VICPort & river
Geelong
A sheltered bay served the wool country.
1838Town surveyed and officially named
WHAT STARTED IT
Geelong’s position on Corio Bay made it a port for the expanding pastoral country of western Victoria. Surveying a town created a centre for shipping, merchants and rural supplies.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Wool handling and processing became central to its economy. Manufacturing later broadened the industrial base, and the city developed a close transport relationship with Melbourne.
TURNING POINTS
1800sWool exports support the port’s growth.
1836Thomas Manifold lands the first Manifold sheep at Point Henry on 9 July.
1838Geelong is surveyed and its name approved.
1844Geelong ships 2,473,080 lb of wool, drawn from the Werribee, the Loddon and the Grange.
2022Spirit of Tasmania sailings moved from Port Melbourne to a new terminal at North Geelong.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A large regional city with health, education, port activity, advanced manufacturing and a visitor waterfront. Its woolstores remain clues to the trade that built it.