Geelong is a coastal city home to an important port which is located in the Southeastern state of Victoria, located very close to the city of Melbourne. Many people have never heard of Geelong; however, it is a city that is nearly 200 years old, making it one of the oldest existing cities in Australia with very deep historical ties to the Aboriginal tribes that lived in the area, with the city of Geelong’s name coming from one of those local tribes.
In this article, we will be highlighting all of the different parts of this that are worth knowing about and will help you achieve an exciting trip to the city of Geelong, Australia.
The Population of the City of Geelong.
Geelong has a population of over 260,000 people which makes it the 12 most populated city in all of Australia as well as the second-biggest city in Australia that does not happen to be a provincial capital.
From the colonial times in the early 19th century, Geelong has been an important trading spot in southern Australia as well as being populated beforehand by hundreds of different communities of Aboriginal tribes.
Apart from that Geelong experienced particular population growth during the famous Geelong gold rush where the population increased exponentially and continued to grow following the subsequent gold rushes in nearby towns of Bendigo and Ballarat that are located further inland.
Today Geelong is a fastly growing city in Australia that is seen as a cheaper and less densely populated option to the nearby city of Melbourne while allowing you to enjoy the exact same great climate and environment that is native to South Australia.
Notable People From Geelong.
Some famous figures from Geelong include musician Dean Turner who was a member of the popular Australian rock band Magic Dirt that has had a lot of success since its founding in 1991 up to 2010 when the group stopped touring before again re-assembling in the year 2018.
Furthermore, comedian turned actor Greg Fleet is a native of Geelong having attended Geelong Grammar School, Greg Fleet is well known for playing a major role in the film Matthew and Son that was released in the year 1984 and stars one of the most famous Australian actresses Nicole Kidman.
Additionally, you have inventor Elfric Wells Chalmers Kearney who is well known for his work in the early railroad industry during the 1900s in order to improve the passenger experience and stop a rollercoaster-like experience inside the carriage.
History of Geelong.
Geelong and its surrounding areas have been occupied by people for thousands of years; however, it is very difficult to track all of the different nations that inhabited the area due to the native population before the Europeans arrived keeping limited records of history.
The biggest tribe in the region based on recorded history is the Wathaurong nation which consisted by 25 different tribes that all spoke the same language and had a similar culture.
Even though the area of what is now the city of Geelong was discovered in 1802 by British explorers it was actually until 1836 that three British squatters started building and using the land for agriculture and pasture for their animals that the firsts colonists started to arrive, however by the mid-1850s the city had a population of 23,000 people thanks to gold being found in the local area.
Local Culture of the City of Geelong.
The unique cultural blend will provide for a very exciting trip to the city of Geelong, Australia. It is too little surprise that the local culture of Geelong is heavily influenced by British culture, with the country of Australia being a colony and later a protectorate of the British Empire for more than a century.
But what may surprise many people is that the culture of Geelong is heavily occupied by the big Croatian community in the city who first arrived during the great gold rush in the 1850s and again arrived in large numbers after the Second World War in order to escape the communist regime of Yugoslavia.
This is why you will see a lot of Croatian corner shops, restaurants, and Catholic churches in the city with many roads and locations in the city being name after Croatian figures or using Croatian words.
Moreover, even though Geelong is a fairly small city it is the host of numerous festival and cultural events every single year such as Royal Geelong Show.
This is one of the biggest festivals in Australia that promotes farmings of all kinds and attracts tens of thousands of attendees during the month of February.
Another popular event is the Queenscliff Music Festival which is a two-day annual festival that is held in a park next to the Tasman Sea.
The Popularity of Australian Football in Geelong.
By visiting Geelong you will also have the opportunity the uniquely Australian sport of Australian Football, an interesting fact is that the local Australian Football club known as the ‘Cats’ is the second-oldest team in the Australian Football league with the team being founded in 1859.
Australian Football is a mix between football also known as soccer in the United States as well as Rugby due to the high amount of contact which is even more extreme in Australian Football which makes it so entertaining and fun to watch.
The local Geelong Football Club plays in a massive 36,000 person stadium and is noted for its great and friendly atmosphere which has helped to propel the teal to glory multiple teams with 22 league and cup wins throughout the club’s long history as of writing this article.
Climate of Geelong.
The climate of the city of Geelong is officially classed as a temperate oceanic climate with the hottest months in the year being December, January, and February which has average daily temperatures of over 20 degrees Celsius.
However, throughout the rest of the year, the temperature is also very warm with the coldest month being July with the lowest it usually gets there being 5.4 degrees Celsius which is easily bearable if you wear some extra layers.
It also rains on average 143.8 days a year, but it does not rain in high amounts, and Geelong is one of the driest cities in all of Australia.
Despite this, you have nothing to worry about as Geelong is a modern city with lots of shade available as well as refreshments on hand to allow you to enjoy yourself while you are discovering everything that this port city is about.
Beaches of Geelong and Water Sports.
One of the biggest attractions of the city and the reasons why you will be able to have an exciting trip to the city of Geelong, Australia is the fact that it is home to some of the best beaches in Australia.
And the best bit of all is that they are less crowded than those you find in neighboring Melbourne with everything from hotels to restaurants and entertainment being many times cheaper in Geelong than in other coastal metropolises in Australia.
Speaking about entertainment, at Geelong you can enjoy a wide variety of water-based sports from surfing the moderate waves of the sea, to hiring a water jet ski for a few hours and having fun whizzing around with your friends to sailing and fishing for the hundreds of local fish species and sea creatures.
Thanks to the great climate all year-round, you can enjoy yourself on the beach and sea and discover new life passions from the many different activities available on offer.
Read the article: Traveling To Melbourne, Australia. Sightseeing Tour.
