Editing Geelong (section)

==History==
{{For timeline}}

=== Etymology ===
The name Geelong comes from ''Djilang'', used by the Wadawurrung traditional owners of the area at the time of settlement.

===Early history and foundation===
[[File:Aerial panorama of Geelong and its heartbeat the home of the Geelong Cats.jpg|thumb|Aerial panorama of Geelong facing the bay. Taken August 2018.]]
The area of Geelong and the [[Bellarine Peninsula]] are the traditional lands of the [[Wadawurrung]] ([[Wathaurong]]) [[Indigenous Australian]] tribe.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wadawurrung Traditional Owners|url=https://www.wadawurrung.org.au/|access-date=2021-06-01|website=Wadawurrung|language=en}}</ref> The first non-Indigenous person recorded as visiting the region was Lieutenant [[John Murray (Australian explorer)|John Murray]], who commanded the [[brig]] {{HMS|Lady Nelson|1798|6}}.<ref name="story" /> After anchoring outside Port Phillip Heads (the narrow entrance to [[Port Phillip]], onto which both Geelong and [[Melbourne]] now front), on 1 February 1802, he sent a small boat with six men to explore.<ref name="life">{{Cite book|last=Billot|first=C.P.|title=The Life of Our Years|publisher=Lothian Publishing|year=1969|id=National Library of Australia registry number 68-2473 }}</ref> Led by [[John Bowen (colonist)|John Bowen]], they explored the immediate area, returning to ''Lady Nelson'' on 4 February. On reporting favourable findings, ''Lady Nelson'' entered [[Port Phillip]] on 14 February, and did not leave until 12 March. During this time, Murray explored the Geelong area and, whilst on the far side of the bay, claimed the entire area for Britain. He named the bay Port King, after [[Philip Gidley King]],<ref name="life" /> then [[Governor of New South Wales]]. Governor King later renamed the bay Port Phillip after the first governor of New South Wales, [[Arthur Phillip]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.vicnet.net.au/~phillip/env2stud.htm |title=Excerpts from the 'Port Phillip Survey 1957–1963'|work=Port Phillip Conservation Council website|access-date=2007-12-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070920091236/http://home.vicnet.net.au/~phillip/env2stud.htm|archive-date=20 September 2007 }}</ref> Arriving not long after Murray was [[Matthew Flinders]], who entered Port Phillip on 27 April 1802.<ref name="story" /> He charted the entire bay, including the Geelong area, believing he was the first to sight the huge expanse of water, but in a rush to reach [[Sydney]] before winter set in, he left Port Phillip on 3 May.

In January 1803, Surveyor-General [[Charles Grimes (surveyor)|Charles Grimes]] arrived at Port Phillip in the [[Sloop-of-war|sloop]] {{HMS|Cumberland|1803|2}} and mapped the area, including the future site of Geelong,<ref name="life" /> but reported the area was unfavourable for settlement and returned to Sydney on 27 February.<ref>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id=A010443b|title= Grimes, Charles (1772–1858), Online Edition|access-date=2007-12-30}}</ref> In October of the same year, {{HMS|Calcutta|1795|6}} led by Lieutenant Colonel [[David Collins (lieutenant governor)|David Collins]] arrived in the bay to establish the [[Sullivan Bay]] [[penal colony]].<ref name="life" /> Collins was dissatisfied with the area chosen, and sent a small party led by First Lieutenant [[James Hingston Tuckey|J.H. Tuckey]] to investigate alternative sites.<ref>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id=A010226b|title= Collins, David (1756–1810), Online Edition|access-date=2007-12-30}}</ref> The party spent 22 to 27 October on the north shore of Corio Bay, where the first [[Victorian Aborigines|Aboriginal]] death at the hands of a European in Victoria occurred.<ref name="life" />

The next European visit to the area was by the explorers [[Hamilton Hume]] and [[William Hovell]]. They reached the northern edge of [[Corio Bay]] – the area of Port Phillip that Geelong now fronts – on 16 December 1824,<ref name="hovell">{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id=A010517b|title=Hovell, William Hilton (1786–1875), Online Edition|access-date=2007-12-16}}</ref> and it was at this time they reported that the Aboriginals called the area ''Corayo'', the bay being called ''Djillong''.<ref name="story" /> Hume and Hovell had been contracted to travel overland from Sydney to Port Phillip, and having achieved this, they stayed the night and began their return journey two days later on 18 December.<ref name="hovell" />

