January 26th marks the foundation of Australia by Captain Arthur Phillip of the British Navy. It’s a time “where the people of Australia come together to celebrate what’s great about Australia and being Australian.” (Source: Australia Day)

To celebrate, we headed southwest out to Geelong, 73 kilometers from Melbourne. Everybody seemed to have the same idea, since the freeway had long lines of cars and when we were nearing the Geelong exit, we slowed to a crawl. My first Australian traffic jam!

What can I say about Geelong? We stayed mainly near the bay, but it’s a lovely place to escape the city for a day. Seeing that it’s only about an hour away by train from the CBD, going there to take in the gorgeous views of the sea and the horizon is a great way to de-stress.

Since it’s Australia Day (and a long weekend), there’s a lot of entertainment and activities set up to keep everybody happy. A ferris wheel, kiddie rides, bazaars (nothing to write home about, unfortunately. Maybe I’m just spoiled by Manila’s tiangge, street performers and even camel rides!

The Australian flag was also a favorite accessory today. Flags used as a cape, hats and caps with the same design, even temporary tatoos.

More on Geelong next time (as I’m planning on coming back for a day trip). Until then, here are some of my Geelong photos: