The Spirit of Tasmania moved its mainland terminal from Port Melbourne's Station Pier to Corio Quay in Geelong's North Shore in October 2022. The new berth at 1 Corio Quay Road sits ten kilometres north of the Geelong CBD, two kilometres east of the Princes Highway, and within a short drive of three pubs that work for ferry-passenger occasions: a pre-sailing dinner before the 7:30pm overnight crossing, a post-arrival meal after the 6:00pm evening landing, and — most usefully — a late-night option for the 6:30am morning arrival where most of Geelong is still closed.
The Sphinx Hotel on Thompson Road is the closest — five minutes south of the terminal, the only pub in the Geelong region trading until 4am every night of the week. Gateway Hotel Corio on the Princes Highway is eight minutes north — a bistro, indoor kids playground, on-site accommodation and TAB, also late-trading every night. Lara Hotel is fifteen minutes north on the highway — the community pub for Lara, useful as an outbound stop on the drive to Avalon Airport or back to Melbourne.
Spirit of Tasmania currently sails an overnight pattern in both directions: a 7:30pm departure landing 6:30am at the other end, plus seasonal day sailings from 9:30am that arrive around 6pm. The schedule shifts twice a year — confirm the exact 2026 timetable on the official Spirit of Tasmania site before planning around drinks. The late-arrival problem is real: a 6:30am landing in North Shore Geelong with luggage and no breakfast plan means most Geelong pubs are still six hours from opening. The Sphinx's 24-hour-ish trading window is the practical answer.
At a Glance — Pubs Near Corio Quay Terminal
| Venue | Drive From Terminal | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| The Sphinx Hotel | ~5 min · Thompson Rd | Late-night arrival · 10am–4am every day · bistro + accommodation |
| Gateway Hotel Corio | ~8 min · Princes Hwy | Pre-sailing family dinner · on-site rooms · kids playground |
| Lara Hotel | ~15 min · Hicks St, Lara | Outbound stop · halfway to Avalon Airport · beer garden |
Driving times are estimates from Corio Quay (1 Corio Quay Rd, North Shore) via Thompson Road and the Princes Highway in normal traffic. All three venues have on-site parking; rideshare from the terminal is reliable but limited at 6:30am — pre-booking a return trip on the way in is the safer move.
First Pub off the Boat — The Sphinx Hotel
The Sphinx Hotel
Five minutes south of the Corio Quay terminal — head out via Corio Quay Road, turn south on Princes Highway, exit at Thompson Road, and the Sphinx is unmissable. Fifteen metres of Egyptian sphinx out the front, Pharaoh's Bistro inside running classic pub meals with weekly specials, a sports bar with the biggest Geelong screens, and the Luxor Showroom for live music and functions. Sky Racing TAB, on-site accommodation and a Thirsty Camel bottle shop round out the offer.
The headline detail for ferry passengers is the trading hours: 10am to 4am, every day of the week. No other pub in the Geelong region holds those hours. For a 6:30am morning arrival, walking into a kitchen and bar that's still trading from the night before is the only practical pre-breakfast option in North Geelong. For a 7:30pm sailing, the Sphinx is the closest sit-down dinner with parking — twenty minutes from finishing the meal to checking in for boarding. On-site accommodation also makes it the practical "last night before the boat" hotel if the day-of-sailing drive doesn't suit. View listing → · Late-night pubs guide →
Family Pre-Sailing Dinner — Gateway Hotel Corio
Gateway Hotel
Eight minutes north of the terminal on the Princes Highway, the Gateway Hotel is Corio's one-stop venue — bistro open through the day, indoor kids playground, TAB, function rooms, parking, bottle shop, and accommodation units with free WiFi. Trading 10am to 4am every day, matching the Sphinx's late-night window. Four-and-a-half stars from 800-plus reviews.
The right pick for a pre-sailing dinner with kids: the indoor playground burns off the pre-overnight energy while parents finish a bistro meal, and the highway-side location means the drive to Corio Quay terminal is straightforward. On-site accommodation also handles the "drive to Geelong the night before" pattern — sleep at the Gateway, eight-minute drive to check-in in the morning for a day sailing. Free parking on site. View listing → · Family-friendly pubs guide →
Outbound Stop on the Drive Back — Lara Hotel
Lara Hotel
Fifteen minutes north of the terminal up the Princes Highway, the Lara Hotel on Hicks Street is the community pub for Lara — a growing outer suburb halfway between Geelong and Avalon Airport, with around 15,000 residents. Full bistro lunch and dinner seven days, sports bar, gaming lounge, beer garden for good weather, easy on-site parking. Open from 10am Monday through Saturday, 11am Sunday, with Wednesday through Saturday running to 1am.
