10-year plan sets a high-water mark
THE UPGRADES ON THE GEELONG WATERFRONT AS PART OF THE $382.48M GEELONG CITY DEAL ARE TESTAMENT TO THE GROWTH OF THE REGION AND THE TENACITY OF ADVOCATES
TESTAMENT to the growth of the region, the $382.48m Geelong City Deal is a 10-year plan to revitalise Geelong and leverage significant economic opportunity of the Great Ocean Road’s visitor economy.
It has come about due to the committed advocacy of local organisations including the G21 Geelong Regional Alliance, the Committee for Geelong and Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine.
The Australian and Victorian governments, together with the City of
Greater Geelong, released the Geelong City Deal implementation plan on October 8, 2019.
Building on the redevelopment of the Geelong waterfront in the 1990s, we saw the new $10m, 440m Wave Attenuator open late last year.
The “Wangim Walk” stretches out over Corio Bay to form one of Australia’s longest on-water walkways and was a collaboration between the Royal Geelong Yacht Club and the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners.
Significant progress has also been made on the new Queenscliff Ferry Terminal with a new boardwalk and rock groyne already built and construction of the new terminal building underway.
The new terminal will improve ferry services to this major gateway, create new opportunities for tourism and help drive economic diversification and jobs growth.
However, the largest financial commitment of the Geelong City Deal is the greatly anticipated Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The state government has committed $141.2m with the federal government committing $30m.
Plans for the Convention and Exhibition Centre on the Geelong waterfront includes: a conference venue with the capacity for 1000 plenary delegates, 3000sq m of exhibition space, banqueting facilities, meeting rooms, a business centre and retail outlets.
With hopes to commence construction in 2022, this building will be a key catalyst for a new era of waterfront development and investment in Geelong.