The City of Greater Geelong is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and, had a population of 271,057 as of the 2021 Australian census. It is primarily urban with the vast majority of its population living in the Greater Geelong urban area, while other significant settlements within the LGA include Anakie,

Balliang Balliang is a locality in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It is divided between the Shire of Moorabool and City of Greater Geelong local government areas. It lies north of Geelong and from the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Ballia ...

, Barwon Heads,

Batesford Batesford is a small township located approximately 10 kilometres west of Geelong and 67 kilometres south-west of the state capital, Melbourne. It is located on the banks of the Moorabool River and on the Midland Highway. The town is divided be ...

, Ceres, Clifton Springs, Drysdale,

Lara Lara may refer to: Places * Lara (state), a state in Venezuela * Electoral district of Lara, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia * Lara, Antalya, an urban district in Turkey * Lara, Victoria, a township in Australia * Lara de los ...

, Ocean Grove, Portarlington and St Leonards. It was formed in 1993 from the amalgamation of the Rural City of Bellarine, Shire of Corio, City of Geelong,

City of Geelong West The City of Geelong West was a local government area about west of the regional city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1875 until 1993. History Geelong West was first incorporated as a borough on ...

, City of Newtown, City of South Barwon, and parts of

Shire of Barrabool The Shire of Barrabool was a local government area about southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1853 until 1994. History Barrabool was incorporated as the second ro ...

and Shire of Bannockburn. The City is governed and administered by the Greater Geelong City Council; its

seat of local government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus tha ...

and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Geelong, it also has service centres located in Drysdale, Ocean Grove and several other locations within Geelong. The City is named after the main urban settlement located in the centre-west of the LGA, that is Geelong, which is also the LGA's most populous urban centre with a population of 211,986. In 2019, City of Greater Geelong announced a new headquarters across the road from WorkSafe Victoria. The project will be part of the new "Civic Precinct" in the Geelong CBD.

History of former municipalities

*1838 – Geelong (Aboriginal word for 'Ocean') region declared a town *1849 – Geelong incorporated as a Town *1853 – Barrabool road district proclaimed *1853 – Portarlington Road District proclaimed *1856 – Connewarre Road District proclaimed *1857 – South Barwon Municipal District proclaimed *1857 – South Barwon Road District proclaimed *1858 – Newtown and Chilwell

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle ...

proclaimed *1860 – Portarlington Road District renamed as Indented Head Road District *1861 – Corio Road District proclaimed *1862 – Bannockburn Road District proclaimed *1863 – Meredith Road District proclaimed *1863 – Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale separated from Indented Head Road District to form Queenscliffe Municipal District. Redesignated as Queenscliffe Borough October 1963. *1863 –

South Barwon South Barwon is an Victorian Legislative Assembly electoral districts, electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Located in a mixed urban and rura ...

Borough created by amalgamating South Barwon Municipal District and South Barwon Road District *1864 – Bannockburn Road District redesignated as Shire *1864 – Corio Road District redesignated as Shire *1865 – Indented Head Road District redesignated and renamed as Bellarine Shire *1874 – South Barwon Shire created by amalgamating Connewarre Road District and South Barwon Borough *1875 – Geelong West Borough proclaimed *1910 – Geelong proclaimed a City *1915 – Meredith Shire added to Bannockburn Shire *1922 – Geelong West proclaimed a Town *1924 – Newtown and Chilwell proclaimed a Town *1929 – Geelong West proclaimed a City *1959 – Newtown and Chilwell proclaimed a City *1967 – Newtown and Chilwell City renamed as Newtown City *1974 – South Barwon proclaimed a City *1989 – Bellarine proclaimed a City *1993 – City of Greater Geelong formed by amalgamating part of Bannockburn Shire, part of Barrabool Shire, Bellarine Rural City, Corio Shire, Geelong City, Newtown City & South Barwon City. The part that had been in South Barwon City was then transferred to Surf Coast Shire on its creation in March 1994. Sourced from Appendix V, ''A Journey to Destiny 1890–1990 – 100 Years of Cement Manufacturing at Fyansford by Australian Cement Limited ''.