The [[convict]] [[William Buckley (convict)|William Buckley]] escaped from the [[Sullivan Bay]] settlement in 1803, and lived among the Wadawurrung people for 32 years on the Bellarine Peninsula.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/portphillip/inter/7335.shtml|title=Reminiscences of James Buckley, communicated by him to George Langhorne, 1837 |work=[[State Library of Victoria]]|access-date=2007-12-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124075602/http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/portphillip/inter/7335.shtml |archive-date=24 November 2007|df=dmy}}</ref> In 1835, [[John Batman]] used [[Indented Head]] as his base camp,<ref name="time">{{cite web|url=http://www.zades.com.au/geelong/gdtime.htm|title=Timeline history|work=Geelong and District Historical Resources website |access-date=2007-07-19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626062822/http://www.zades.com.au/geelong/gdtime.htm |archive-date=26 June 2007}}</ref> leaving behind several employees whilst he returned to [[Tasmania]] (then known as [[Van Diemen's Land]]) for more supplies and his family. In this same year, Buckley surrendered to the party led by [[John Helder Wedge]] and was later [[pardon]]ed by Lieutenant-Governor [[Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet|Sir George Arthur]], and subsequently given the position of [[Interpreting|interpreter]] to the natives.<ref name="buckley">{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id=A010158b|title=Buckley, William (1780–1856) |edition=Online |access-date=2007-12-16}}</ref>

[[File:Geelong in 1840.jpg|thumb|Depiction of early Geelong as a small collection of houses and paddocks by the bay]]

In March 1836, three [[Squatting (pastoral)|squatters]], David Fisher, [[James Strachan (Australian politician)|James Strachan]], and George Russell, arrived on ''Caledonia'' and settled the area.<ref name="life" /> Geelong was first surveyed by Assistant Surveyor W. H. Smythe three weeks after Melbourne, and was gazetted as a town on 10 October 1838.<ref name="story" /> There was already a church, hotel, store, wool store, and 82 houses, and the town population was 545.<ref name="story" /> By 1841, the first wool had been sent to England and a regular [[steamboat|steamer]] service was running between Geelong and Melbourne.<ref name="time" /> Captain [[Foster Fyans]] was commissioned as the local Police [[Magistrate]] in 1837 and established himself on the [[Barwon River (Victoria)|Barwon River]] at the site of the area of present-day [[Fyansford]].<ref name="fyans">{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id=A010389b
|title=Fyans, Foster (1790–1870) |edition=Online
|access-date=2007-12-16}}</ref> Fyans arranged the first muster of the Indigenous population and 275 Aboriginal people were found to be living in the area. Fyans distributed blankets, sugar and flour to these people but soon ordered his soldiers to "click their triggers" at them when a lack of blankets caused anger.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article166561196 |title=Victoria's First Four |newspaper=[[The Newcastle Sun]] |issue=5778 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=20 June 1936 |access-date=30 October 2020 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Fyans constructed a [[Breakwater (structure)|breakwater]] to improve the water supply to the city by preventing the salty lower reaches from mixing with fresh water and pooling water.  In 1839, [[Charles Sievwright]], the newly appointed Assistant Protector of Aborigines (for the western district) sets up camp on the Barwon River near Fyans ford.

The [[Geelong Keys]] were discovered around 1845 by Governor [[Charles La Trobe]] on Corio Bay. They were embedded in the stone in such a way that he believed that they had been there for 100–150 years, possibly dropped by [[Theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia|Portuguese explorers]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/exhibitions/history/xaustcat.html 
 |title=Letter from R.C. Gunn 
 |work=Discovery of keys in the shore formation of Corio Bay, Royal Society of Victoria, [1875] 
 |access-date=2007-12-16 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901210318/http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/exhibitions/history/xaustcat.html 
 |archive-date=1 September 2007 
 |df=dmy 
}}</ref> In 1849, Fyans was nominated as the inaugural Mayor of the Geelong Town Council<ref name="fyans" /> and renowned fly fishing author [[Alfred Ronalds]] engraved the town seal.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ronalds |first=B.F. |title=Alfred Ronalds: Angler, Artisan and Australian Pioneer |publisher=Medlar Press |year=2022}}</ref> An early settler of Geelong, [[Alexander Thomson (pioneer)|Alexander Thomson]], for which the area of Thomson in [[Geelong East]] is named, settled on the Barwon River, and was [[List of mayors of Geelong|Mayor of Geelong]] on five occasions from 1850 to 1858.<ref>{{cite book
|chapter-url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A020478b.htm
|title=Australian Dictionary of Biography |edition=Online
|chapter=Thomson, Alexander (1798–1866)
|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University
|access-date=2007-12-16}}</ref>

