Geelong

This article is about the city in Victoria, Australia. For the city centre suburb, see Geelong city centre. For the local government area, see City of Greater Geelong. For other uses, see Geelong (disambiguation). For the Australian rules football club, see Geelong Football Club. For the city located in Taiwan, see Keelung.

Geelong
Djilang/Djalang
Victoria
City Centre and surrounds
Town Hall
Post Office
Library & Heritage Centre
St Mary of the Angels Basilica
T & G Building
Cunningham Pier
Geelong is located in Victoria
Geelong
Geelong
Coordinates38°09′0″S 144°21′0″E / 38.15000°S 144.35000°E / -38.15000; 144.35000
Population282,809 (2020)[1] (12th)
 • Density212.80/km2 (551.15/sq mi)
Established1838
Postcode(s)3220
Elevation21 m (69 ft)
Area1,329 km2 (513.1 sq mi)[2][3]
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST)AEDT (UTC+11)
Location
LGA(s)City of Greater Geelong
CountyGrant
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
19.3 °C
67 °F		 9.0 °C
48 °F		 525.2 mm
20.7 in

Geelong (/dʒɪˈlɒŋ/ jih-LONG)[4][5] (Wathawurrung: Djilang/Djalang)[6] is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern 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 is the second largest city in the state of Victoria.[7] 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[note 1] and running 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.[8] 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".[9][10] The area was first surveyed by the European settlers in 1838, three weeks after Melbourne.[11] During the 1850s Victorian gold rush, Geelong experienced a brief boom as the main port to the goldfields of central Victoria.[12] 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.[13] During the city's early years, inhabitants of Geelong were often called Geelongites[14] or Pivotonians, derived from the city's nickname of "The Pivot", referencing the city's role as a shipping and rail hub for the area.[15]

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,[16] and the population grew to over 100,000 by the mid-1960s.[17] Population increases during the 21st century were largely due to growth in service industries,[18] as the manufacturing sector has declined. Redevelopment of the inner city has occurred since the 1990s, as well as gentrification of inner suburbs, and currently has a population growth rate higher than the national average.[19]

Today, Geelong stands as 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 is now Australia's second fastest-growing city.[20] Geelong is regarded as the "Gateway City"[21] 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.

  1. ^ "City of Greater Geelong - Estimated Resident Population (ERP)". profile.id.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "2016 Community Profiles: Geelong". 2016 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 29 December 2019. Edit this at Wikidata
  3. ^ "Significant Urban Area (SUA) ASGS Edition 2016 in .csv Format". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  4. ^ Butler, S., ed. (2009). "Geelong". Macquarie Dictionary (5th ed.). Sydney, NSW: Macquarie Dictionary Publishers. 1952 pages. ISBN 978-1-876429-66-9.
  5. ^ "Definition of Geelong in Oxford dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation and origin of the word". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. 2013. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  6. ^ Clark, Ian D. (2002). Dictionary of Aboriginal placenames of Victoria. Heydon, Toby, 1972-, Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages. Melbourne, Victoria: Victorian Aboriginal Corp. for Languages. ISBN 0-9579360-2-8. OCLC 54913331.
  7. ^ "City of Greater Geelong Estimated Resident Population (ERP)". Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Wadawurrung Traditional Owners". Wadawurrung. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Wathaurong language - Djillong". www.djillong.net.au. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Geelong City". City of Greater Geelong. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2007.
  11. ^ "Post Office List". Premier Postal History. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  12. ^ Norman Houghton - Norman, Houghton. "The Story of Geelong". Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  13. ^ "Historical perspective". Geelong Business News. Archived from the original on 15 June 2005. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  14. ^ "Early days of Geelong". The Argus. 19 July 1924. p. 9. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  15. ^ "Geelong – a brief history". Intown Geelong. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  16. ^ "Key drivers of change". City of Greater Geelong population forecast. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  17. ^ Begg, Peter (1990). Geelong - The First 150 Years. Globe Press. ISBN 0-9592863-5-7.
  18. ^ "Top 10 Reasons to Move to Geelong". City of Greater Geelong website. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  19. ^ "Regions get new lease on lifestyle". The Age. Melbourne. 14 April 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
  20. ^ "The City of Greater Geelong population forecast for 2024 is 289,272, and is forecast to grow to 396,388 by 2041".[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "The Gateway Cities Alliance | Easing population pressures". Gateway Cities Alliance. Retrieved 16 October 2022.


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