As the sun rises over Geelong’s Eastern Beach, I stroll along the esplanade, crossing paths with a clown, a mayor and a bevy of bathing beauties, all before breakfast. The two-hour-long Bollard Trail might be old news to locals – the quirky 100-plus painted-pylon sculptures of historic Geelong figures have stood sentry along the shoreline for three decades – but to newcomers they’re a delightful introduction to the bayside city’s colourful past.
No longer a manufacturing powerhouse, Geelong has reinvented itself. The factories have shut down, but Victoria’s second city is booming as Melburnians flock to the Bellarine Peninsula, lured by cheaper homes, beaches and a more relaxed pace of life. With the “Gee-changers” have come funky bars and eateries, creating cosmopolitan pockets and more tourist appeal, making G-Town and surrounds an excellent weekend getaway.
Historic & happening
Despite the facelift, Geelong hasn’t forgotten its past. Take North Geelong’s Federal Mills, near the Spirit of Tasmania’s new home base (services start on October 23): the red-brick boiler house that once powered the woollen mills where World War I military uniforms were made has found new life as 1915. It’s a split-level restaurant with sensational Mediterranean-inspired food (don’t miss the ancient-grain salad) and a major wow factor, thanks to its soaring vaulted ceiling and century-old curios. Next door at Anther Distillery you can meet the 300-litre still, “Arnie”, and taste the Geelong Dry Gin, flavoured with salt bush foraged from the nearby shoreline.
Esta historia es de la edición November 2022 de The Australian Women's Weekly.
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Esta historia es de la edición November 2022 de The Australian Women's Weekly.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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