The population was 1,370 by 1848.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wells |first1=William Henry |title=A Geographical Dictionary or Gazetteer of the Australian Colonies |date=1848 |publisher=William Henry Wells |location=Sydney |isbn=724099832 |page=170 |edition=Facsimile}}</ref>

===1850s: Gold rush===
{{Main|Victorian gold rush}}
[[File:View of Geelong 1856 painting.jpg|thumb|left|''[[View of Geelong]]''. 1856 oil painting by [[Eugene von Guérard]].]]

Gold was discovered in nearby [[Ballarat]] in 1851, causing the Geelong population to grow to 23,000 people by the mid-1850s.<ref name="story" /> To counter this, a false map was issued by Melbourne interests to new arrivals, showing the quickest road to the goldfields as being via Melbourne.<ref name="story" /> The first issue of the ''[[Geelong Advertiser]]'' newspaper was published in 1840 by [[James Harrison (engineer)|James Harrison]], who also built the world's first ether vapour compression cycle ice-making and [[refrigeration]] machine in 1844, later being commissioned by a brewery in 1856 to build a machine that cooled beer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fascinating facts about the invention of the refrigerator by Carl von Linde in 1876.|url=http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/refrigerator.htm|work=The Great Idea Finder|access-date=1 September 2012|first=Phil|last=Ament|date=18 August 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716204028/http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/refrigerator.htm|archive-date=16 July 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Geelong harbour 1857.jpg|thumb|A paddlesteamer approaches busy Geelong Harbour in 1857.]]
The [[Geelong Hospital]] was opened in 1852, and construction on the [[Geelong Town Hall|Geelong City Hall]] commenced in 1855.<ref name="gex150" /> Development of the [[Port of Geelong]] began with the creation of the first [[shipping channel]] in Corio Bay in 1853.<ref name="gex150" /> The [[Port Fairy railway line|Geelong-to-Melbourne]] railway was built by the [[Geelong & Melbourne Railway Company]] in 1857.<ref name="rg">{{cite web
|url=http://railgeelong.com/lineguide.php?line=geelong
|title=Geelong Line Guide
|work=Rail Geelong
|access-date=2007-12-16}}</ref> [[Rabbit]]s were [[Rabbits in Australia|introduced to Australia]] in 1859 by [[Thomas Austin (pastoralist)|Thomas Austin]], who imported them from England for [[hunting]] purposes at his Barwon Park property near [[Winchelsea, Victoria|Winchelsea]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/rabbit.html
|title=Feral European Rabbit
|work=Australian Government fact sheet
|access-date=2012-01-16}}</ref> One of Geelong's best-known department stores, [[Bright & Hitchcocks]], was established in 1861,<ref name="gex150" /> and the [[HM Prison Geelong]] built using convict labour, was opened in 1864.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/page_239.asp?ID=239&submit_action=detailed_result&search_type=DLVHR&query=registerAll/CF3281DFD95D6768CA2573B6007C39E6?OpenDocument |title=FORMER HM TRAINING PRISON - 202 MYERS STREET AND CORNER SWANSTON STREET GEELONG, Greater Geelong City |work=Heritage Victoria: Heritage Register Online |access-date=2007-12-30 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In 1866, [[Graham Berry]] started a newspaper, the ''Geelong Register'', as a rival to the established ''Geelong Advertiser''. When this proved unsuccessful, he bought the ''Advertiser'' and made himself editor of the now-merged papers.<ref>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id=A030143b
|title=Berry, Sir Graham (1822–1904) |edition=Online |access-date=2007-12-16}}</ref> Using the paper as a platform, he was elected for [[Geelong West]] in 1869. In 1877, he switched to Geelong, which he represented until 1886, and served as [[Premiers of Victoria|Victorian Premier]] in 1875, 1877–1880, and 1880–1881.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/minis.html 
 |title=Victorian Premiers Since Responsible Government, 1855 - Current 
 |work=Parliament of Victoria website 
 |access-date=2008-01-15 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023173017/http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/minis.html 
 |archive-date=23 October 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
 |df=dmy 
}}</ref> On the [[Market Square, Geelong|Market Square]] in the middle of the city, a clock tower was erected in 1856, and an Exhibition Building was opened in 1879.