Council

2017 Council

Due to conflicts in the previous council a new electoral structure was established for Geelong in 2017. The number of wards was reduced to 4 with 3 councillors for each (except Windermere having 2) elected by

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

. Residents were also no longer able to directly elect a mayor. The current councillors, in order of election at the 2020 election, are:

Administrators

In December 2015, the Minister for Local Government Natalie Hutchins appointed a Commission of Inquiry into the Greater Geelong City Council in response to concerns about the workplace culture and adequacy of governance structures. The Inquiry found that the council is riven with conflict, unable to manage Geelong's economic challenges, has dysfunctional leadership and has a culture of bullying. On the recommendation of the Commission, the Victorian Government dismissed the entire Greater Geelong City Council on 16 April 2016 and appointed Yehudi Blacher as interim administrator. On 25 May 2016, Dr Kathy Alexander (chairperson), Peter Dorling and Laurinda Gardner were sworn in as administrators, replacing Yehudi Blacher. Under the ''Local Government (Greater Geelong City Council) Act 2016'', the panel of administrators constitutes the Greater Geelong City Council, and has the same functions, powers and duties as the Greater Geelong City Council and its councillors. Likewise, the chairperson of the panel of administrators has the same functions, powers and duties as the mayor of the council. The council was run by administrators until fresh council elections were held on 27 October 2017. Australia Victoria Greater Geelong City location map

Australia Victoria Greater Geelong City location map

Former and current Mayors

* Gerry Smith (1995–1998) *

Ken Jarvis Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in t ...

(1998–2000) * Michael Crutchfield (2000–2001) *

Stretch Kontelj Srechko Jernej "Stretch" Kontelj, (born 1961) is a former City of Greater Geelong councillor and former mayor of the city. Early life and education Kontelj was born in Geelong, the son of newly arrived migrants from Slovenia. He holds degre ...

(2001–2002) * Barbara Abley (2002–2004) *

Ed Coppe Ed, ed or ED may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ed'' (film), a 1996 film starring Matt LeBlanc * Ed (''Fullmetal Alchemist'') or Edward Elric, a character in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' media * ''Ed'' (TV series), a TV series that ran fro ...

(2004) *

Shane Dowling Shane Dowling (born 16 June 1954) is a former Australian politician. He was mayor of South Melbourne from 1989 to 1991 and mayor of Geelong from December 2004 to November 2005. Dowling is a former police officer, rising to become an inspector i ...

(2004–2005) *

Peter McMullin Peter McMullin (born 25 April 1952) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and philanthropist. He was the mayor of Geelong in 2006 and deputy lord mayor of Melbourne between 1996 and 1999. McMullin also held the role of president of VECCI between ...

(2005–2006) * Bruce Harwood (2006–2008) * John Mitchell (2008–2012) *

Keith Fagg Keith Andrew Fagg (born 30 September 1955) is an Australian businessman who served as the 94th Mayor of Geelong. Fagg serves as a director of long-established family-run business, Fagg's Mitre 10 in Geelong. Samuel and William Fagg founded t ...

(2012–2013) * Darryn Lyons (2013–2016) * Bruce Harwood (2017–2019) *

Stephanie Asher Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Polish, and Russian "Stef ...

(2019–2022) * Peter Murrihy (2022-present)

Former and current Deputy Mayors

* Tony Ansett (2003–2004) * John Mitchell (2007–2008) * Rod Macdonald (2008–2009) * Bruce Harwood (2009–2010) * Cameron Granger (2010–2012) *

(2012–2013) * Bruce Harwood (2013–2014) * Michelle Heagney (2014–2016) * Peter Murrihy (2017–2019) * Kylie Grzybek (2019–2020) * Trent Sullivan (2020-present)

Administration and governance

The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Geelong Town Hall Offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. Council customer service centres are located in Belmont, Corio, Drysdale, Geelong West, Ocean Grove, Waurn Ponds and at Brougham St in Geelong.

