North Shore 3214 North Shore 3214

North Shore is an industrial and residential suburb adjoining Corio Bay, extending northwards form Cowies Creek, Geelong North to the Shell Oil Refinery at Corio.

In 1892 the North Shore area was subdivided as a residential area and bayside retreat. An esplanade and linear park were laid out and planted with trees, the remaining fragment now being Moorpanyal Park. A small jetty was constructed. Ten years later North Shore was a small holiday resort, but with a meat freezing works, a portent of future industrialisation.

In 1925 the Ford Motor Works were opened along with a phosphate works. The Corio distillery was opened three years later along with a Shell oil depot. A fellmongering works opened at about the same time. The mouth of Cowies Creek was excavated to become Corio Quay. In the postwar years International Harvester (1946) opened its plant near Ford's, and at the northern end of North Shore the Shell Oil refinery was built in 1952-3. Later factories included Coca Cola Bottlers, Pilkington Glass and BHP Steel processing mills. As well as having port facilities the industries had the Melbourne- Geelong railway line for freight carriage.

During the 1920s there were several land subdivisions in the Geelong area. One of them was "Fordtown", and the name was well enough accepted to appear on a 1923 Army Survey map.

To the west of the bayside industry residential areas were developed. The North Shore primary school was opened in 1926. It is in neighbouring Norlane, and underwent rapid growth from about 100 to 1,000 pupils between 1951 to 1955.

North Shore has a small residential area east of the railway station with a few neighbourhood shops. There are a Presbyterian church and a Missions to Seamen establishment.

North Shore's census populations have been 124 (1921) and 365 (1947).

---

❊ Web Links ❊

➼ North Shore 3214 






Update Page