Geelong Port book celebrates history

THE city’s oldest industry is celebrating its past with an eye firmly on its future as a key driver of the Geelong economy.

The recent launch of Custodians of the Bay, a brief history of the Geelong Port heard how the port had grown from the first vessel carrying sheep and cattle which had to swim ashore in 1836 to now handling 11 million tonnes of product a year.

Corio MP Richard Marles said the port was at the heart of various chapters in our history, from the first arrivals, being a gateway to the gold rush, a base for sheep exports and through the industrial period.

“We are who we are because of a port which sought to provide access from Corio Bay,” Mr Marles said.

He said the Geelong port would continue to play a key role as port functions in Melbourne moved further out.

“What we have is our oldest industry also representing one of the most important economic and employment prospects for Geelong’s future,” Mr Marles said.

He praised GeelongPort, the commercial operator of the port, for embracing its past.

“I love the idea of a company seeking to find answers about the future by looking to and celebrating its history and its past,” Mr Marles said.

GeelongPort CEO Brett Winter said the story of the port was the story of Geelong itself.

“It’s the story of the hard working men and women who saw opportunity, who had the vision, the determination and the grit to carve out a future for themselves and their families,” he said.

He said by 1881 the port had become a fully fledged commercial port.