Geelong, Victoria

Geelong (pronounced /dʒəˈlɒŋ/) is the second largest city in the state of Victoria, Australia and is the largest regional centre in the state. Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, 75 kilometres (47 mi) south-west of the state's capital,Melbourne. With an urban population of 160,991 people, Geelong is the fifth largest non-capital city in Australia. It is covered by theCity of Greater Geelong municipality.

The urban area runs from the plains of Lara in the north to the rolling hills of Waurn Ponds to the south, with the bay to the east and hills to the west. The climate is temperate, with four distinct seasons. The city is the home to car manufacturer Ford Australia and theGeelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats.

Geelong was named in 1837 by Governor Richard Burke, with the name derived from the local Wathaurong Aboriginal name for the region, Jillong, thought to mean 'land' or 'cliffs'. The area was first surveyed in 1838, three weeks after Melbourne, and the Post Office was open by June 1840 (the second to open in the Port Phillip District). The first woolstore was erected in this period and Geelong became the port for the wool industry of the Western District.The gold rush in Ballarat saw the population of Geelong increase to 22,000 by the mid 1850s. The city then diversified into manufacturing, rivalling Sydney, Hobart and Melbourne as wool mills,ropeworks, and paper mills were established,but the next few decades saw the population stay relatively constant until the 20th century.

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, and saw the population grow to over 100,000 by the mid 1960s.Population increases over the last decade were due to growth in service industries, as the manufacturing sector has declined. Redevelopment of the inner city has occurred since the 1990s, as well as gentrification of inner suburbs. Geelong now has a population growth rate higher than the national average, and is the 12th largest city in Australia.

Culture

Arts and entertainment

Geelong is home to a number of pubs, nightclubs and live music venues and has also given birth to a number of notable Australian bands and musicians such as Barry Crocker, Gyan Evans, Magic Dirt, Jeff Lang, and Denis Walter.Geelong also hosts festivals such as the Queenscliff Music Festival, Meredith Music Festival, the Offshore Festival and Poppykettle Festival, and has a number of cultural venues, including the Geelong Performing Arts Centre (commonly known as GPAC), the 1500 seat Costa Hall auditorium, and the Geelong Art Gallery.

Tourism

The Geelong region attracted over 6,000,000 tourists during 2001.Major tourist attractions include the Waterfront Geelong precinct and Eastern Beach on the shores of Corio Bay, the Ford Discovery Centre and National Wool Museum in the city, and more than 30 historical buildings listed on theVictorian Heritage Register. The Geelong area hosts regular international events which are also tourist drawcards including the Australian International Airshow.

source: Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geelong,_Victoria