The Geelong city centre is a locality surrounded by the Geelong metropolitan area. It is also referred to as the Geelong CBD, Central Geelong, or the Central Activities Area, and informally simply as "town" by locals. The name of the area is officially gazetted as Geelong.
It is the oldest part of Geelong and includes many of the city's historic landmarks such as the Geelong Town Hall, St. Mary of the Angels Basilica, the T & G Building, Johnstone Park, Geelong railway station, and the old Geelong Post Office.
The area is one of Geelong's major shopping districts. Two shopping malls, Westfield Geelong and Market Square Shopping Centre, have been opened in the last three decades, which has led to a decline in strip shopping on the city's two main thoroughfares, Moorabool Street and Ryrie Street, resulting in a declining number of customers and some empty shops.
The city centre is also a cultural area for the region, housing the Geelong Art Gallery and the Geelong Arts Centre, as well as the Deakin University waterfront campus. Tourist attractions include the Waterfront Geelong, Eastern Beach, and the National Wool Museum.