# Timeline of Geelong history

This is a timeline of major events in the history of the city of Geelong, Australia.

## 19th century

* 1802 – Lady Nelson enters Corio Bay
* 1803 – Escaped convict William Buckley living in area.
* 1835 – John Batman establishes base camp at Indented Head
* 1838 – Geelong township surveyed, Geelong population is 545.
* 1839 – First sale of Geelong town allotments
* 1839 – First postal mail between Geelong and Melbourne
* 1840 – First issue of the Geelong Advertiser newspaper is published
* 1842 – First St Mary's Catholic Church opens
* 1845 – Geelong Keys discovered at Corio Bay
* 1849 – The Geelong town council is incorporated.
* 1850 – Geelong is the fifth largest town in Victoria.
* 1851 – Gold is found in the Mount Bunninyong district
* 1851 – Geelong population is 8,000
* 1853 – Geelong population is 22,000
* 1855 – Geelong Grammar School founded
* 1855 – St Augustine's Boys Orphanage established
* 1857 – Victoria's first country railway from Geelong to Melbourne is built
* 1859 – Thomas Austin releases 24 rabbits into the wild on his property 'Barwon Park' at Winchelsea just outside Geelong on Christmas Day, introducing the rabbit to Australia.
* 1862 – Geelong to Ballarat railway opens
* 1888 – First telephone exchange in Geelong opens
* 1890 – Geelong Cementworks Opens

## 20th century

* 1910 – Geelong officially becomes a city
* 1912 – Electric trams begin operation in Geelong
* 1912 – First automatic telephone exchange in the Southern Hemisphere opens in Geelong
* 1920 – Royal Australian Navy's submarine fleet based at Osborne House
* 1925 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
* 1925 – Ford Australia plant opens at Norlane
* 1925 – Retail chain Target opens first store in Geelong
* 1926 – Geelong suburb Highton gets struck by tornado
* 1930 – 3GL radio station opens
* 1931 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
* 1937 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
* 1940 – Manning Clark begins teaching at Geelong Grammar School
* 1951 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
* 1952 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
* 1954 – Shell refinery opens at Corio
* 1956 – Electric trams cease operation in Geelong
* 1963 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
* 1963 – Alcoa aluminum smelter opens at Point Henry
* 1965 – Holy Cross Hospital (later St John of God Geelong Hospital) opens
* 1977 – First students enrolled at Deakin University at Waurn Ponds
* 1980 – Christian College opens
* 1983 – Ash Wednesday fires cause major damage at nearby coastal areas
* 1987 – National Wool Museum opens
* 1990 – First commercial FM Radio station K-Rock begins FM broadcasting
* 1990 – Pyramid Building Society collapse
* 1991 – HM Prison Geelong officially closes

## 21st century

* 2000 - Fully-restored Victorian era carousel opened in new pavilion on the waterfront
* 2001 – Geelong population is 184,332
* 2002 – 23 May, Skilled Stadium hosts a visit from the Dalai Lama
* 2003 – Former mayor Frank De Stefano is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on fraud charges involving A$8.3 million
* 2006 – Geelong population is 210,000 becoming the 12th largest city in Australia
* 2007 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership by record margin of 119 points
* 2009 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
* 2010 – Geelong Ring Road construction Complete
* 2011 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
* 2015 – Worksafe Victoria Headquarters Construction started
* 2016 – Geelong population is 253,269
* 2016- A giant cell storm comes through Geelong, flooding the Barwon and Moorabool rivers, along with Belmont, South Geelong, and Newtown.
* 2016 – End of Ford's car manufacturing
* 2018 – Worksafe Victoria Headquarters Construction complete
* 2019 – The Mercer and Miramar Geelong construction started
* 2020 - COVID-19 reaches Geelong. Total of 2,370 cases confirmed since arrival date
* 2020 - Devastating Storm hits Geelong causing Tornado in Suburb of Waurn Ponds
Timeline of tallest buildings in Geelong:
1. The Miramar – 71 m (2019)
2. The Mercer – 64 m (2019)
3. Worksafe Headquarters Geelong – 60 m (2018)
4. Mercure Hotel – 40 m (2008)
6. Shell Refinery – 40 m (1946)
7. Fyansford Cementworks – 30 m (1954)