Timeline of Geelong history
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2011}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2008}}
This is a timeline of major events in the history of the city of Geelong, Australia.{{cite web|url=http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/geelong/article/item/8d0779e8d5e7ee6.aspx|title=The Story of Geelong|last=Houghton|first=Norman|publisher=geelongaustralia.com.au|accessdate=2008-05-21|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409224319/http://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/library/pdf/5055/41.pdf|archivedate=2008-04-09}}
19th century
File:Woodcut of Lady Nelson brig.jpg|200px|right]]
- 1802 – Lady Nelson enters Corio Bay
- 1803 – Escaped convict William Buckley living in area.
- 1835 – John Batman establishes base camp at Indented Head
- 1838 – Geelong township surveyed, Geelong population is 545.
- 1839 – First sale of Geelong town allotments
- 1839 – First postal mail between Geelong and Melbourne
- 1840 – First issue of the Geelong Advertiser newspaper is published
- 1842 – First St Mary's Catholic Church opens
- 1845 – Geelong Keys discovered at Corio Bay
- 1849 – The Geelong town council is incorporated.
- 1850 – Geelong is the fifth largest town in Victoria.
- 1851 – Gold is found in the Mount Bunninyong district
- 1851 – Geelong population is 8,000
- 1853 – Geelong population is 22,000
- 1855 – Geelong Grammar School founded
- 1855 – St Augustine's Boys Orphanage established
- 1857 – Victoria's first country railway from Geelong to Melbourne is built
- 1859 – Thomas Austin releases 24 rabbits into the wild on his property 'Barwon Park' at Winchelsea just outside Geelong on Christmas Day, introducing the rabbit to Australia.
- 1862 – Geelong to Ballarat railway opens
- 1888 – First telephone exchange in Geelong opens
- 1890 – Geelong Cementworks Opens
20th century
File:Geelonglawcourts myersst.jpg
- 1910 – Geelong officially becomes a city
- 1912 – Electric trams begin operation in Geelong
- 1912 – First automatic telephone exchange in the Southern Hemisphere opens in Geelong
- 1920 – Royal Australian Navy's submarine fleet based at Osborne House
- 1925 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
- 1925 – Ford Australia plant opens at Norlane
- 1925 – Retail chain Target opens first store in Geelong
- 1926 – Geelong suburb Highton gets struck by tornado
- 1930 – 3GL radio station opens
- 1931 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
- 1937 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
- 1940 – Manning Clark begins teaching at Geelong Grammar School
- 1951 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
- 1952 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
- 1954 – Shell refinery opens at Corio
- 1956 – Electric trams cease operation in Geelong
- 1963 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
- 1963 – Alcoa aluminum smelter opens at Point Henry
- 1965 – Holy Cross Hospital (later St John of God Geelong Hospital) opens
- 1977 – First students enrolled at Deakin University at Waurn Ponds
- 1980 – Christian College opens
- 1983 – Ash Wednesday fires cause major damage at nearby coastal areas
- 1987 – National Wool Museum opens
- 1990 – First commercial FM Radio station K-Rock begins FM broadcasting
- 1990 – Pyramid Building Society collapse
- 1991 – HM Prison Geelong officially closes
21st century
- 2000 - Fully-restored Victorian era carousel opened in new pavilion on the waterfront{{Cite news |last=Adams |first=David |date=14 October 2000 |title=Geelong reveals its heart and soul |work=The Age |pages=17 |id={{ProQuest|2521674179}}}}
- 2001 – Geelong population is 184,332
- 2002 – 23 May, Skilled Stadium hosts a visit from the Dalai Lama
- 2003 – Former mayor Frank De Stefano is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on fraud charges involving A$8.3 million
- 2006 – Geelong population is 210,000 becoming the 12th largest city in Australia
- 2007 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership by record margin of 119 points
- 2009 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
- 2010 – Geelong Ring Road construction Complete
- 2011 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership
- 2015 – Worksafe Victoria Headquarters Construction started
- 2016 – Geelong population is 253,269
- 2016- A giant cell storm comes through Geelong, flooding the Barwon and Moorabool rivers, along with Belmont, South Geelong, and Newtown.{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-27/storm-weather-geelong-flash-flooding/7118356|title = SES rescues 18 as Geelong suffers 'one-in-50-year' flooding|newspaper = ABC News|date = 27 January 2016}}
- 2016 – End of Ford's car manufacturing
- 2018 – Worksafe Victoria Headquarters Construction complete
- 2019 – The Mercer and Miramar Geelong construction started
- 2020 - COVID-19 reaches Geelong. Total of 2,370 cases confirmed since arrival date
- 2020 - Devastating Storm hits Geelong causing Tornado in Suburb of Waurn Ponds
Timeline of tallest buildings in Geelong:
1. The Miramar – 71 m (2019)
2. The Mercer – 64 m (2019)
3. Worksafe Headquarters Geelong – 60 m (2018)
4. Mercure Hotel – 40 m (2008)
6. Shell Refinery – 40 m (1946)
7. Fyansford Cementworks – 30 m (1954)