Eastern Beach (Victoria) facts for kids
Eastern Beach is a super popular spot in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It's a great place for swimming and having fun right on the edge of Corio Bay.
This special beach was built in the 1930s. It has a big swimming area that keeps sharks out, a separate pool just for kids, a place to buy snacks (called a kiosk), and changing rooms. Many of the buildings here have a cool, old-fashioned design called Art Deco. Some of these buildings are even listed as important historical places!
How Eastern Beach Began
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Eastern Beach wasn't always the beautiful place it is today. A long time ago, this part of Geelong looked quite messy. There were steep cliffs along the bay.
In 1914, the City of Geelong council first suggested making the area better. They planned to build a long wall along the water. They also wanted to flatten the cliffs and create more land. Ideas for a special building, like the kiosk you see today, also came up.
Work finally started in September 1927. Builders began creating the concrete stairs, terraces, and changing sheds. This first part of the project opened on December 20, 1929. The Mayor of Geelong, Cr Solomon Jacobs, officially opened it.
The large, curved swimming area that keeps sharks out opened later, on March 28, 1939. The children's pool opened at the same time. This big swimming area was huge, covering about 8.5 acres! It could hold up to 10,000 swimmers at once. Making this whole area cost a lot of money, but the council thought it was a great investment for the city.
To help people get to the beach, a tram line was extended in October 1940. This made it easy for everyone to visit. However, the tram line closed in 1956, along with all the other trams in Geelong.
Eastern Beach Today
After the 1960s, fewer people visited Eastern Beach. More families had cars, so they could easily drive to other ocean beaches. Over time, the area started to look a bit run down.
But things changed in 1993! The City of Greater Geelong decided to fix up the whole area. People could even help pay for the repairs by buying a plank on the new boardwalk. The boardwalk and the swimming area were rebuilt. The children's pool, kiosk, and changing rooms were also made new again. A restaurant called The Beach House opened on the top floor of the kiosk building.
In the late 1990s, the original diving tower was put back in the swimming area. It had been gone for many years. The new tower looks a bit different from the old one. The very top level is now closed off to keep everyone safe.
These improvements were just the first step in making over the entire Waterfront Geelong area.
Today, Eastern Beach is a busy place for many events. Festivals and concerts are held here. It's also where the yearly Geelong Carols by the Bay concert takes place, hosted by Denis Walter.
