Greater Geelong and Melbourne residents have embraced community consultation and shared their ideas on how to establish the Geelong Waterfront as a top-tier, international destination.
The City's 2011 Geelong Waterfront Masterplan is being updated for the areas spanning Rippleside Park, the Western Beach Boatshed, Steampacket Place, Eastern Beach and beyond Limeburners Point. It aims to guide improvements to facilities, preserve heritage, and celebrate the natural assets and cultural connection.
Between April and May, our Have Your Say pagereceived 361 surveys and 204 contributions, while 165 contributions were generated from four face-to-face listening post sessions. Other engagement methods included a site walk with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners, onsite meetings with commercial, tourism, cultural, recreational and community groups and a workshop with the Youth Council.
Valuable feedback on key priorities and themes was gathered, including:
- Leisure and recreation: Improvement of walking and cycling paths, additional swimming and bathing opportunities, and increased boating facilities. There were many calls to consider uses other than car parking on the privately owned Cunningham Pier.
- Facilities: The community expressed the need for shade trees, increased seating, tables, drinking fountains and BBQs, and more public toilets, showers and changing facilities.
Inclusion and diversity: Better disability access, especially to beaches, and incorporation of Indigenous representation into the design.
- Transportation: A desire for a safe pedestrian-focused environment, improved connections through Geelong via public transport, walking and cycling and greater connections to Melbourne via an enhanced ferry service, reduced traffic and diverted flow away from the Waterfront. Calls for better parking that doesn't obstruct views to the water.
- Urban design: Large green spaces for outdoor activities along with smaller spaces for respite and cohesive design highlighting historic, Indigenous, built, and natural features.
- Commercial enterprise: More cafes, restaurants, bars, and food trucks near the water with longer operating hours, increased live music events, improvements to attract tourists, and the addition of weekly markets.
- Overall management: A family-friendly and environmental focus and high-quality presentation.
Mayor Trent Sullivan
There is a lot of potential to unlock at the Geelong Waterfront that could make a visit there more enjoyable, safe and reflective of our community.I'm really excited by the significant response the City received and the community's ideas to enhance the recreation, hospitality, retail, water sports and events opportunities already on offer.
Check out the full engagement report to view the many different aspirations for the area – I'm looking forward to seeing how these can be incorporated into the draft plan.
Councillor Jim Mason, chair of the City Planning and Heritage portfolio
The community's ideas will help shape the Draft Geelong Waterfront Masterplan.The next phase of engagement will commence early next year and will allow the community to express views on suggested options and help further refine the master plan.
Make sure to hit 'Follow' on the Have Your Say page so you're across when the survey opens and what sort of in-person consultation is planned.
