Geelong (pop. 152,780), a busy port and industrial center, is the second largest city in Victoria. In 1824 the explorers Hume and Hovell reported that the land round Corio Bay was of excellent quality, and the first permanent settlement was established twelve years later, in 1836. At first it was the center of an agricultural area; then, during
the gold boom, it became the main port for prospectors heading for the diggings and for the shipment of gold. In the early 20th C. the town began its rapid development into the industrial center which it is today. It is also an important traffic hub, situated as it is at the junction of the Princes Highway (Melbourne to Portland and Adelaide), Midland Highway (to Ballarat), Hamilton Highway and Bellarine Highway.
Geelong has preserved some 160 19th C. buildings, which contrast agreeably with the town's uninspired modern architecture. Particularly notable are the church of SS Peter and Paul and Christ Church (1843; the oldest Anglican church in Victoria); the customs house (1838), the state's oldest surviving wooden building; the imposing Town Hall; and the market hall of 1912, which has taken on a new lease of life as a shopping center. The art gallery is privately owned.
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