Localities

Localities which encompass the City of Greater Geelong include: * Anakie
(shared with Golden Plains) * Armstrong Creek * Avalon *

(shared with Moorabool) * Barwon Heads *

(shared with Golden Plains) * Bell Park *

Bell Post Hill Bell Post Hill is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Bell Post had a population of 4,919. The origin of the suburb's name is thought to be from a lookout or warning bell on a post or forked tree situated o ...

* Bellarine *

Belmont Belmont may refer to: People * Belmont (surname) Places * Belmont Abbey (disambiguation) * Belmont Historic District (disambiguation) * Belmont Hotel (disambiguation) * Belmont Park (disambiguation) * Belmont Plantation (disambiguation) * Belmon ...

* Breakwater * Breamlea
(shared with

Surf Coast Surf or SURF may refer to: Commercial products * Surf (detergent), a brand of laundry detergent made by Unilever Computers and software * "Surfing the Web", slang for exploring the World Wide Web * surf (web browser), a lightweight web brows ...

) * Ceres * Charlemont * Clifton Springs * Connewarre
(shared with

) * Corio * Curlewis * Drumcondra * Drysdale * East Geelong * Fyansford * Geelong * Geelong West * Grovedale *

Hamlyn Heights Hamlyn Heights is a residential suburb of Geelong. It located to the west of the city on hills that overlook Corio Bay. It was named after Sidney Hamlyn, a local resident in the 1940s. At the , Hamlyn Heights had a population of 6,293. The ...

Herne Hill Herne Hill is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the London b ...

Highton Highton is a 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 ...

* Indented Head *

* Leopold * Little River
(shared with Wyndham) * Lovely Banks *

Manifold Heights Manifold Heights is a residential suburb of Geelong. At the , Manifold Heights had a population of 2,649. It was named after Manifolds’ vineyards, that existed between Minerva Road and Shannon Avenue, immediately east of the Geelong Western ...

* Mannerim * Marcus Hill * Marshall * Moolap * Moorabool *

Mount Duneed Mount Duneed is a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is divided between the City of Greater Geelong and Surf Coast Shire local government areas. Mount Duneed itself is an extinct volcano and the remains of the crater can be seen in the ...

(shared with

) * Newcomb * Newtown * Norlane * North Geelong *

North Shore North Shore or Northshore may refer to: Geographic features Australia *North Shore (Sydney), a suburban region of Sydney **Electoral district of North Shore **North Shore railway line, Sydney *Noosa North Shore, Queensland * North Shore, New So ...

* Ocean Grove * Point Lonsdale
(shared with Queenscliffe) * Point Wilson * Portarlington * Rippleside *

South Geelong South Geelong, also referred to as Geelong South, is a southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Its local government area is the City of Greater Geelong. At the 2016 census, South Geelong had a population of 993. The suburb is adjac ...

St Albans Park St. Albans Park is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, 6 km southeast from Geelong's city centre. It is bounded by Boundary Road (West), Coppards Road (East), Townsend Road (North) and the Barwon River (South). The suburbs that surr ...

* St Leonards * Staughton Vale * Swan Bay * Thomson * Wallington *

Wandana Heights Wandana Heights is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Suburban development of the suburb commenced in the 1980s which due to the current high property prices in Australia, and the fluctuation of prices in previous years housi ...

* Waurn Ponds *

Whittington Whittington may refer to: Places * Whittington, Victoria, Australia * Whittington, Illinois, United States England * Old Whittington, Derbyshire * New Whittington, Derbyshire * Whittington Moor, Derbyshire * Whittington, Gloucestershire * Whitti ...

Sister cities

Geelong has

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

relations with the following cities: * Viqueque,

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-we ...

* Lianyungang, China * Izumiotsu, Japan

References

External links

Greater Geelong City Council official websiteGeelong Region Alliance WebsiteMetlink local public transport mapLink to Land Victoria interactive maps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greater Geelong, City of Local government areas of Victoria (Australia) Barwon South West