Image by CassandraJoy
Geelong is such a pretty town. Our Geelong Waterfront is just priceless. I recently had the opportunity to show Geelong off to a friend from Warrnambool. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, it wasn't too hot or too cold. Just a mild autumn day - perfect for a walk.
Image by CassandraJoy
We parked up the top of Eastern Beach, just above Hearne Parade, and walked down towards Eastern Beach, along the paths that were filled with people enjoying the lovely weather.
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The Ferris Wheel was operating. The Thomas the Tank trains were driving around, full of sightseers. I was so proud of how pretty the place looked, how clean it was, and just so happy to be taking a walk with a friend and showing off our lovely city.
Image by CassandraJoy
We walked down the steps from the top of Eastern Beach towards the toddlers swimming pool and the main pool. We took a walk around The Promenade. We had a bit more of a stroll towards Fishermen's Pier. My friend got tired so we walked back.
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As we walked back along Eastern Beach (Road, it is called Eastern Beach, however it is called Eastern Beach Road by the locals.) I pointed out the sights and tourist attractions. I felt a bit like a tour guide as I pointed out the Thomas the Tank Train that takes tourists from The Carousel to Eastern Beach and back. From Eastern Beach road you get a great view of Eastern Beach, the grassed areas, picnic tables, playground, the Promenade and the Children's Pool.
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The Children's Pool has a safety fence around it. The outer Pool has a shark proof fence around it. As you walk around The Promenade you will notice that all the boards on the Promenade display the names of people and families who sponsored the repair and upgrade of the Promenade.
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As I'm on a bit of a health kick I took a walk along the Geelong Waterfront from St Helen's beach towards Eastern Beach a couple of days later. It was a week day and a lot of people had just finished work, so there were lots of office workers walking along the Waterfront, I assume they were heading towards their cars, parked along the Esplanade. There were lots of walkers, joggers and bicyclists along the walking tracks too.
Image by CassandraJoy
As I headed towards Eastern Beach I took a lot of photos of the Waterfront from St Helen's direction, heading towards the Waterfront. I met a few of the Bollards along the way. The Bollards start at Rippleside Park. I was interested to see a lot of people fishing from the jetties and from the beach along the way.
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There are many articles written about The Bollards so I won't put too much in here about them, except to give a brief overview of them. There are over 100 Bollards dotted around the Geelong Waterfront. The Bollards tell the story of the history of Geelong, our past and present. There are lots of bathing beauties from days of old, with thier neck-to-knee bathing outfits. You will also find a Geelong footballer, livesavers, fishermen and the town band (the town band is beside the Carousel).
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If you get a chance to come down to Geelong there is so much to see and do along the Waterfront paths. There are playgrounds, exercise equipment, I saw a few "boot camps" in action. The boot camps were running on week days so I am not sure who runs them. You may be able to get in touch with some of the gyms in Geelong to see if they are running boot camps. Or you could approach the groups and speak to the boot camp trainer.
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There are restaurants, cafes, sometimes there are gelati vans in place. There is usually a gelati van at Cunningham Pier on Weekends, and another gelati van located at the end of the car park in Ritchie Boulevard, close to Eastern Beach.
Image by CassandraJoy
Some of the restaurants are The Wharf Shed, Le Parisiene, Fishermen's Pier, there are two restaurants on Cunningham Pier, there are shops on Western Beach Road and restaurants, bars and cafes. As mentioned above, you can tour Eastern Beach from the Carousel to the Bathing Pools on the Thomas the Tank train.
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You can bring a picnic and sit down on the grass anywhere along the waterfront, or bring some meat and take advantage of the free barbecues. There are playgrounds and toilets along the way too, from St Helen's beach, to Rippleside Park, to Western Beach (at the top of Western Beach), to the Poppykettle playground, and a playground at Eastern Beach near the Chidlren's bathing pool.
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If you're really keen for a walk, you can keep on walking past the Eastern Beach area and head up to Eastern Gardens. There is a lot to do in the Eastern Gardens. There are two playgrounds, barbecues, covered areas for dining, the Botanical Gardens, and toilets.
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When I was taking my walk I noticed that there are new toilets at Cunningham Pier, close to Poppykettle Playground, with lots of toilets and, separate from the toilets, hand basins, and a few drinking fountains. The whole of Geelong Waterfront is aimed at families with children. You will never be too far from a toilet, a playground or chairs and tables to sit at, dine at, or have a rest while you watch the children play.
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Don't take my word for it! Head on down to the Geelong Waterfront and make a day of it. Eat, play, dine, exercise, walk, run, barbecue, picnic and entertain your children. During school holidays the Giant Ferris Wheel is in operation. Gelati vans operate most weekends. During school holidays, there is sometimes a bungee trampoline set up near The Carousel, on the lawns.
Image by CassandraJoy
Links to other Geelong devoted Weekend Notes pages:
Geelong Waterfront Bollard Trail by Ian Gill
Geelong & the Bellarine Best Fishing Spots by Nicholas
The Geelong Waterfront by CassandraJoy
Geelong Waterfront Precinct by Ian gill
The Wharf Shed Cafe by Tabitha Page
The Carousel Geelong by Bianca Gravina-Price
Geelong Botanic Gardens by Lorraine A
