Corio Bay is one of numerous bays in the southwest corner of Australia's Port Phillip

Port Phillip

Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...

, and is the bay on which abuts the City of Geelong. The nearby suburb of Corio

Corio, Victoria

Corio is a residential, industrial and one of the largest suburbs of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, located approximately 9 km north of the Geelong central business district...

 takes its name from Corio Bay.

Name

When Hamilton Hume

Hamilton Hume

Hamilton Hume was the first Australian born explorer. Along with Hovell in 1824, Hume was part of an expedition that first took an overland route from Sydney to Port Phillip near the site of present day Melbourne...

 and William Hovell

William Hovell

William Hilton Hovell was an English explorer of Australia.-Early life:Hovell was born in Yarmouth, Norfolk, England and went to sea as a boy, becoming a Royal Navy captain before settling in New South Wales, arriving in October 1813 aboard the Earl Spencer with his wife Esther née Arndell...

 arrived at the bay in 1824 they met with the local Wautharong

Wautharong

Wathaurong, also called the Wada wurrung, are an Indigenous Australian tribe living in the area near Melbourne, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula. They are part of the Kulin alliance. The Wathaurong language was spoken by 25 clans south of the Werribee River and the Bellarine Peninsula to Streatham...

 people who referred to the bay as "Jillong" and the surround land "Corayo", but by the time the area was surveyed in the late 1830s the Aboriginal names had been swapped. The names "Corayo" and "Jillong" had since been Anglicised to "Corio" and "Geelong".

Shipping

The Port of Geelong is located on the shores of Corio Bay, and is the sixth largest port in Australia by tonnage.

Before the initial settlement of Geelong, a sandbar across the bay from Point Lillias

Point Lillias

Point Lillias is a narrow peninsula jutting southwards from the northern coast of Corio Bay, near the city of Geelong, in Victoria, Australia. It was formed by a southward trending tongue of lava from the volcanic flows of the Werribee Plains. The seaward end of the peninsula forms a low cliff...

 to Point Henry prevented ships from entering the inner harbour. Ships were required to drop anchor in the bay, and cargo was brought into Geelong on small barges. At times it was possible to walk across the bay on the sandbar at low tide.

The first channel through the sandbar was started in 1853, providing less than 4 metres draught for ships. This channel was straightened out and dredged at a depth of 6 metres in the 1860s. In 1881 a new channel started that took 12 years to complete. It was named the Hopetoun Channel after Lord Hopetoun who opened it on December 20, 1893.

Management of the channels and port was the responsibility of the Geelong Harbour Trust that was formed in December 1905. In 1981, the Port of Geelong Authority took over from the trust. The authority was privatised by the State Government in mid 1996, being sold to TNT Logistics

TNT Logistics

CEVA Logistics is a global logistics company.It provides solutions in freight management, contract logistics, distribution and transportation management. The company runs a global network with facilities in over 170 countries and employs more than 49,000 people worldwide.- History :CEVA was...

 for $49.6 million. It was later re-branded as 'GeelongPort'.

Leisure

The shores of Corio Bay have been a popular playground for Geelong residents. Since the 1930s Eastern Beach

Eastern Beach, Victoria

Eastern Beach is a popular swimming and recreation area in Geelong, Victoria on the shores of Corio Bay. Built during the 1930s in the Art Deco style, a shark proof sea bath is provided, as well as a children's swimming pool, kiosk, and dressing room pavilion...

 has been a popular swimming location. Boating is also popular, with a number of public boat ramps and piers provided. The bay is also the home of the Royal Geelong Yacht Club

Royal Geelong Yacht Club

The Royal Geelong Yacht Club is a yacht club founded in 1859 and based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club received its royal patronage in 1924....

 that was established in 1859, and the adjacent Bay City Marina that was constructed in the 1980s.

See also

• Eastern Beach
  Eastern Beach, Victoria
  Eastern Beach is a popular swimming and recreation area in Geelong, Victoria on the shores of Corio Bay. Built during the 1930s in the Art Deco style, a shark proof sea bath is provided, as well as a children's swimming pool, kiosk, and dressing room pavilion...
  
  
• Waterfront Geelong
  Waterfront Geelong
  Waterfront Geelong is a tourist and recreation area on the north facing shores of Corio Bay in Geelong, Australia. The area was once part of the Port of Geelong, falling into disuse before being redeveloped during the 1990s.-Attractions:...
  
  
• Limeburners Bay
• Freedom bay cruise, Corio bay