Geelong

Geelong, overlooking Hobson’s Bay, has been the second largest city in Victoria since the 1930s. At the 1933 census its population of 43,353, just topped Ballarat’s at 41,658. The gold rushes of the 1850s and 1860s saw Ballarat and Bendigo outstrip Geelong to become Victoria’s great inland cities. Geelong, with its port, grew on gold exports and serving the woolgrowers of the western districts. A rail link between Melbourne and Geelong opened in 1857, and the line to Ballarat opened in 1862. Ballarat did not have a direct rail connection to Melbourne until 1889.