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The Carousel

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by Lorraine A (subscribe)
Avid trail runner, freelance writer and a mother of four with a healthy obsession for the great outdoors. Join me in my discoveries along the Mornington Peninsula and further afield by subscribing to my articles.
Published August 19th 2013
"Take a spin through living history"
The Carousel


What would Geelong's favourite waterfront spot be without the magical carousel where children are smiling and laughing with excitement in their eyes and one or two of them crying after the anticipation of visiting this wonderful masterpiece is all too much and has left them exhausted.

Round and round they go


Not surprisingly the carousel puts a smile on everyone's face. Parents smile at the joy on their children's faces, grandparents smile through reminiscing, and children just love the pretty horses going round and round.

The carousel building


Entry to the carousel building is free, you only need to buy tickets if you a riding on the carousel.

Ticket costs are $3.90 for children, $4.40 for adults and $3.90 for concession.

Inside the building are table and chairs in the sunshine overlooking the water, a kiosk, a band organ playing delightful carnival style music that's synonymous with amusement fairs, a steam engine and displays of unrestored horses and the processes involved in restoring them.

The restoration process of the horses is shown here


There is so much history with these beautiful horses and carousel; 24 of the 36 horses are original hand carved masterpieces from Charles Dare. Each of the horses took approximately 300 hours each to restore. The horses tails are real horse hair.



The whole restoration including the horses took 3 years to complete. Extensive research was needed to make sure the result was authentic. Amazingly, 40 layers of paint were scraped back to reveal the original colours.

Ride on the carousel


The carousel has really been a labour of love for everyone involved and it shows in the results of this beautifully crafted amusement piece.

Geelong waterfront


I highly recommend a visit to 'The Carousel', it's a great opportunity to ride on the beautiful antique carousel that wouldn't be out of place in a museum. Rarely would you get the chance anywhere else in the world to ride on such an old piece of work like this.

A truly unique experience as long as you understand the history behind it and the painstaking restoration work needed to get it to this point.

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Why? For a spin through history on beautiful horses
When: 7 days a week, check website for times as hours vary
Phone: 03 52241547
Where: Eastern Beach Rd on the foreshore
Cost: $3.90 child, $4.40 adult, $3.90 concession
Your Comment
That's so lovely that it has been restored and pretty cool to have such a nice view with the ride :)
by Katy Holliday (score: 3|1133) 3585 days ago
This is really interesting! Never really considered the history behind carousels before.
by Sara Ikmal (score: 2|457) 3584 days ago
I'm actually surprised that something like a carouse has a different price for adults than children; most things like this, the price is standard. I think it is cool that they restored it though, and that it is still able to be used than just being a musuem piece.
by Bastion Harrison (score: 4|12643) 3585 days ago
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