===1860s: The 'Sleepy Hollow'===
The gold rush had seen [[Ballarat]] and [[Bendigo]] grow larger than Geelong in terms of population. Melbourne critics dubbed Geelong 'Sleepy Hollow',<ref name="story" /> a tag that recurred many times in the following years. A number of industries became established in Geelong, including Victoria's first [[Textile manufacturing|woollen mill]] at [[South Geelong]] in 1868. In 1869, the [[clipper]] ''[[Lightning (clipper)|Lightning]]'' caught fire at the Yarra Street pier and was cast adrift in Corio Bay to burn, before being sunk by artillery fire.<ref name="time" /> Improvements to transport saw Geelong emerge as the centre of the [[Western District, Victoria|Western District]] of Victoria, with railway lines extended towards [[Colac, Victoria|Colac]] in 1876, and to [[Bellarine Railway|Queenscliff]] in 1879.<ref name="rg" /> Construction of the [[Corio Bay|Hopetoun shipping channel]] began in 1881 and completed in 1893.<ref name="gex150" />

The [[Geelong Cup]] was first held in 1872, and Victoria's first long-distance [[telephone]] call was made from Geelong to [[Queenscliff, Victoria|Queenscliff]] on 8 January 1878, only one year after the invention of the device itself.<ref name="gex150" /> Geelong was also the home of a prosperous wine industry until the emergence of the sap-sucking insect ''[[Phylloxera|Phylloxera vastatrix]]'' at [[Fyansford]] in 1875, which led to the Victorian Government ordering the destruction of all vines in the Geelong area to prevent the spread of the pest, killing the industry until the 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Taborsky |first1=Jan |title=Did you know? Geelong phylloxera disaster |url=https://www.thelostterroir.com/did-you-know-geelong-phylloxera-disaste/ |publisher=The Lost Terroir |access-date=2021-01-02 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="gex150" /> Between 1886 and 1889, the [[Geelong city centre|central business district's]] major banks and insurance companies erected new premises in a solid and ornate character.<ref name="story"/> The existing [[Geelong Post Office]] was built during this time and the [[Gordon Institute of TAFE|Gordon Technical College]] was established. Further industrial growth occurred, with the Fyansford cement works being established in 1890.<ref name="rgfyns">{{cite web|url=http://railgeelong.com/lineguide.php?line=fyansford|title=Fyansford Line Guide|work=Rail Geelong|access-date=2007-12-16}}</ref>

The town became referred to as "The Pivot" in the 1860s, owing to its being a rail and shipping hub for [[Western District (Victoria)|western Victoria]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intown.com.au/locals/geelong/historical/default.htm | title=Geelong - a brief history|work=Intown Geelong website|access-date=2011-01-28}}</ref>

===1900s: A city develops===
[[File:Tramway opening geelong 1912.jpg|thumb|left|Opening of the Geelong tramway in 1912, Moorabool Street, Geelong]]
The town of Geelong officially became a city on 8 December 1910.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geelong {{!}} Victoria, Australia {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Geelong |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT - New South Wales Statutes and Victorian Acts of Parliament - Kim barne thaliyu |url=https://archivestest.grlc.vic.gov.au/victorian-government-new-south-wales-statutes-and-victorian-acts-of-parliament |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=archivestest.grlc.vic.gov.au}}</ref> The city gained a number of essential services, with electric light supplied by the [[Geelong Power Station]] starting in 1902, the [[Geelong Harbour Trust]] was formed in December 1905,<ref name="prov">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/component/daPublicBaseContainer?component=daViewAgency&entityId=1425 
 |title=Agency VA 1425: Port of Geelong Authority 
 |work=Public Record Office Victoria website 
 |access-date=2007-12-16 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070908163225/http://www.access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/component/daPublicBaseContainer?component=daViewAgency&entityId=1425 
 |archive-date=8 September 2007 
}}</ref> and the [[Barwon Water|Geelong Waterworks and Sewerage Trust]] formed in 1908. [[Trams in Geelong|Electric tram]]s began operation in 1912, travelling from the [[Geelong city centre|city centre]] to the suburbs until their demise in 1956.<ref name="tram">{{cite web|url=http://tmsv.org.au/papers/geelong.htm |title=Geelong tramways - a short history|work=[[Tramway Museum Society of Victoria]]|access-date=2007-06-13 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060819124009/http://tmsv.org.au/papers/geelong.htm |archive-date = 2006-08-19}}</ref> The first of many stores on the [[Market Square, Geelong|Market Square]] was opened in 1913,<ref name="gex150" /> and the first [[Gala Day]] festival was held in 1916.<ref name="gex150" />

