Why visit Geelong, Victoria in Winter.
A mostly free list of things to do.
Geelong is long associated with being a great summer location being so close to so many beautiful and famous beaches both on the Bellarine Peninsula and along the Great Ocean Road. Geelong is also situated right on Corio Bay; so central Geelong sits with an outlook over the bay with beautiful dining options along the waterfront and walkways from Rippleside to Limeburners Point.
So why come to Geelong in Winter? Geelong does have some a blustery and cold Winter days but as far as Winters go globally it is still pretty mild weather wise and rare there is rain all day so you can still rug up in some good warm Winter coats, hat, and scarf to brave the cold. Most commonly temperatures range from 5-15 degrees. So not too bad for being so far south in Australia.
Dining – Food is always a great drawcard in itself. With lots of quality dining venues, from fish and chips and pizza to family-friendly waterfront restaurants and fine dining. You won’t go hungry in Geelong! Always warm hearty foods can be found.
Skatepark – Fabulous outdoor free to use skate park located directly in front of the Deakin University (waterfront campus) for those cold but dry days (the best fish and chip shop is within view on its own pontoon on the water). Then there is the indoor skate park for those wet days and it is also a lot bigger with more variety to take your scooter, BMX, inline skates, skateboards and anything else deemed applicable. The indoor park can be found on this link.
Trampoline Parks – Geelong boasts two excellent indoor trampoline parks both within 5 km of each other. Ideal for using up some excess energy and meeting up with friends and family. Our free trampoline sales display is open 6 days a week in Winter and can be a nice drawcard for families looking for free trampolining options. We now have a good number of trampoline sizes indoors as well so it is ok to visit us on wet days too.
Airodrome & Supa tramp
Trampoline Web and Warehouse a free option.
The beaches – Geelong is the base point to all the best beaches from Eastern Beach, right in Geelong, to all of the options on the Bellarine Peninsula including Queenscliff, Portarlington and Ocean Grove. A drive around the coast will deliver loads of entertainment from walks, playgrounds, skate parks, lookouts, places to eat, galleries and shops to explore. Stop and watch the ships go through the rip at Point Lonsdale or Queenscliff.
Or there is the Great Ocean Road, which like the Bellarine has lots of lovely towns with each own unique appeal. The Ocean Road can be so interesting on a blustery day delivering huge waves to watch.
Heading into the Otways National Park off the Great Ocean road has heaps of walking tracks, waterfalls and BBQ spots.
Bike Riding – Geelong supports cyclists in a big way both around and through the city on the roads, but if with kids I prefer to stick to the bike trails. My personal favourite is the 20km loop around the river which with various bridges you can do smaller loops approximately of 5, 10 or 15km. Take a backpack with lunch and stop and enjoy time at the Barwon Valley Fun Park, or Balyang sanctuary.
At the Breakwater bridge end of the trail, you could incorporate a free visit to Trampoline Web and Warehouse for a jump on all the trampolines, at what is otherwise just a turn around point over a bridge. At the other end of the river trail is Buckleys Falls which is at its best in Winter, flowing quickly and looks beautiful as it can go the full width of the Barwon River.
Enjoyable too is the waterfront trail; start anywhere. Parking at Rippleside or Limeburners point is easy when setting up bikes and there is a toilet in both locations. Rippleside has a large adventure playground and restaurant that does make a great coffee. A ride along the waterfront will take in a few playgrounds, the Geelong carousel, the skate park, and the bollard trail too.
The other big bike trail is the Rail Trail that goes all the way to Queenscliff. In my opinion, it is better suited to older kids and I have only personally gone as far as Leopold from the Geelong Showground where it starts on Breakwater Road. Seems to be a little less interesting and more undulating than the flat trail along the river. You can find more out here about the rail trail here.
Bushwalking - If bush fun and a BBQ over a fire is what your family likes to do in Winter I suggest a trip to the You Yangs. A great way to keep warm on a winter day. Once in amongst the trees you don’t notice the wind as much and reaching the peak can be very rewarding if there is a clear view out. If you don’t have kids who want to conquer going all the way to the top there is an easier trail around the You Yangs which is also really enjoyable. The You Yang’s also has a number of mountain bike riding trails to enjoy as well as some great rocks to climb and skid down.
The other fun place a little out of the way is Steiglitz, which was a gold mining town back in the day and now has a reserve with open fire BBQ, toilets and a shelter. Some lovely walks, one we particularly enjoy is “dead man track” that crosses the creek several times, that if in flood in winter is impassable, but for most of the time even in Winter, it is easy enough for kids from about 8yo to jump the rocks across the creek.
Culture - Geelong is also home to the National Wool Museum, several art galleries, Aboriginal Centre Narana, three cinema complexes and other indoor places of interest – check more of them out here.
If you live in Geelong I hope this list has reminded you of somewhere different to take the kids this school holidays. If you are from out of town and coming to Geelong to see family and friends or just to explore Geelong I hope too you will have found that there is plenty to do here for the whole family of all ages; enjoy Geelong for a day or a week. Maybe even be inspired to move here.
If you would like us to answer any questions about how to get to Geelong this Winter or provide any information on our trampolines please feel free to message here or call us on (03) 5292 1100
