Hop onboard a vessel serving barista-made coffee to glide across Port Phillip Bay, skirting the Bellarine Peninsula, and arrive smack-bang on the city’s waterfront next to the historic carousel to begin your exploration with a flourish.

In the 1990s, artist Jan Mitchell was commissioned to transform reclaimed timber pier pylons into works of art that represent the rich history of Geelong.

Find over 100 of these colourful characters – each one depicting a different person integral to the story of Geelong – dotted bayside between the suburb of Rippleside and Limeburners Point.

From the Barcode Fountain, found near the waterside bar Edge, which depicts the barcode of one of Geelong’s iconic exports, Noddy’s soft drinks, to the nearby Cargo Boxes by Maggie Fookes and Bill Perrin that are packed with curiosities symbolising the various goods that arrived in Geelong by water during the days of early settlement.

Highlighted by the Geelong Gallery next door to the city’s vibrant regional art gallery is its most architecturally striking building: the futuristic dome-shaped Geelong Library and Heritage Centre.

And across the road is the Geelong Performing Arts Centre is a hub of theatre, music and drama for the region. On the culinary front, don’t miss The Arborist, Geelong Cellar Door or The Continental, to name just a few.

View two important Geelong identities cheek-by-jowl on Denny’s Place by artists Glen Smith and Cam Scale respectively: the late Australian singer, songwriter and actress Chrissy Amphlett and Willem Baa Nip (King Billy), a well-respected Wadawurrung (Wathaurung) man who became spokesperson and negotiator between his own mob and European settlers.

Other key works in town include a Moi-Yo Miller mural by Michael Cassar a couple of minutes away on the junction of James Street and Minns Lane (Geelong-born Miller travelled the world as Dante the Magician’s assistant in the 1930s and was considered the most beautiful woman in the world) and, eight minutes’ walk away at 65 Brougham Street, The Unknown Mariner by Cam Scale, in tribute to Geelong’s maritime history.

Here you’ll discover a dazzling collection of Australian and European painting, sculpture, printmaking and decorative arts dating from the 18th century to today.

Boom Gallery showcases the work of local, interstate and international creatives and also acts as a multi-faceted cultural hub in the community.

Check out its revolving exhibitions and browse the shop for unique mementos of your time here: from original artworks to handcrafted ceramics and jewellery.

It takes around 2.5 hours to cycle one way and boasts wildflowers and coastal and countryside views aplenty.

It’s Australia’s largest museum dedicated to wool and showcases the region’s wool story, tracing the birth of the industry in the 1840s through to the present day.

This restored 1870s bluestone complex harks back to the early beginnings of Geelong’s industrial era. Today it serves as an emerging arts and cultural precinct that houses an art gallery, studios, a handcrafted homewares store and a boutique winery, Provenance Wines.