Global InformationGeelong information
| Geelong Djilang/Djalang Victoria | |||||||||
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City Centre and surrounds Town Hall Post Office Library & Heritage Centre St Mary of the Angels Basilica T & G Building Cunningham Pier | |||||||||
  Geelong | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°09′0″S 144°21′0″E / 38.15000°S 144.35000°E | ||||||||
| Population | 264,866 (2020)[1] (12th) | ||||||||
| • Density | 199.30/km2 (516.18/sq mi) | ||||||||
| Established | 1838 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3220 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 21 m (69 ft) | ||||||||
| Area | 1,329 km2 (513.1 sq mi)[2][3] | ||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10) | ||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | AEDT (UTC+11) | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | City of Greater Geelong | ||||||||
| County | Grant | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) |
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| Federal division(s) |
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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 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Melbourne.
Geelong is the second largest Victorian city behind Melbourne with an estimated urban population of 268,277 as of June 2018,[7] and is also Australia's second fastest-growing city. Geelong is also known as the "Gateway City"[8] due to its critical location to surrounding western Victorian regional centres including Ballarat in the northwest, Torquay, Great Ocean Road and Warrnambool in the southwest, Hamilton, Colac and Winchelsea to the west, providing a transport corridor past the Central Highlands for these regions to the state capital Melbourne in its northeast. The City of Greater Geelong is also a member of the Gateway Cities Alliance in partnership with Councils from Newcastle and Wollongong.
Geelong 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 were the Wadawurrung (also known as Wathaurong) Aboriginal people of the Kulin nation. The Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation is the Registered Aboriginal Party for the region.[9] The modern name of Geelong, established in 1827, was derived from the local Wadawurrung name for the region, Djilang, thought to mean "land", "cliffs" or "tongue of land or peninsula".[10][11] The area was first surveyed by the European settlers in 1838, three weeks after Melbourne. A town post office was opened by June 1840, the second to open in the Port Phillip District.[12] The first woolstore was erected in this period and it became the port for the wool industry of the Western District.[13]
During the Victorian gold rush, Geelong experienced a brief boom as the main port to the rich goldfields of the Ballarat district.[14] 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.[15] It 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,[13] and the population grew to over 100,000 by the mid-1960s.[16] During the city's early years, an inhabitant of Geelong was often known as a Geelongite[17] or a "Pivotonian", derived from the city's nickname of "The Pivot", referencing the city's role as a shipping and rail hub for the area.[18] Population increases over the last decade were due to growth in service industries,[19] 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.[20]
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 home to the Geelong Football Club, the second-oldest club in the Australian Football League.
- ^ ABS Greater Geelong Region Statistics. "Region summary: Greater Geelong (C)". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "2016 Community Profiles: Geelong". 2016 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ "Significant Urban Area (SUA) ASGS Edition 2016 in .csv Format". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ Butler, S., ed. (2009). "Geelong". Macquarie Dictionary (5th ed.). Sydney, NSW: Macquarie Dictionary Publishers. 1952 pages. ISBN 978-1-876429-66-9.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Significant Urban Area, 2008 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
- ^ "The Gateway Cities Alliance | Easing population pressures". Gateway Cities Alliance. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ "Wadawurrung Traditional Owners". Wadawurrung. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ "Wathaurong language - Djillong". www.djillong.net.au. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ "Geelong City". City of Greater Geelong. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2007.
- ^ "Post Office List". Premier Postal History. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
- ^ a b "Key drivers of change". City of Greater Geelong population forecast. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- ^ Norman Houghton - Norman, Houghton. "The Story of Geelong". Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ "Historical perspective". Geelong Business News. Archived from the original on 15 June 2005. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
- ^ Begg, Peter (1990). Geelong - The First 150 Years. Globe Press. ISBN 0-9592863-5-7.
- ^ "Early days of Geelong". The Argus. 19 July 1924. p. 9. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ "Geelong – a brief history". Intown Geelong. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ "Top 10 Reasons to Move to Geelong". City of Greater Geelong website. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ "Regions get new lease on lifestyle". The Age. Melbourne. 14 April 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
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