Victoria's Barwon South West region

Barwon South West is home to the largest economy of Victoria's rural and regional areas, bringing together the Barwon and Great South Coast regions.

It stretches from Geelong — Victoria’s biggest regional city — through to the tip of the Queenscliff Heads and along the picturesque Great Ocean Road coastline to the South Australian border.

The region attracts millions of visitors annually to gems like the Bellarine Peninsula, Shipwreck Coast, the Twelve Apostles and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Budj Bim Cultural Landscape.

The region is also one of Victoria’s most connected and economically diverse areas, with significant road, rail, sea and air connections. These link it to Melbourne and other Australian capitals such as Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, as well as global markets.

Barwon South West is home to:

Melbourne Avalon Airport
Regional airports at Warrnambool, Portland and Hamilton
GeelongPort
deep-water port in Portland
Victoria’s Spirit of Tasmania Terminal
the Sorrento to Queenscliff Ferry
Docklands ferry service to Geelong and Portarlington.

As Victoria’s second-largest city, Geelong is a major centre for advanced manufacturing, defence, food processing, health, education and professional services.

A highly skilled workforce is driving the growth of professional services in Geelong, supported by significant government investment in the city’s social insurance hub. This strength is reinforced by the presence of major state and federal government agencies, including the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), WorkSafe Victoria and the Transport Accident Commission (TAC).

Barwon South West also boasts:

a strong innovation ecosystem
a range of higher-education and training facilities
a thriving agri-food supply chain.

These assets make Barwon South West an ideal location to live, work and invest.

Regional statistics

The region is home to more than 461,000 Victorians.
In terms of gross regional product, Barwon South West contributes more than $33 billion to the Victorian economy each year.
There are more than 237,000 workers employed across the region — an increase of more than 13% since 2019.

Major regional industries

Barwon South West is home to strong manufacturing clusters, particularly in advanced fibres and materials, which have transformed it into a high value-added, low-volume manufacturing hub. The region is also building capability in the circular and clean economy such as sustainable fuels and materials production. By sharing knowledge, technology, skills and expertise, these clusters foster collaboration that drives innovation, efficiency, and regional competitiveness.

Regional business clusters include:

Geelong Manufacturing Council
Advanced Fibre Cluster Geelong
Deakin ManuFutures and REACH (Recycling & Clean Energy Commercialisation Hub)
Hycel Technology Hub at Deakin Warrnambool
Regional Renewable Organics Network
Food and Fibre Great South Coast
G21 Agri-collective.

The region is also home to various large and international companies across multiple sectors including energy and resources, manufacturing and engineering, agribusiness and food processing, pharmaceuticals, timber and forestry, logistics, and retail. These include:

Viva Energy
Alcoa - Portland Aluminium
Cotton On Group
Boundary Bend/Cobram Estate
Hanwha Defence Australia
Porthaul
Midfield Meat International
Sun Pharmaceuticals
AKD - Integrated Forestry and Timber Processing
Godfrey Hirst
Prince Engineering
Saputo
Bega
Fonterra
Provico.

Barwon South West features three of Victoria’s high performing regional tourism regions, the Great Ocean Road, Geelong and the Bellarine.

The world-famous Great Ocean Road, the Otways and the Twelve Apostles attract millions of tourists each year to enjoy some of Victoria’s most iconic scenes. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Budj Bim Cultural Landscape provides opportunity to learn about First Nations history and ingenuity.

Many of our visitor destinations along the Great Ocean Road are being uplifted through the Geelong City Deal, including developments at Lorne’s Point Grey, Kennett River and Apollo Bay Harbour.

The creation of a new Visitor Experience Centre at the Twelve Apostles will be the gateway to the surrounding coast and change how visitors experience this world-famous Australian destination.

The opening of the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre in 2026 will further boost Geelong and the Bellarine as a popular visitor destination enhanced by a vibrant food and beverage scene including renowned wineries and restaurants.

Regional strengths and opportunities

Barwon South West is a powerhouse for agriculture and food production, with fertile soils and efficient supply chains supporting leading producers in dairy, beef, lamb, grains, forestry and seafood.

South West Victoria is also part of the Green Triangle Regional Forestry Hub, the largest plantation forestry resource in the southern hemisphere covering a geographical area that includes the towns of Portland, Hamilton, Casterton, Dartmoor and Heywood.

Geelong is a major centre for advanced manufacturing, defence, food processing, health, education and professional services.

These are supported by a strong innovation ecosystem and high performing education and training providers, including Gordon TAFE and Deakin University.

The region has a growing renewable energy sector derived from the combination of wind, solar, and emerging bioenergy generation. It is also home to Victoria’s largest battery storage facility and is part of the proposed South West Renewable Energy Zone.

Industrial precincts

Regional Development Victoria will be delivering the Trunk Infrastructure Fund in support of the Economic Growth Statement. To learn more about this upcoming program, visit the Trunk Infrastructure Fund.

Barwon South West is home to a network of major industrial precincts that are supported by direct access to key national transport corridors. These precincts boost local industry growth and attract new businesses to the region.

The region’s industrial precincts include:

Avalon Airport Employment Precinct
Greater Avalon Employment Precinct (GAEP)
North Geelong Industrial Precinct (including Geelong Port)
Black Rock Circular Economy Precinct
Geelong Future Economy Precinct
Portland North Employment Precinct
Horne Road Warrnambool
Camperdown Production Precinct
Hamilton Business Park.

Liveability

With its proximity to Melbourne incorporating Geelong as Victoria’s second largest city, abundant access to nature and beaches, Barwon South West offers opportunities to live, work and invest.

Barwon South West is highly regarded as a centre for excellence in education and is home to 3 Deakin University campuses, the Deakin Queenscliff Marine Science Centre and a range of TAFE and training instituitions. Quality government and independent schools are available at primary and secondary level, and Study Geelong provides support, welcome activities and a popular ambassador program for international students in the region.

This is supporting the development of a skilled, local workforce to support economic growth – now and into the future.

Barwon South West hosts many significant events, including the Port Fairy Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, the longest running surfing contest on the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro, and the world’s largest organised swim, the Lorne Pier to Pub. The region is also home to Kardinia Park alongside a wide range of community sporting facilities, which offer pathways through all levels of sport for local and regional athletes.

Barwon South West is home to creative communities of artists and galleries, with Geelong designated as Australia’s first UNESCO City of Design. The Geelong Arts Centre is a popular destination for local and touring artists, while the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre is set to bring significant visitation to the region.

The Warrnambool and Geelong Art Galleries are amongst the oldest regional art galleries in Australia established in 1886 and 1896. The Hamilton Gallery has one of regional Australia’s most important and unique art collections

With a skilled workforce, diverse economy and varied geography that suits a range of energy, food and fibre, advanced manufacturing and clean economy industries, Barwon South West offers a broad range of opportunities for investors.

Municipalities

Barwon South West is home to:

Regional Economic Development Strategy

Victoria's Regional Economic Development Strategies (REDS) identify strategic directions to further drive growth and prosperity in regional Victoria. Providing a consistent, evidence-based framework for understanding Victoria’s regional economies, the REDS can help public and private entities achieve stronger outcomes for their region.

Learn more about the Regional Economic Development Strategies.