Geelong's industrial growth accelerated in the 1920s: woollen mills, [[fertiliser]] plants, [[Ford Australia|Ford's]] vehicle plant at [[Norlane]], and the [[Corio, Victoria|Corio]] [[whisky]] [[distillation|distillery]] were all established in this period.<ref name="rg" /> The ''[[Geelong Advertiser]]'' radio station 3GL (now [[K Rock 95.5|K-Rock]]) commenced transmission in 1930,<ref name="time" /> the [[Great Ocean Road]] was opened in 1932, and in 1934, the [[T & G Building, Geelong|T & G Building]] opened on the most prominent intersection in the city, the corner of Ryrie and Moorabool Streets.

By 1936, Geelong had displaced Ballarat as Victoria's second-largest city.<ref>Geelong Ousts Ballarat. Population Surprises. The Argus (Melbourne) Tuesday 28 April 1936, page 10</ref>

[[File:Edina geelong.jpg|thumb|The steamboat ''Edina'' leaving Geelong on its final journey on 21 June 1938]]

In 1938, one of the last Port Philip Bay [[Steamboat|steamers]], ''Edina'', made its final trip to Geelong, ending a period of seaside excursions and contests for the fastest trip. The [[Eastern Beach, Victoria|Eastern Beach]] foreshore beautification and pool was completed in 1939 after almost 10 years of work.<ref name="gex150" />

On the eve of World War&nbsp;II, the [[International Harvester]] works were opened beside Ford at [[North Shore, Victoria|North Shore]], along with a [[grain elevator]] at nearby Corio Quay, and the [[Shell Australia]] oil refinery.<ref name="rg" />

===Post-war period===
[[File:EasternBeachGeelong1950 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|[[Eastern Beach, Victoria|Eastern Beach]] in 1950]]

Government housing was constructed in the suburbs of [[East Geelong]], [[Norlane]], [[North Shore, Victoria|North Shore]], and [[Corio, Victoria|Corio]] from the 1950s. The banks of the [[Barwon River (Victoria)|Barwon River]] burst in 1952, inundating nearby [[Belmont, Victoria|Belmont Common]].

Geelong continued to expand with Corio, [[Highton]], and Belmont growing at such a rate that in February 1967, Geelong accounted for 21% of private home development in Greater Melbourne.<ref name="story" /> Private vehicles became the city's major mode of transport. The first [[parking meter]]s in the city were introduced in 1961, new petrol stations were constructed and the city's first supermarket, operated by [[Woolworths Supermarkets|Woolworths]], opened in 1965.<ref name="story" /> Later, support came for [[Cycling in Geelong]] with Australia's first bike plan in 1977.<sup>[[Cycling in Geelong#cite note-3|[3]]][[Cycling in Geelong#cite note-4|[4]]]</sup>

Industrial growth continued with a second cement works operating at [[Waurn Ponds]] by 1964<ref name="rg" /> and the Alcoa [[Point Henry smelter|Point Henry aluminium smelter]] constructed in 1962.<ref name="psu" />

[[Government of Australia|Federal government]] policy changes on [[tariff]] protection led to the closure of many Geelong industrial businesses from the 1970s. Most woollen mills closed in 1974 and hectares of warehouse space in the city centre were left empty after wool-handling practices changed.<ref name="story" /> The [[Target (Australia)|Target]] head office opened in North Geelong, [[Deakin University]] was established at Waurn Ponds in 1974, and the [[Geelong Performing Arts Centre]] opened in 1981.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.gpac.org.au/about/default.aspx
|title=GPAC - About
|access-date=2007-08-13
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830182211/http://www.gpac.org.au/about/default.aspx
|archive-date=30 August 2007
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> Later, the [[Australian Animal Health Laboratory]] was opened in 1985,<ref>{{cite web|title=A look inside CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory |url=http://www.csiro.au/en/Organisation-Structure/National-Facilities/Australian-Animal-Health-Laboratory/Inside-AAHL.aspx |work=CSIRO |access-date=1 September 2012 |first=Emma |last=Wilkins |date=30 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910064352/http://www.csiro.au/en/Organisation-Structure/National-Facilities/Australian-Animal-Health-Laboratory/Inside-AAHL.aspx |archive-date=10 September 2012}}</ref> and the [[National Wool Museum (Geelong)|National Wool Museum]] in 1988.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/Visiting_Geelong/Attractions/National_Wool_Museum/About_the_Wool_Museum/ 
 |title=National Wool Museum 
 |work=City of Greater Geelong website 
 |access-date=2007-12-16 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831135553/http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/Visiting_Geelong/Attractions/National_Wool_Museum/About_the_Wool_Museum/ 
 |archive-date=31 August 2007 
 |url-status=live 
 |df=dmy 
}}</ref>

