Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia. Geelong is 75 kilometres (47 mi) south-west of the state capital, Melbourne. It is the second largest Victorian city, with an estimated urban population of 268,277 as of June 2018. It is also Australia's second fastest growing city. Geelong runs from the plains of Lara in the north to the rolling hills of Waurn Ponds to the south, with Corio Bay to the east and the Barrabool Hills to the west. Geelong is the administrative centre for the City of Greater Geelong municipality, which covers urban, rural and coastal areas surrounding the city, including the Bellarine Peninsula.
Grovedale is a mainly residential southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Grovedale had a population of 14,308.
Waurn Ponds is a mainly residential southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Lara is a small town in Victoria, 18 km north-east of the Geelong CBD, inland from the Princes Freeway to Melbourne.
Highton is an affluent residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. With views across Geelong, Corio Bay and the surrounding region, Highton is located along the banks of the Barwon River and across the rolling Barrabool Hills. The Barwon River straddles Highton to the north and east, while it is bordered by the hilly Ceres and Wandana Heights to the west, the former Kardinia Creek separates the suburb from Belmont to the south-east, and the Princes Highway and Pigdons Road to the south separate the suburb from Waurn Ponds.
Barwon Heads is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the west bank of the mouth of the Barwon River below Lake Connewarre, while it is bounded to the west by farmland, golf courses and the ephemeral saline wetland Murtnaghurt Lagoon. At the 2016 census, Barwon Heads had a population of 3,875.
Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Surf Coast Shire local government area, the suburb or locality of Winchelsea is predominantly within Surf Coast Shire with a small section within the Colac Otway Shire. Winchelsea is located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong.
A coffee palace was an often large and elaborate residential hotel that did not serve alcohol, most of which were built in Australia in the late 19th century.
Beeac is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the shore of the hyper-saline Lake Beeac in the Colac Otway Shire local government area, 160 kilometres southwest of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Beeac had a population of 370.
The Warrnambool railway line is a railway serving the south west of Victoria, Australia. Running from the western Melbourne suburb of Newport through the cities of Geelong and Warrnambool, the line once terminated at the coastal town of Port Fairy before being truncated to Dennington. This closed section of line has been converted into the 37 km long Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail. The line continues to see both passenger and freight services today.
Wensleydale is a small rural community in Victoria, Australia.
Buckley is a rural locality in the Surf Coast Shire, Victoria, Australia. It was formerly known as Laketown. In the 2016 census, Buckley had a population of 211 people.
Mount Moriac is a rural locality in the Surf Coast Shire, Victoria, Australia. In the 2016 census, Mount Moriac had a population of 240 people.
Pennyroyal is a rural locality in Victoria, Australia. Most of the locality is situated in the Surf Coast Shire; a small section is situated in the Shire of Colac Otway. In the 2016 census, Pennyroyal had a population of 86.
Gnarwarre is a rural locality in the Surf Coast Shire, Victoria, Australia. In the 1800s, the locality was alternately known as Shankhill. In the 2016 census, Gnarwarre had a population of 267 people.
Benwerrin is a rural locality in the Surf Coast Shire, Victoria, Australia.
The Forrest railway line is a former branch railway in Victoria, Australia. It branched off the Warrnambool railway line at Birregurra, and ran through the foothills of the Otway Ranges to the town of Forrest.
Mount Sabine is a rural locality in the Shire of Colac Otway, Victoria, Australia. The small locality is located deep in the Otway Ranges, and is mostly densely forested.
Wongarra is a coastal locality in the Shire of Colac Otway, Victoria, Australia. In the 2016 census, Wongarra had a population of 37.
Norman Houghton is a historian and archivist in Geelong, Victoria, who has published over 30 books, many focusing on timber tramways and sawmills of the Otway and Wombat Forests of Western Victoria, Australia. Most of his works have been self-published, while he has provided numerous articles to the newsletter and journal of the Light Railway Research Society of Australia
