Located on Limeburner’s Bay on the northern shoreline of Corio Bay is one of Australia’s most magnificent buildings and one of the world’s finest and most renowned schools, the Geelong Grammar School.
The Grammar School itself was founded in 1855 but the magnificent red brick and cloistered buildings of the Corio campus date back to 1912. The buildings were designed by Gerard Wight and Phillip Hudson after winning an architectural competition for the school. The Medieval Revival Style buildings are beautifully set in lush grounds with extensive landscaped lawns and other beautiful buildings including the All Saints Chapel with its incredible pipe organ. The school moved from its Maude Street location in South Geelong to the new Corio site in 1914.
Interestingly, prior to the move from Central Geelong to Corio, the school purchased some rural land to the south of the Barwon River. A change of plans led the school to move to its current Corio location and put up the previously purchased land for sale. The unwanted land was sold and became part of a residential subdivision that we now know as Belmont.
Along with the Corio campus there are 3 other campus’s that make up Geelong Grammar including a Toorak Campus, Bostock House in Newtown and Timbertop in the Victorian Alps. While the school’s Alumni includes many well-known people from business, media and sports industries, the best known former student may be Prince Charles who spent a year at the Timbertop campus.
The Geelong Grammar School hosts a range of special events during the year including the Chryslers By The Bay show and shine event held every March on the lush lawns of the property.