'Not the sleepy hollow it used to be': Lifestyle, jobs lure Melburnians to Geelong

Geelong’s growing reputation as both a professional and creative hub is drawing thousands of Melburnians away from the big smoke to take advantage of job opportunities within a thriving coastal community.

The regional city’s net population growth was the fourth highest outside Australia’s capital cities last year, with 4507 more people now calling Geelong home, according to ABS statistics.

“It’s not the sleepy hollow it used to be,” says Villarosa Real Estate principal David Villarosa. “A lot of the people I deal with are corporates in middle to senior management roles.”

Big business

Geelong Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ben Flynn said the arrival of the WorkSafe Victoria head office and the national office for the National Disability Insurance Scheme over the past three years provided a boost to the population, with these agencies supported by more than 2000 employees.

Geelong is also one of the country’s foremost manufacturing centres and home to a diverse group of players, from Godfrey Hirst carpets to Rip Curl surfwear, Carbon Nexus and oil refinery Viva Energy Australia.

Combined with Federal Mills, the city’s innovation precinct, Geelong offers opportunities for a huge cross-section of workers and Flynn says lots of great employers are competing with Melbourne for staff, which helps to keep salaries on par with city operators.

Group marketing manager Flynn and his psychologist wife Marnie moved to Geelong from inner-city Richmond seven years ago, keen for their young family to grow up in a regional area.

“We are both originally from the country and we wanted to get out of the city,” he says. “We’re outdoors people and Geelong has really good access to surfing, snorkelling and diving. We’re both professionals and we found that there were jobs for people like us: we didn’t need to sacrifice our careers.”

Time out

When you’re ready for downtime, Geelong provides plenty of entertainment, wining, and dining options including annual events like the Winter Shiraz Weekend coming up in July and the Toast to the Coast festival in November.

Head to Pakington Street in Geelong West any day of the week for great coffee, cafes, restaurants and bars, says Villarosa, or visit the local wineries.

And if you’re hunting for high-end real estate, Villarosa says you’ll find prestige homes in Highton, Newtown, Geelong West, Manifold Heights and along the coast.

Top home in the area

With ceilings that soar up to 6.6 metres, polished concrete floors and a kitchen that boasts a four-metre island bench, this modern family home is impressive in both scale and quality.

There are two living rooms, one opening to a covered deck and pool, and a palatial master bedroom with its own private deck.

Villarosa Real Estate have the listing, which is being marketed with a $1.58 million price guide.