Geelong is one of Australia's most dynamic cities
yet remains little known outside of the country, it's time that changed, welcome to Geelong! Geelong lies just 72 kilometers south of the
center of Melbourne Victoria's capital city and in recent years real estate prices have rocketed as
melburnians have realized that in Geelong you can have a lot more for a lot less - now I don't want
this film to contribute to more price rises so if you're watching this in Melbourne then you know
that image you have of Geelong being industrial well you're right, turn away now ,there's nothing
to see here - for everyone else let's explore! the centre of Geelong is wedged between corio Bay
and the barwon river, the land it sits on is part of Wadawurrung country recognizing the traditional
Aboriginal owners of the land before the Colonial Invasion. when the settlement of Geelong was
established by Europeans in 1838 it adapted the traditional name for the region. the new port
settlement grew on the back of the Victorian Gold Rush and more importantly wool - Geelong used to
be the district for all the wool through Victoria, New South Wales and even South Australia this is
after first settlement so the wool was brought to Geelong then it was shipped out to the UK
and other overseas country from this location, about half the population of Geelong back then
worked in the wool industry - and here in the museum the most precious object is the building
itself - this year's 150th birthday 1st of August 1972 and it's all bluestone brick and the steel
beams are from England - it's a beautiful building the 1960s Geelong saw rapid expansion as a
manufacturing hub, many of those original Industries have now gone but the home of the
current AFL Champions the Geelong cats has successfully reinvented itself for the
21st century and was even designated a UNESCO creative city of design in 2017. Geelong
boasts some of the best public art that you'll find in any City anywhere in the world and
if you think I'm talking bollards then you're right ,lots and lots of bollards, from the
botanic gardens to Ripple side park you'll find 104 bollards depicting characters from
the city's past - Miss Geelong is looking good Miss Melbourne, nah, having a bad day! the
artist Jan Mitchell repurposed old timbers from a demolished City Pier and what a legacy she left
for the city, they appeal to all ages and they can't help but put a real smile on your face.
the bollard greeting visitors to the gorgeous Geelong botanical gardens is Daniel Bunce, he
was the first curator of the gardens when they opened to the public in 1851. Legend has it that
he found it a challenge to keep his plants in the gardens rather than decorating the gardens
and mantle pieces of the local Geelong ladies. it's thought that the lady Bollard might
depict the alleged flower Thief Mary Sibley [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] in Geelong you can buy anything and I do mean absolutely anything! this is the
Popcultcha Gallery we've been here since about 2017 we're located in North Geelong at the
Federal Mills and essentially we sell all kinds of high-end Collectibles and products
as you can see here with our massive life-size statues of Iron Man and Thanos as well as a few
other ones, yeah it's pretty incredible here, if you come in you want something you find something
that you like we'll sell it to you simple as that [Music] our makers and our artists are special in
Geelong and what makes them so special is the support network that they offer for one
another, there's this interconnectedness, it's still a big city but a small enough city
for people to know each other, the artists are here to support one another that's the thing I
most love about Geelong is just the wonderful people that live here! it's my birthplace I've
seen the town change and it's a town which has expanded quickly over the last few years but it's
not like the capital cities like Melbourne or Sydney, it's still got that country feel about it.
it's got to be the people and just the location, we're really close to Melbourne which is in my
opinion the best city in Australia and we've just got so many beaches and things nearby,
it's just all around a really fantastic place. in the spring of 2022 Geelong replaced
Melbourne as the mainland port for the spirit of Tasmania Ferry making the city a gateway
to Tasmania as well as the Bellarine Peninsula, the Surf Coast and of course
the fabulous Great Ocean Road. Geelong is now definitely on the map Melbourne's
Noisy Neighbour has well and truly arrived! [Music]