Top things to do in Geelong

Things to do in Geelong run from a five-course lunch on a heritage train to dolphin cruises out of Queenscliff, surf lessons at Torquay and sunrise balloon flights over the Bellarine Peninsula. Geelong is Victoria's second-largest city, about 75km from Melbourne on Corio Bay, so it works as a day trip or a base for a few nights. Start with the category that matches your day: Geelong food and drinks, Geelong attractions, Geelong activities or Geelong tours.

Food and drinks on the Bellarine Railway

Geelong's most unusual table is a moving one. The Q Train runs a 3-hour return journey along the historic Bellarine Railway from Drysdale, with a five-course seasonal degustation served on board. The Q Class lunch or dinner has lunch services at 11.30am or 12.30pm and dinner at 6.30pm, with departures varying by day. For a private table, the First Class option is a popular choice: guests dine in their own compartment with a dedicated butler and matched wines, beers or non-alcoholic pairings.

The train stops at Queenscliff along the way, and the menu leans on Bellarine and Geelong produce. More places to eat and drink are collected under food and drinks in Geelong.

Geelong attractions: the waterfront, heritage and bayside villages

Corio Bay shapes most of the sightseeing. Eastern Beach has an enclosed sea bath from the 1930s with floating islands and a diving tower, wrapped by an art-deco-style boardwalk, plus picnic areas, BBQs and a playground. On the waterfront, the Geelong Carousel is a restored Victorian-era carousel made in New York around 1892, running in a glass pavilion that is free to enter.

History fans can visit the National Wool Museum, a nod to Geelong's days as home to Victoria's first woollen mill, or head across to Queenscliff, a bayside village known for Victorian-era buildings, galleries, Fort Queenscliff and the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum. More sightseeing ideas sit under attractions around Geelong.

Activities: surf lessons, rally laps and balloon flights

Geelong activities lean outdoors. On the Surf Coast, the 2-hour beginner surf lesson at Torquay covers safety and technique, with a soft board, leg rope and wetsuit or rashie supplied and sessions at 10am and 1pm. At Avalon, the Rally School's Hot Laps ride straps you into the co-driver's seat of a turbo rally car for 3 laps with a professional driver.

For something calmer, the Geelong hot air balloon flight starts before dawn at the Holiday Inn in Geelong and floats for around an hour over Port Phillip Bay and the Bellarine Peninsula, finishing with a buffet breakfast. Surf lessons, more rally options and the rest sit on the activities around Geelong page.

Tours: dolphins, seals and Otways wildlife

Queenscliff is the launch point for Port Phillip Bay's marine life. From October to May, the Dolphin and Seal Swim Tour is a popular choice: a 3.5-hour trip where snorkellers swim with Australian fur seals and dolphins in Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park, while non-swimmers can come along on viewer tickets. The 90-minute wildlife sightseeing cruise keeps everyone dry, with a rooftop viewing platform for pods of Burrunan dolphins and fur seals.

Further along the Great Ocean Road, Wildlife Wonders at Apollo Bay runs guided walks through its sanctuary, including the Walk with Wildlife Guided Conservation Tour and an after-hours Dusk Discovery Tour that comes with a light meal. Browse the tours around Geelong for the current line-up.

How a Geelong trip fits together

Geelong splits into three loose clusters. The city and Corio Bay hold the waterfront, Eastern Beach and the balloon flight. The Bellarine Peninsula brings Queenscliff, Drysdale, Point Lonsdale, with its Rip View Lookout over the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, and Barwon Heads, where the Barwon River meets the sea. Queenscliff alone can fill a day, since the Q Train stops there and the wildlife cruises leave from its boat harbour.

Down the coast, the Surf Coast and Great Ocean Road bring surf lessons at Torquay and Lorne, a guided night kayak on the Anglesea River where a head torch picks out kangaroos, possums and birdlife, and the Otways wildlife walks at Apollo Bay.