The Carousel

The Carousel’s backstory reads like something out of a film. Manufactured by the Armitage-Herschell company in New York around 1892, it spent time operating in New York before being shipped out to Australia. It then spent decades as a working amusement ride at Mordialloc Pier from roughly the 1920s through to the 1950s, before being dismantled and left to deteriorate in a field near Echuca. From there it was sold at auction, stored in Castlemaine, and eventually purchased by a vintage car restorer — who, with the backing of the Victorian Government and the City of Greater Geelong, brought it home for one of the most painstaking restoration projects on the waterfront.

The numbers behind that restoration are extraordinary. Twenty-four of the 36 horses are original, hand-carved by the American master Charles Dare, and each one took around 300 hours to restore. Researchers had to scrape back forty layers of paint just to rediscover the original colour scheme, and the restored horses even carry real, preserved horsehair tails. The brass sleeves and cranks on the horse poles are original too, hand-repaired rather than replaced.

The carousel finally reopened in its new pavilion on 14 October 2000, designed by McGlashan Everist as a striking steel-framed glass box topped with six umbrella-shaped roof sections — now considered a landmark of the Geelong waterfront redevelopment in its own right. The artwork circling the carousel draws on the King Arthur legend, and if you look closely at each panel you’ll spot a hidden Holy Grail tucked into the design. The music comes from a band organ that’s part-original, part-replica, giving the whole pavilion that unmistakable old carnival sound.

The original steam engine that once powered the carousel before it switched to electric power in the 1920s now sits on display too — tracked down in Sydney and restored, it’s believed to be one of only five surviving units of its kind anywhere in the world.

The pavilion is open year-round and entry is free, with a small charge to actually ride. It’s become a genuine community fixture as much as a tourist attraction — popular for kids’ birthday parties, wedding photos, and even full wedding ceremonies, all set against the backdrop of Corio Bay.