[[Market Square Shopping Centre (Geelong)|Market Square]], the first enclosed shopping centre in the city, was opened in 1985, with neighbouring Bay City Plaza opened in 1988.<ref>[[:File:Bay City Plaza Plaque Geelong.jpg]]</ref> The [[Pyramid Building Society]], founded in Geelong in 1959,<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.gabr.net.au/archives/ABE2069a.htm
|title=Pyramid Building Society Ltd
|work=Guide to Australian Business Records
|access-date=2007-12-22
|archive-date=16 September 2007
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070916035903/http://gabr.net.au/archives/ABE2069a.htm
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> collapsed in 1990, leaving debts of AU$1.3&nbsp;billion to over 200,000 depositors,<ref>{{Cite news
|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5037/is_199007/ai_n18314959
|title=Mysteries of the Pyramid. (Pyramid building society financial collapse)
|work=The Economist (US), July 1990
|access-date=2007-12-22}} {{Dead link|date=August 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref> and causing the Geelong economy to stagnate.<ref>{{Cite news
|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/25/1059084208923.html
|title=Geelong leads regional price boom
|date=26 July 2003
|work=The Age
|access-date=2007-12-30
| location=Melbourne}}</ref> On 18 May 1993, the City of Greater Geelong was formed by the amalgamation of a number of smaller municipalities with the former City of Geelong.<ref name = "coggcreation"/> The [[Waterfront Geelong]] redevelopment, started in 1994, was designed to enhance use and appreciation of [[Corio Bay]]<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/library/pdf/5053/62.pdf 
 |title=The Waterfront Story 
 |work=City of Greater Geelong website 
 |access-date=2007-12-16 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071108123410/http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/library/pdf/5053/62.pdf 
 |archive-date=8 November 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
 |df=dmy 
}}</ref> and in 1995 the Barwon River overflowed in the worst flood since 1952.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.offi.gov.au/ema/emadisasters.nsf/c85916e930b93d50ca256d050020cb1f/75ff60bb70b6749fca256d3300057d56?OpenDocument
 |title=Geelong and Southern Vic: Floods (incl Landslides) 
 |work=Emergency Management Australia website (via Google cache) 
 |access-date=2007-12-30 
}}{{dead link|date=September 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===21st century===
[[File:Waterfront-geelong.jpg|thumb|Steampacket Quay, showing the [[Geelong Carousel|Carousel Pavilion]], 2007]]

In 2000, the [[Geelong Carousel|Carousel Pavilion]] was opened as a landmark and symbol of the refurbishment of the Geelong waterfront.<ref name="Adams">{{Cite news |last=Adams |first=David |date=14 October 2000 |title=Geelong reveals its heart and soul |work=[[The Age]] |page=17 |id={{ProQuest|2521674179}}}}</ref><ref name="Steampacket">{{cite web |title=Central Geelong Waterfront Master Plan 2011 |url=https://hdp-au-prod-app-ggc-yoursay-files.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/8216/8143/6468/D22-515366__CGW_Masterplan_Review_Final_Sept_2011.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726182006/https://hdp-au-prod-app-ggc-yoursay-files.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/8216/8143/6468/D22-515366__CGW_Masterplan_Review_Final_Sept_2011.pdf |archive-date=26 July 2023 |access-date=19 August 2024 |publisher=[[City of Greater Geelong]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=11 October 2008 |title=City second to none |url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/city-second-to-none-20081011-gdsy73.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819092201/https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/city-second-to-none-20081011-gdsy73.html |archive-date=19 August 2024 |access-date=19 August 2024 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]}}</ref> In 2004, [[Avalon Airport]] was upgraded to accommodate interstate passenger travel, providing a base for low-cost airline [[Jetstar]] to serve the Melbourne and Geelong urban areas.<ref name = "jetstar"/> Geelong is planned to expand towards the south coast, with 2,500 hectares of land to become a major suburban development for 55,000 to 65,000 people, known as Armstrong Creek.<ref name="armstongcreek"/> In 2006, construction began on the [[Geelong Ring Road]], designed to replace the [[Princes Highway]] through Geelong from Corio to Waurn Ponds. It opened in 2009.

More than [[AU$]]500-million-worth of major construction was under way in 2007.<ref name="gexnewsinvest">{{Cite news
  | title = Building bonanza drives city forward
  | newspaper = Geelong News
  | pages = 8–9
  | date = 2007-07-18
  }}</ref> Major projects include the $150-million [[Westfield Geelong]] expansion works, involving a flyover of Yarra Street, the city's first [[Big W]] store, and an additional 70 new speciality stores; the $37-million [[Deakin University|Deakin]] Waterfront campus redevelopment, and the $23-million Deakin Medical School; the $50-million Edgewater apartment development on the waterfront; a number of multimillion-dollar office developments in the CBD; and a new $30-million [[swimming pool|aquatic centre]] in Waurn Ponds.<ref name="gexnewsinvest" />

Major developments within Geelong are advocated by influential, non-government group the [https://committeeforgeelong.com.au/ Committee for Geelong] and the region's local government alliance, [http://www.g21.com.au/ G21 Geelong Region Alliance].

The City of Greater Geelong and four other local municipalities form part of the alliance which identifies the Geelong region's priorities, and advocates all levels of government for funding and implement the projects. G21 developed [http://www.g21.com.au/geelongregionplan/ 'The Geelong Region Plan - a sustainable growth strategy'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004080118/http://www.g21.com.au/geelongregionplan/ |date=4 October 2011 }} which was launched by [https://web.archive.org/web/20130511161732/http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/newsroom/1173.html Premier Brumby] in 2007. It was the approved strategic plan for the Geelong region. In addition, major projects such as the Geelong Ring Road Connections and duplication of the Princes Highway West obtained funding due to the combined efforts of the region's municipalities. As at May 2017, a further [http://www.g21.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=14%3Aprojects&id=32%3Ag21-projects-priority-projects&Itemid=22 13 Priority Projects] are planned for the Geelong region.

The [[Government of Victoria|Victoria Government]] announced the relocation of the [[Transport Accident Commission]] headquarters from Melbourne to Geelong in October 2006, which created 850 jobs and an annual economic benefit over $59&nbsp;million to the Geelong region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tac.vic.gov.au/jsp/content/NavigationController.do?areaID=23&tierID=1&navID=63CC12CD7F00000101A5D19311EC6AC2&navLink=null&pageID=1323 |title=Premier announces new TAC site in Geelong |work=Transport Accident Commission website |access-date=2007-07-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070720230809/http://www.tac.vic.gov.au/jsp/content/NavigationController.do?areaID=23&tierID=1&navID=63CC12CD7F00000101A5D19311EC6AC2&navLink=null&pageID=1323 |archive-date=20 July 2007}}</ref> The construction of the $80-million Brougham Street headquarters was completed in late 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/move-or-move-on-tac-workers-told/2005/12/16/1134703611302.html|title=Move or move on, TAC workers told|work=The Age|date=16 December 2005|access-date=2007-07-21 | location=Melbourne|first1=Farrah|last1=Tomazin|first2=David|last2=Adams}}</ref> In November 2008, Ford Australia announced that its Australian-designed I6 engine would be re-engineered to meet the latest emissions regulations, and that consequently the engine manufacturing plant would be upgraded (however, all manufacturing of motor vehicles in Geelong and elsewhere throughout Australia ceased by 2017).

