While recent changes to the restriction levels in Victoria have made it possible to plan resumption of community halls operations, there are still significant restrictions in place.
Due to the above, it is not possible for the City to operate the 11 City-managed halls at full capacity. Therefore to ensure that the halls can be reopened there are some temporary changes in place to facilitate the reactivation of a limited service.
Operational changes include:
Booking changes include:
- weekend bookings currently unavailable
- only one hire per venue per day can be approved by the Booking Office
- decrease in venue capacity in line with prescribed density quotient
- submission and approval of a COVID Safe Work Plan prior to confirmation of booking requests (either Geelong City or Victorian Government templates accepted)
- limited ability to undertake set-ups at Geelong West Town Hall and Centenary Hall
While the above is regrettable, it is absolutely essential to ensure any community access can be made possible due to limited resources during the pandemic.
We greatly appreciate your understanding and patience as we continue our journey towards 'COVID normal'.
What is the maximum attendance allowed?
When addressing community facilities specifically (including halls), the Victorian Government advises that from 11:59 pm on Sunday 6 December 2020:
Record keeping is required for all community facilities no matter what density quotient is applied. For venues that use the two square metre rule, electronic record keeping must be used. Otherwise the four square metre rule applies where manual record keeping is used
To assist with electronic record keeping, we have implemented an electronic record keeping service
(QR code) at the entrance to our halls. The use of the Community Halls QR code will be a requirement as part of
your booking.
You must sign in using the QR code at the
beginning of your booking and ensure all participants have
their attendance recorded also. Failure to utilise the QR code service at the hall entry will mean you must revert to manual record keeping and reduced capacity as listed in below table:
| Hall |
Manual |
Electronic |
| Centenary Hall |
| Main hall (including middle section) |
86 |
172 |
| Supper room |
32 |
67 |
| Cobbin Homestead and Chapel |
| Homestead (lounge) |
10 |
21 |
| Homestead (library) |
5 |
10 |
| Homestead (sun room) |
14 |
29 |
| Homestead (meeting room) |
5 |
10 |
| Chapel |
26 |
53 |
| Cobradah Homestead |
| Main hall |
36 |
72 |
| Meeting room |
8 |
16 |
| Senior's room |
17 |
34 |
| Geelong West Town Hall |
| Main hall |
86 |
172 |
| Supper room |
32 |
67 |
| Lara Hall |
| Main hall |
49 |
99 |
| Senior's room |
14 |
29 |
| Newcomb Hall |
| Main hall |
49 |
99 |
| Meeting room |
14 |
29 |
| Portarlington Parks Hall |
| Main hall |
93 |
186 |
| Parkview room |
22 |
45 |
| Bayview room |
21 |
43 |
| Other halls |
| Marcus Hill Memorial Hall |
30 |
60 |
| Mount Duneed Hall |
11 |
23 |
| St Leonards Reserve Hall |
49 |
99 |
| Virginia Todd Hall |
30 |
60 |
Depending on the nature of your event, the hire space may be able to be considered as an indoor entertainment venue (theatres, cinemas, music and concert halls, auditoriums, arenas and stadiums), which will enable operation of 75% of capacity. Please contact the Booking Office if you believe this may apply to your booking.
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Hirer responsibility
It is the responsibility of the hirer to enforce all current government social-distancing measures among patrons attending their event.
The City accepts no responsibility for any breach of the above and will report any known instances to the relevant authorities. As above, COVID Safe Work Plan must submitted to [email protected] and approved prior to attending venue.
Please refer to our Hire conditions page for further information regarding COVID related responsibilities for hirers.
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Committee-managed halls
It is important to note that there are several halls operated by independent committees within the municipality. As these committees are comprised primarily of dedicated volunteers, they have the ability to determine their own operational and running requirements and may be able to provide more flexibility in order to meet your needs.
Please refer to our Committee-managed halls page for more information.
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Further information
Whether you are trying to complete the COVID Safe Questionnaire or trying to plan ahead, it can be tricky to know where to look for the most relevant information.
The recommended source of information can be found at the Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions page at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website. There are many useful documents available, particularly the Restricted Activity Directions which will outline the requirements for activities in community facilities.
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Opening hours
The Booking Office opening hours are currently 10:00am to 4:00pm. We are closed weekends and public holidays.
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Need to know more...
Please contact us at [email protected] for more any further information or clarification you may require.