Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre celebrates major milestone

An 11-storey high Crowne Plaza hotel to accompany Geelong’s new convention centre has reached the highest point of construction. CHECK OUT THE VIEW.

Construction of the Crowne Plaza hotel at the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre has reached its highest point. Picture: Alan Barber.

Progress on what will become Geelong’s largest hotel is ahead of schedule, with construction of the Crowne Plaza reaching its highest point.

The major milestone was celebrated with a “topping out” ceremony on Wednesday at the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre precinct.

The event involved a symbolic lifting of a tree onto the roof to signify the building, located at 80 Western Beach Rd, hitting its apex at around 40m.

The view from the Crowne Plaza roof. Picture: Alan Barber.

Members from developer Plenary Group were joined on the by Victorian Regional Development Minister Gayle Tierney, Corangamite MP Libby Coker, and Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj to observe the site, which is anticipated to open in 2026.

The $449m project is supported by both the federal and state government, as well as Geelong council as part of the Geelong City Deal.

Ms Tierney said that she was confident that the arrival of the 200-room hotel and convention centre would both boost tourism and lure businesses to the area.

“In terms of heavy hitters in the private investment sector, they will know that this is a no-brainer … and it will be a matter of competition as to who gets in first,” she said.

The centre has already attracted about $250 million in investment.

Ms Coker described the project as a game changer.

“The population of this region is significantly growing and we need facilities like this to draw people here and continue to provide opportunities to enjoy the region,” she said.

The view from the Crowne Plaza roof. Picture: Alan Barber

However, one piece of infrastructure that will complete the precinct is yet to get off the ground.

A $130m mixed-use development that sits adjacent to the convention centre is sitting idle as Plenary Group look for prospective tenants to move in.

Chief investment officer Paul Crowe said they were exploring options to advance this.

“We will be hoping to make some announcements on that next year as to how we are going to progress that site,” he said.

The experience of attendees attending the convention centre or hotel, both of which will be completed before the other site, will not be impacted by future construction, Mr Crowe said.

“We’ve been quite careful in the planning around the site and how … people traverse around it,” he said.

Originally published as Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre celebrates major milestone