East Geelong House - Mimosa Cottage

This cottage is an old red brick house near the centre of Geelong. It has two bedrooms, and a full bathroom. It has electric heating, hot water, cooling, and 2 locked doors at the entrance.

It can sleep 7 people, including a queen bed in each bedroom, a double sofa bed in the living room, and a single air mattress that can be placed anywhere there is floorspace available. When both the blockout roller blinds and blockout curtains are used, not much light can wake you up.

We also take extra care to disinfect frequently touched surfaces between reservations, in accordance with short stay industry guidelines. That is also why I have received 2 doses of Moderna COVID vaccine and opt for contact-less check in and out.

This quiet house is a good place to relax. The front door opens onto the front yard and parking area, which can also be seen from the kitchen. Due to the native plants bordering this property, you can often see a variety of native birds at any time of the year. There is also a bright yellow mimosa wattle tree, from which I've taken inspiration to paint the inside in a matching yellow shade.

It is easily accessible by car and within a short walk to public transport. This 2 bed, 1 bath, quiet, peaceful and secure garden cottage has a shower with a little tub. When both the blockout roller blinds and blockout curtains are used, not much light can wake you up. There is secure parking for vehicles behind the side gate, free parking on the property for another 2 vehicles in the driveway, and free on street parking for additional vehicles.

This home is minutes away from everything Geelong and the Bellarine peninsula has to offer. It is easily accessible by car and within a short walk to public transport. The nearest main intersection to this house is Boundary Road and the Bellarine Highway, around a 5min walk. The closest train station is at South Geelong, around a 25min walk.

This house is in the best location - walking distance to most of what you would need (e.g. restaurants and grocery shops) and within the proposed ring road extension (the Bellarine Link Project). We have free parking on the property and it is a 5min drive to the Geelong hospital and Geelong Central Business District (CBD) / downtown.

This house is only a 7 minute walk from the Geelong Showgrounds and Race Course and 45min walk from the CBD/Waterfront. It's a 25min walk to the Footie at the main open-air GMHBA stadium (Kardinia Park), to watch the local footie team, The Cats. Within easy reach of Surf Coast Highway and Great Ocean Road, and the Bellarine Highway to Queenscliff, the Bellarine Peninsula, and local wineries.

If you aren't able to drive, taxiing the 5 minutes is the easiest way to get into the CBD beach and main Geelong train station, which should cost around $25. Otherwise, you could catch one of the buses that run along the Bellarine Highway into town. Athletes who stay here often being their bikes to get around but there is currently free street parking in the evenings and on weekends in the CBD.

5 public busses run along the highway, 2 blocks uphill, and one bus route runs along St Albans Street downhill, around 2 blocks in the other direction. You will need credit on a MYKI travel card to take public transport.

Our cottage is also very conveniently located a stone's throw away from both Newcomb Central and Bellarine Village shopping centres, where you will find Woolworths and Aldi supermarkets, pharmacies, takeaway shops, 3 bottle shops, fast-food, bakeries, cafes, a laundrette, a post office, a lottery ticket kiosk and much more.

This home away from home is easily accessible from both of Melbourne's international airports. While it takes only 5 minutes to drive into downtown Geelong, it takes 45 minutes by car to Melbourne on a good run (outside of peak hours). It takes approximately 1hr to drive from the main Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne and 20min from the Avalon Airport near Lara.

There is a shuttle bus from the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport called Gull. It arrives at their office on McKillop St, which is a short cab ride away. The shuttle bus from Avalon airport is the Skybus, which arrives at the South Geelong Train Station nearby but has an odd schedule. This station is around a 20min walk from the house and there is a taxi rank out front of the main office. Most people have friends pick them up or rent a car from the airport.

The Geelong Showground is a few blocks away - so close we have friends who park at our place and walk during busy events such as the annual music concerts, the Geelong Show and the Beer Festival. The nearest swimming pool is Splashdown, a council-run recreation centre on Coppards Road. You can walk or cycle there along the Bellarine Rail Trail.

The Geelong Adventure Park (water park) is further along the Bellarine Highway and can be reached by public bus if you want your older kids to go off on their own. They will need a MYKI card to use the bus network, which can be purchased from any train station in Victoria or at the Public Transport Victoria (PTV) kiosk in the main shopping centre downtown.

A supermarket, pharmacy, bakery and coffee shop are also conveniently down the road from the cottage, in the other direction, toward the East Geelong park (containing the East Geelong Golf Club and the Geelong Conference Centre).

The Geelong Waterfront, shopping precinct and the new Geelong Conference Centre are in walking distance (3.5km). The Royal Geelong Yacht Club, marina and restaurant is in the centre of town, on the other side of the East Geelong Golf Club, flying-fox habitat, and the Geelong Botanical Gardens. The East Geelong shoreline also accommodates the beach volleyball area and the Giant Sky Wheel (that you can see from the highway when it's lit up after dark).

If you're interested in deep sea fishing, snorkelling and diving, the helpful people at Bay City Scuba are the ones to see. This meeting place and shop are located beside the East Geelong Butchers, at the Corio Bay end of Boundary Road, near the CSIRO tower. There are 2 nature conservation parks in Queenscliff - one for marine species and the other for local wildlife. The Werribee Open Range Zoo is located near Avalon Airport on the way to Melbourne.

The Geelong Museum, GPAC, and Art Gallery are located by the main Geelong Library, on the other side of Johnstone Park from the main Geelong Railway station. The Geelong Arena and Next Level Skirmish (laser tag) are near the North Geelong train station.

There are many places to antique shop in Geelong but of interest is the Mill Markets, located just a few blocks away, past ALDI along the Bellarine Highway. There is also a nice cafe inside the building.

We recommend tours of the nearby breweries, such as Little Creatures, and wineries toward the Great Ocean Road and the Bellarine peninsula, including Jack Rabbit, Leura Park and the Terindah Estate. There are also around 8 world-class beaches within around a 25 minute drive.

It is about 20min drive to the Surf Coast Highway and Great Ocean Road. The Australian National Surfing Museum is a 25min drive away, in Torquay. A further attraction is Sovereign Hill at Ballarat, which is around a 1.5hr drive away. There is also a great fairy castle in Anakie, on the way to the Anakie Gorge picnic and hiking area. Another good local hike is in the You Yang mountains, along the highway to Melbourne.

The closest movie theatre is Village Cinemas on Ryrie Street and the Readings Cinema is in the Waurn Ponds shopping centre. There are various cafes, beauty salons and restaurants around this and neighbouring suburbs. I like to rely on Google Maps to explore new places.

This house is a 7min drive / 15min bike ride / 25min walk to Geelong’s Kardinia Park Stadium, that will host T20 cricket matches as part of the Victoria 2026 games. It is around 5min drive from the Splashdown Pool and Recreation Centre. It is a 7min drive to the Geelong Yacht Club and Eastern Beach Park (beach volleyball, triathlons) near the Geelong harbour. It is around a 10min drive to the YMCA gymnastics centre in West Geelong and a 20min drive to the Geelong Arena in North Geelong.

Please let us know if there is anything else you would find useful to include in the next upgrade and leave the home in the same condition as when you arrived.