A change to the city skyline is occurring with a number of modern apartment buildings on the Waterfront and central business district planned or under construction. On 10 July 2008, approval was given for a $100-million twin-tower apartment complex of 16 and 12 floors to be built on Mercer St in the city's western edge. The towers will become the tallest buildings in the city, taking the title from the Mercure Hotel.<ref>{{cite news| author=Begg, Peter| publisher=[[Geelong Advertiser]]|title=Twin towers earmarked for Mercer Street|url=http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/07/10/15941_news.html|date=10 July 2008|access-date=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080711175047/http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2008/07/10/15941_news.html |archive-date=11 July 2008}}</ref> Further highrise developments are planned as part of the City of Greater Geelong's Geelong Western Edge strategic plan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/ct/service/article/item/8cb8fbe66d672c4.aspx|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805104623/http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/ct/service/article/item/8cb8fbe66d672c4.aspx|url-status=dead|title=Geelong Western Wedge - City of Greater Geelong|date=5 August 2012|archive-date=5 August 2012}}</ref> A$17-million 11-story apartment tower has also recently been proposed to be built next to the Deakin Waterfront Campus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/18/1981686.htm
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030005156/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/18/1981686.htm
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=30 October 2007
|title=Ford's Geelong plant to close, 600 jobs lost
|work=ABC News
|date=18 July 2007
|access-date=2007-07-19}}</ref>

In 2012, a design competition for a "city icon" was run for the City of Geelong by Deakin University and Senia Lawyers. The recipient of the prize and winning design entry was JOH Architects and their design titled "The Sea Dragon".<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.joharchitects.com.au/gallery/commercial/geelong-icon/ 
 |title=Seadragon Winning Design for Geelong Icon 
 |work=JOH Architects 
 |date=1 April 2012 
 |access-date=2012-04-01 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410161043/http://www.joharchitects.com.au/gallery/commercial/geelong-icon/ 
 |archive-date=10 April 2013 
 |df=dmy 
}}</ref>
{{Clear}}
Geelong's new Library and Heritage Centre opened to the public in November 2015. The new addition to Geelong offers new research facilities, display areas and hosts Geelong's extensive heritage, modern and Indigenous. The new library was awarded the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture<ref>{{cite web|url=http://armarchitecture.com.au/news/geelong-library-wins-the-sir-zelman-cowen-award/|title=Geelong Library wins the Sir Zelman Cowen Award / ARM Architecture|website=armarchitecture.com.au}}</ref> in 2016.

Geelong is subject to a major revival effort: the Green Spine Project.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geelong |first=Revitalising Central |date=2022-09-28 |title=Green Spine |url=https://www.revitalisingcentralgeelong.vic.gov.au/projects/underway-projects/green-spine-future-blocks |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=Revitalising Central Geelong |language=en}}</ref> The Green Spine project aims to connect Johnstone Park to the Botanic Gardens by a continuous line of trees via Malop Street. The redevelopment of Malop Street will see the installation of bike lanes separated from both pedestrians and local traffic by greenery, the design is an Australian first. This project includes the installation of art sculptures and street art throughout the city centre. Major redevelopments are also occurring at Johnstone Park, with a new raingarden installation, and Lt Malop Street is seeing more upgrades.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Planning |date=2016-12-20 |title=Revitalising Central Geelong |url=https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/policy-and-strategy/revitalising-central-geelong |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=Planning |language=en |archive-date=16 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016024254/https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/policy-and-strategy/revitalising-central-geelong |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the suburbs, Geelong West's Pakington Street is seeing major upgrades, with new plantings and improvements to many of the shops. Shannon Avenue in Manifold Heights will see redevelopment to make it more pedestrian friendly. To Geelong's north, [[Rippleside]] is undergoing major changes, with the development of Balmoral Quay which will see Rippleside Park and nearby St Helens Park connected via a waterfront footpath, as well as beach restoration and a boat dock expansion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duncan |first=Brad |title=Maritime Infrastructure Heritage Project Stage Two: Geelong (Report of Regional Landscape Archaeological and Historical Survey - Updated to 2006) |url=https://www.academia.edu/9986060}}</ref>

Recently new high rise buildings are being built giving Geelong more jobs and housing.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-03-01|title=Not everyone benefiting from booming Geelong economy after arrival of government agencies|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-02/geelong-cbd-creates-new-jobs-while-northern-suburbs-struggle/11980364|access-date=2020-09-22|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref> Worksafe Victoria opened up a new 14-storey building on Malop St. It opened in mid-2018 and was the tallest building until it was announced that two residential high rises would be built and completed in late 2019. They are called The Mercer and Miramar Apartments.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=2016-02-16 |title=New 14-storey building to dominate Geelong skyline |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-16/new-worksafe-building-to-dominate-geelong-skyline/7173616 |access-date=2023-06-08}}</ref>