Journey North Mystery Class Spring 2005

Introducing Mystery Class #2-- Geelong, Australia
( 38.158 S, 144.35 E)

Greetings from Bellaire Primary School in Geelong, Australia

Well done and a big G’day from down here in Australia!

Our mystery clues were written by a group of children from the senior grades at Bellaire Primary School in Geelong.

Our school has around 460 pupils from Grades Prep – 6.

As you can see from the maps, Geelong is down near the bottom of Australia. With a population of around 200,000 people, we are the second largest city in our state after our capital city Melbourne.

Geelong and Melbourne are located on the edge of Port Phillip Bay. Our part of Port Phillip Bay is called Corio Bay.

Before white people came to the Corio Bay area, Koorie or aboriginal people lived in the region for more than 25,000 years. These people were members of various clans of the Wathaurong tribe. Lieutenant John Murray was the first white explorer to sail into Corio Bay in 1802.

An aerial view of Corio Bay today.

Another famous explorer Matthew Flinders followed soon after. This exploration was part of his voyage around the coast of Australia, the first white person to do this. Whilst Flinders was in Corio Bay he went ashore and climbed to the highest peak in the nearby mountains called the You Yangs.

This view across Corio Bay shows the You Yangs and Flinders Peak.

(and who's that lurking in the lower right corner?)

As the city of Geelong grew it spread around Corio Bay. Nowadays much of the area around the edge of the bay is parklands that visitors can walk around.

Cunningham Pier along the shore of Corio Bay, Geelong, Australia

Do you remember the "bollards" from our clues? As you take the walk around the bay you will also pass more than 100 of two-metre high, brightly painted bollards.

Bollards tell about many of the unique characters who played a part in Geelong's history.

You'll find young ladies in neck-to-knee bathing costumes, lifesavers, families, a footballer, sailors, as well as this town band.

Geelong has a very moderate climate with the hottest months being January and February. The temperature can reach into the low 30’s with an average maximum temperature of 23 degrees Celsius. July is the coldest month, with an average maximum of 6 degrees Celsius.

One of Geelong’s most famous sons was a Scot named James Harrison. Though he was firstly a journalist and the founder of our local newspaper the Geelong Advertiser, he was also famous for being one of the first people in the world to make an ice making machine. As a result he has been called "father of modern refrigeration"
In the early years of Geelong it was famous for its port. Many people who came to Australia looking for gold landed first in Geelong. Later the port of Geelong was used to send wool overseas. After the First World War the giant American car-maker Ford built a large plant in city's northern suburbs in 1925.

This cut away car is a recent model Ford that is on display in the Ford Discovery Centre that you can visit near Eastern Beach in Geelong

Close by to Geelong is the start of the Great Ocean Road. This road is one of the most visited tourist attractions in our state. Renowned for its spectacular scenery and rugged coastline it was built as a memorial to soldiers who had lost their lives in the First World War.

This picture shows the Memorial Arch at the Geelong end of the road

In Australia we play our own home-grown version of football called AFL or the Australian Football. Our football team Geelong, is called the Cats:

Skilled Stadium is where the Cats play their home games. Click here to find out more about the Cats.

If you visit this site you can hear the club song and at the same time see some video of players in action.

If you want to find out more about Geelong then you can:

Visit Geelong