearly in the Geelong region. DAB+ radio services direct from Melbourne can also be received in most areas of Geelong. Reception of Ballarat commercial FM stations 3BA and Power FM, as well as reception of ABC Ballarat transmissions from Lookout Hill, is also possible in some parts of Geelong. Sport , 2018 winning the 2022 AFL Grand Final Established in 1859, the Geelong Football Club is the second oldest club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and one of the world's oldest football clubs. Its home ground is Kardinia Park stadium. With more than 80,000 members and an all-time average home game attendance at Kardinia Park of over 20,000 a match, it has the highest membership and average attendance for a non-capital city based football club in Australia. It also fields a reserves side in the Victorian Football League, The Geelong Arena in North Geelong is the home of the Geelong Supercats basketball team, and was used for basketball games during the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The Geelong Basketball and Netball Centre was formerly the home to another basketball team from the region, the Corio Bay Stingrays. The city co-hosted the 2003 FIBA Oceania Championship, at which Australia's national basketball team won the gold medal. North Geelong Warriors FC are the region's primary soccer club, playing in the National Premier Leagues Victoria competition. The club played in the Victorian Premier League from 1992 to 1997 and in the top tier of the NPL in 2015. Other soccer clubs include Northern based Geelong Rangers FC, Geelong SC, Corio SC, Lara United FC and Southern based Surf Coast SC. Western United play a few home games every year in GMHBA stadium, Geelong is included in the marketing for the club in western victoria. Geelong has a horse-racing club, the Geelong Racing Club, which schedules about 22 race meetings a year, including the Geelong Cup meeting in October. The Geelong Cup was first run in 1872, and is considered one of the most reliable guides to the result of the Melbourne Cup. and the Geelong Greyhound Racing Club holds regular meetings. Founded in 1882, the Geelong Lawn Tennis Club has 27 tennis courts and plays host to a number of tennis tournaments including the Davis Cup tie between Australia and China in 2012. at Eastern Beach The Eastern Beach foreshore and nearby Eastern Gardens regularly host internationally televised triathlons, and annual sports car and racing car events such as the Geelong Speed Trials. Corio Bay is also host to many sailing and yachting events. Geelong also has many golf courses, sporting and recreation ovals, and playing fields, as well as facilities for water skiing, rowing, fishing, hiking, and greyhound and harness racing. Geelong Athletics holds competitions during both the summer and winter, including high-profile events such as Victorian and sometimes national and international track and field meets. Geelong is home to Australia's largest indoor skate park, and has "more skate parks per capita than any other municipality in Australia." Geelong is also the birthplace of Bev Francis, an IFBB professional Australian female bodybuilder, powerlifter, and national shot put champion. The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, named in honour of the Tour de France winner and 2009 World Champion starts in the city. It then goes through Barwon Heads on the Bellarine Peninsula, passing by the famous surf beach of Bells Beach in Surf Coast Shire and continuing along the Great Ocean Road. The race then heads via rolling hills back to Geelong for three circuits of the city before a waterfront finish. The race generally suits puncheurs who are capable of getting into breakaways and can easily climb short, steep hills. The city's Kardinia Park Stadium hosted the first match of the 2022 Men's T20 cricket World Cup. Along with other cities in regional Victoria, Geelong was scheduled host the 2026 Commonwealth Games until they were cancelled. The Geelong Sharks compete in the state's Rugby League competition run by NRL Victoria. ==Public services==

Education building in Fenwick Street 2007 Geelong is served by a number of public and private schools that cater to local and overseas students. Over 40,000 primary and secondary students are enrolled in schools in Geelong, with another 27,000 students enrolled in tertiary and further education programs. Geelong is also home to the oldest state secondary school in Victoria, Geelong High School ( 1910), which has been serving the community for over 100 years. The Gordon Memorial Technical College opened in 1888, and is known today as the Gordon Institute of TAFE. Deakin University enrolled its first students at its Waurn Ponds campus in 1977. Today, the university is located on a site at Waurn Ponds and has over 1,000 staff members and over 4,000 on-campus students. The university also has a campus located on the waterfront of Corio Bay in the Geelong CBD, a campus in Burwood, Melbourne, and a campus in Warrnambool, in Western Victoria. and Geelong Health (Geelong West). Utilities Water storage and supply in Geelong is managed by Barwon Water, a Victoria government-owned urban water corporation. Geelong is supplied with water from three river systems: the Barwon, the East Moorabool, and the West Moorabool Rivers. The catchment areas are the Brisbane Ranges to Geelong's north-west, and the Otway Ranges to the south-west. The first water supplies to Geelong were from the Stony Creek reservoirs near Steiglitz, but, as of 2010, Geelong, together with Ballarat, consumes about 70% of the Moorabool River's water flow. Sewage from Geelong and district is treated at the Black Rock Treatment Plant at Breamlea and then discharged into Bass Strait. Geelong was first supplied with electricity in 1902 when the Geelong Power Station opened on the corner of Yarra and Brougham Streets. Later known as Geelong A, the power station was rebuilt in 1920 to increase its capacity, with the station operating until 1961. In 1936, Geelong was connected to the state electrical grid. The Geelong B power station at North Geelong opened in 1954, and was closed in 1970 due to the increasing efficiency of the power stations in the Latrobe Valley. The supply of piped coal gas was started in 1860 by the Geelong Gas Company. The rail -served gasworks were located in North Geelong next to the North Geelong railway station. Geelong was converted to natural gas in 1971, with the Geelong Gas Company being taken over by the Gas & Fuel Corporation of Victoria on 30 June 1971. ==Transport==

