CORIO BAY

'Corio Bay' is one of numerous bays in the southwest corner of Port Phillip, and is the bay on which abuts the City of Geelong. The nearby suburb of Corio takes it's name from Corio Bay.

Contents

Name

Shipping

Leisure

See also

References

Name

When Hamilton Hume and William Hovell arrived at the bay in 1824 they met with the local Wathaurong 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.^[1] The names "Corayo" and "Jillong" had since been Anglicised to "Corio" and "Geelong".

Shipping

Before the initial settlement of Geelong, a sandbar across the bay from Point Lilias 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 time.^[2]
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.^[3]
Major piers in Geelong included:

★ Cunningham Pier: opened as the Railway Pier in the mid 1850s.^[4] Disused by the 1980s, currently occupied by a Smorgy's restaurant.

★ Moorabool Street Wharf: located at the end of the street of the same name. Main terminal for bay cruises until demolished in the 1950s.

★ Yarra Street Pier. Demolished in the 1980s after falling into disrepair.
By the early 1900s shipping traffic has increased and the existing piers in the city area were inadequate. As a result new port developments were started in the North Geelong area.

★ Corio Quay. Construction started in the 1900s, and the wharfs are still in use today for woodchip and bulk cargoes.^[5]

★ Grain Pier. Built to export grain from the adjacent grain elevators in 1937.^[6] Replaced by a newer pier to the north in the 1990s.

★ Lascelles Wharf. Caters for general cargo, as well as minerals and fertiliser for the adjacent phosphate works.

★ Refinery Pier. Opened by Shell in 1953 to cater for their nearby oil refinery.^[6]
There are also a number of special purpose piers on Corio Bay:

★ Point Henry Pier. Established by Alcoa at Point Henryfor alumina ore imports for their Point Henry smelter

★ Point Wilson Pier. Established for the import of explosives that are then stored at the adjacent reserve. ^[8]
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 taking over from the trust. The authority was privatised by the State Government in mid 1996, being sold to TNT Logistics for $49.6 million.^[6] It was later re-branded as 'Toll GeelongPort'.

Leisure

The shores of Corio Bay have been a popular playground for Geelong residents. Since the 1930s Eastern Beach 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 that was established in 1859, and the adjacent Bay City Marina that was constructed in the 1980s.

See also

★ Eastern Beach

★ Waterfront Geelong

★ Limeburners' Bay

References

1. Origins of present electoral division names
2. The History of the Bellarine Peninsula
3. Geelong - The First 150 Years, , Peter, Begg, Globe Press, ,
4. Rail Geelong: Cunningham Pier Line
5. Rail Geelong: Harbour Trust Sidings
6. DoI - THE REVIEW OF PORT REFORM IN VICTORIA
7. DoI - THE REVIEW OF PORT REFORM IN VICTORIA
8. REPORT relating to the proposed EAST COAST ARMAMENT COMPLEX POINT WILSON, VIC
9. DoI - THE REVIEW OF PORT REFORM IN VICTORIA