This is a timeline of major events in the history of the city of Geelong, Australia. 19th century 1802 – Lady Nelson enters Corio Bay 1803 – Escaped convict William Buckley living in area. 1835 – John Batman establishes base camp at Indented Head 1838 – Geelong township surveyed, Geelong population is 545. 1839 – First sale of Geelong town allotments 1839 – First postal mail between Geelong and Melbourne 1840 – First issue of the Geelong Advertiser newspaper is published 1845 – Geelong Keys discovered at Corio Bay 1849 – The Geelong town council is incorporated. 1850 – Geelong is the fifth largest town in Victoria. 1851 – Gold is found in the Mount Bunninyong district 1851 – Geelong population is 8,000 1853 – Geelong population is 22,000 1857 – Victoria's first country railway from Geelong to Melbourne is built 1859 – Thomas Austin releases 24 rabbits into the wild on his property 'Barwon Park' at Winchelsea just outside Geelong on Christmas Day, introducing the rabbit to Australia. 1862 – Geelong to Ballarat railway opens 1888 – First telephone exchange in Geelong opens 1890 – Geelong Cementworks Opens 20th century 1910 – Geelong officially becomes a city 1912 – Electric trams begin operation in Geelong 1912 – First automatic telephone exchange in the Southern Hemisphere opens in Geelong 1925 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership 1925 – Ford Motor Company plant opens at Norlane 1925 – Retail chain Target opens first store in Geelong 1926 – Geelong suburb Highton gets struck by tornado 1930 – 3GL radio station opens 1931 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership 1937 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership 1951 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership 1952 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership 1954 – Shell refinery opens at Corio 1956 – Electric trams cease operation in Geelong 1963 – Geelong Football Club wins premiership 1963 – Alcoa aluminum smelter opens at Point Henry 1983 – Ash Wednesday fires cause major damage at nearby coastal areas 1987 – National Wool Museum opens 1990 – First commercial FM Radio station K-Rock begins FM broadcasting 1990 – Pyramid Building Society collapse 1991 – HM Prison Geelong officially closes 21st century 2001 – Geelong population is 184,332 2002 – 23 May, Skilled Stadium hosts a visit from the Dalai Lama 2003 – Former mayor Frank De Stefano is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on fraud charges involving A$8.3