, looking south towards suburban Waurn Ponds, 2009 The main form of transportation in Geelong is the automobile. Geelong is well-connected by roads to all of south-west Victoria, to Melbourne by a major-arterial the Princes Freeway (M1) with three or four lanes in each direction, to Warrnambool by the Princes Highway (A1), the Bellarine Peninsula by the Bellarine Highway (B110), Ballarat by the Midland Highway (A300), and to Hamilton by the Hamilton Highway (B140). The $380 million Geelong Ring Road (an extension of the Princes Freeway) bypasses the greater Geelong urban area exiting the Princes Highway near Corio to rejoin the highway at Waurn Ponds. The Lewis Bandt Bridge, named in honour of the Ford Australia engineer who is credited as the inventor of the ute (1934), in Geelong is a feature of the new road. Avalon Airport aircraft at Avalon Airport, 2007 Avalon Airport is located about to the north-east of the city of Geelong in the suburb of Avalon. It was established in 1953 for the production of military aircraft. It was also used for the repair of commercial aircraft, and for pilot training. Avalon Airport has also been home to low-cost airline Jetstar since 2004. Flights to Sydney use the airport and in June 2015, Jetstar announced it would fly to the Gold Coast daily from Avalon Airport commencing October 2015. Avalon Airport is the venue for 'Thunder Down Under' Australian International Airshow every other year. There have been a few attempts to institute international flights from the airport. AirAsia X provided flights to and from Kuala Lumpur and Citilink to Denpasar, but they were cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rail passenger trains at Geelong railway station, 2006 Geelong is a major hub for rail transport in Victoria, having frequent services to and from Melbourne, and being at the junction of the Port Fairy, Western standard gauge and the Geelong-Ballarat (freight only) lines. The Geelong line provides passenger services to Melbourne in the off-peak with trains departing Geelong every 20 minutes on weekdays, with more frequent services at peak times. According to V/Line, the Geelong line carries more passengers than any other regional rail line in Australia. None of the lines are electrified and all trains servicing Geelong are diesel powered. Geelong's currently operating stations include Little River, Lara, Corio, North Shore, North Geelong, Geelong, South Geelong, Marshall and Waurn Ponds. In the past, a rail line connected Geelong city to the Bellarine Peninsula through to Queenscliff. Regular rail passenger services ceased in 1931, although summer Sunday excursion trains ran until the 1970s. The line was closed in 1976. The Bellarine Railway now operates on a section of the line between Drysdale and Queenscliff as a tourist attraction. Passenger services run to Warrnambool five times daily, connecting Geelong with Colac, Terang, and Camperdown. Journey Beyond's The Overland service between Melbourne and Adelaide stops at the standard-gauge platform provided at North Shore station. It runs two days a week. Freight trains also operate from Melbourne to Geelong serving local industries, The Victorian government is currently in process of land acquisition and inspection for a potential Torquay rail line which would service both Torquay and the Armstrong Creek growth corridor. Ports and ferry services The Port of Geelong is located on the shores of Corio Bay, and is the sixth-largest seaport in Australia by tonnage. Major commodities include crude oil and petroleum products, export grain, woodchips, alumina imports, and fertiliser. Bus and taxi bus at Geelong railway station, 2022 A bus network covering the city centre and most surrounding suburbs provides public transport. Until June 2015 they were operated under the umbrella of the Geelong Transit System. Public Transport Victoria contracts CDC Geelong and McHarry's Buslines to provide Geelong's bus services and bus services to Torquay and the Bellarine Peninsula. V/Line services link Geelong with Ballarat, Daylesford, Bendigo, Apollo Bay, the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles and Warrnambool. The majority of the network covers the city and suburban areas of the city, with "urban" classification for the vehicles in use. The Bellarine Peninsula, and Torquay areas, although part of Geelong Taxi Network, are both covered by separate "country" classification taxis. Often, disputes occur in regards to different taxis from one licence area, picking up work from either of the other two licence areas, which is illegal in most circumstances under current taxi regulations in Victoria. Cycling and walking Geelong also has many kilometres of bicycle trails, including: • Bay Trail, Corio Quay to Limeburners Point • Barwon River trail – between Fyansford and South Geelong • Bellarine Rail Trail is a path between South Geelong and Queenscliffe. • Cowies Creek Trail • Hovells Creek Trail • Ted Wilson trail- Follows the Geelong Ring Road for between Corio to Hamlyn Heights • Tom McKean Linear Park, Separation Street, North Geelong through to the Fyansford Cement Works • Waurn Ponds trail offers follows over of the Waurn Ponds creek ==See also==