Kardinia Park is the main public park in the southern part of the of Geelong. There is a range of sporting venues including the main Australian Football League stadium, a secondary football stadium, a cricket pitch, an outdoor swimming pool, netball courts, a variety of sports clubs and a Retirement Centre.
Kardinia Park was established in 1872. Originally known as "The Plain Chilwell", it covered an area of 24 hectares. By 1911, the park had two football stadiums, one on the west side and one on the east side. In 1941, Geelong Football Club began using the east stadium for their games, as its home ground, Corio Stadium, was occupied by the military. Interestingly, today the Corio Stadium is still under the control of military units.
In the mid-1960s, an outdoor pool complex was opened in the park, which, however, is only open during the warmer months of the year. There are a total of five pools: one for infants, one for older children, two 50-metre pools with 8 lanes and a diving pool with springboards at a height of 1 and 3 metres. In the 1980s, a water slide was added to the complex, which is also is only open during the summer months. Swimming competitions are often held here of various levels. In 2005, the complex underwent extensive renovations at a cost to the city of $4.4 million.
