"Geelong - The Jewel of a City on Corio... " a Geelong Travel Page by cassiejoy42

When you come to Geelong there is so much to see and do.

We hold a lot of sporting activities in Geelong. Bike rides and bike racing are often held in Geelong. We have a Baseball stadium close to the city. Water sports include skiing, boat races, jet skis, yachting, or you can take a tour of the Corio Bay by charter boat.

In Ritchie Boulevard (near Eastern Beach) we hold Speed Trials once a year.

Eastern Beach is a great family oriented place to visit. You can walk along the waterfront and stop at some of our restaurants for a meal or a snack. There is Smorgys on Cunningham Pier. Buccaneers and Le Parisien and the Wharf Shed are a few of our other waterfront restaurants that come to mind.

You can take your children for a ride on the Carousel or you can jump on Thomas the Tank for a tour of the waterfront and Eastern Beach.

At Eastern Beach you can walk around the Promenade and see who donated the sleepers to renovate the Promenade. There is two swimming pools, one for the little ones and a bigger pool with a shark safety fence so you can swim in the Corio Bay in safety within the enclosure. There are change rooms and toilets within walking distance of the pools. There is a playground. All along the Eastern Beach lawns you can find barbecues and picnic tables.

If you don't want to do the whole Bollard walk you can still view some of the Bollards that have been placed around Eastern Beach. The Bollards go all the way around the Corio Bay to Limeburner's Point - one of our jettys. Limeburner's Point has recently been renovated.

Geelong people are quite proud of our waterfront. There have been many renovations and upgrades to bring our waterfront up to world class standards.

There are play parks for children scattered along the waterfront. One near Cunningham Pier is famous for the Poppykettle bronze statues within the park. There is a play park at Eastern Beach close to the children's pool.

If you park anywhere along the waterfront you can walk to some of our restaurants, take away food stores, or you can even stroll into the city. It is only a ten or fifteen minute stroll in to the city.

On a nice day you could spend the whole day down on the waterfront. Walk out on to Cunningham Pier to see what the local fishermen are catching. Walk up and down the waterfront to view some of the Bollards, and then you can take a seat anywhere along the paths when you get worn out from all the walking. Most of the paths are pusher and wheelchair friendly.

The Carousel operates most days, especially during the school holidays. The Carousel is a great place for Deb photos or Wedding photos. My daughter was photographed at the Carousel before she did her Deb.

Many of the statues, flags and art work along the waterfront relate to water, waves, and the Corio Bay. Look up at some of the street lights and you will see that the decorations resemble sails. Some of the original buoys from Corio Bay are planted in the ground near the Carousel. Also near the Carousel you can see the huge metal art work that also resembles sails. Go to the Wharf Shed and their windows resemble port windows in ships.

Geelong is truly a beautiful city with a lot of interesting things to see and do. Within walking distance of Eastern Beach you can go to the Ford Discovery Centre, go and dine at Deakin Waterfront Cafe, stroll to the Art Gallery or the Geelong Regional Library or stroll up to Eastern Park and sit in the Park or visit the Geelong Botanical Gardens.

If you park near Cunningham Pier you can catch a ride with Thomas the Tank so that you can take in the whole waterfront walking paths.

You can take your children on the Carousel. The Carousel operates most days. Directly outside the Carousel you will find the Bollard Band. The Band plays most days, in wet weather or fair.

At certain times of the year you will find activities set up along the waterfront to entertain the masses. During school holidays there is often a ride set up - I am not sure what it is called. This ride allows you to strap yourself in to a harness and jump up and down in the air for a few minutes - defying gravity. Probably not a good idea to do this after you have just eaten at one of the restaurants.

Once a month there is an outdoor craft market held at the waterfront - at Steampacket Gardens. Come and see some of our local crafts people and buy their wares.

Geelong holds an annual Food and Wine Festival at the waterfront, not far from the Carousel. It is a popular event with lots of interesting food to taste. We are lucky to be a multi cultural city so you will be able to try food from many different countries and cultures.