The right pick as an outbound stop on the drive back to Melbourne: Lara is en route on the Princes Highway, the beer garden suits a daytime stretch after the overnight crossing, and the on-site parking handles the car-and-trailer combos that come off the Spirit. For a passenger booked on a connecting flight out of Avalon Airport (five minutes north of Lara on the highway), the Lara Hotel is the practical lunch stop between disembarking and checking in. View listing → · Lara suburb guide →
Plan Your Ferry Day
Three sailing-day patterns built around the three terminal-adjacent pubs.
Disembark Corio Quay at 6:30am. Drive five minutes south to the Sphinx Hotel — kitchen and bar still trading from the night before until 4am, reopens for the day's normal trade from 10am. The morning-arrival gap is roughly 4am to 10am; a coffee-and-breakfast stop from the on-site accommodation reception works through the gap, or push on to the Geelong CBD foreshore (twelve minutes south) where dawn cafes open from 7am. From the Sphinx, the drive to Melbourne is eighty minutes via the Princes Highway; to Avalon Airport is twenty minutes back north. Late-night pubs guide →
Check-in for boarding closes around 6:30pm. Gateway Hotel for a 5pm family dinner — indoor playground for kids, eight-minute drive to the terminal after, parking handled. Or for a couples-only sit-down, Sphinx Hotel Pharaoh's Bistro from 5pm, five minutes from the terminal. Either way the boarding window is comfortable without rushing the meal. The car-deck self-load means the practical departure from the pub is 6pm — fifteen minutes from finishing the plate to driving onto the boat. Family-friendly pubs guide →
Sail Devonport → Geelong overnight, spend the day in Geelong, sail back to Devonport overnight on the next 7:30pm. Morning landing at 6:30am: Sphinx Hotel for a long breakfast and to drop the car at the on-site accommodation if booked. Day in the Geelong CBD or down to the Bellarine — see the Day Trip guide for the foreshore + Pakington Street pattern. Evening back to Corio Quay via the Sphinx for a 5pm meal before the 7:30pm sailing. The Sphinx's 10am–4am every-day window covers the morning and evening bookends without changing venues. Day trip guide →
A popular Spirit-passenger itinerary: land Corio Quay at 6:30am, drive south down the Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay for the first overnight. Breakfast at the Sphinx Hotel (five minutes south, kitchen still trading from the night before), then west via the Princes Highway and the GOR through Torquay, Anglesea, Lorne, and arrive Apollo Bay around midday. Lunch and check-in at the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse at 29-35 Great Ocean Rd — Apollo Bay's "Top Pub" with on-site Prickly Moses brewery, two dog-friendly beer gardens, and accommodation upstairs. The Brewhouse is roughly two-and-a-half hours from Corio Quay terminal in normal traffic; a 6:30am landing has you on the foreshore for lunch with the afternoon free for the Cape Otway lighthouse or Twelve Apostles drive. Great Ocean Road Brewhouse → · Surf Coast & GOR pubs guide →
Also Worth Knowing
Norlane Hotel — Princes Highway, Norlane, ten minutes north of the terminal. Highway-side suburban pub with TAB and pokies, useful as an alternative to the Gateway for the same drive corridor. Closes earlier on Sunday so check the day before. Norlane Hotel →
Valley Inn Hotel — Bell Park, twelve minutes south of the terminal. Strong local bistro reputation, 4.3 stars from 1,100-plus reviews, on the Bell Park / North Geelong corridor away from the highway noise. Valley Inn Hotel →
Great Ocean Road Brewhouse — Apollo Bay, around two-and-a-half hours south of Corio Quay via the Great Ocean Road. Not "near" the terminal in driving terms, but the natural Spirit-passenger destination when the GOR drive is on the itinerary — on-site Prickly Moses brewery, two dog-friendly beer gardens, accommodation upstairs, and the Top Pub half of the Apollo Bay foreshore pair. Best paired with the overnight scenario above. Great Ocean Road Brewhouse → · Surf Coast & GOR pubs guide →
For a full Geelong CBD experience after the morning arrival, see the Geelong Day Trip from Melbourne guide — the foreshore, Pakington Street and the four station-walking CBD pubs all work as the daytime programme between an overnight Spirit landing and the next evening's sailing back. For passengers connecting through Geelong Station, a Sphinx breakfast then a fifteen-minute V/Line drop completes the no-car option.
Spirit of Tasmania Visitor Tips
- Confirm the sailing schedule on spiritoftasmania.com.au before booking dinner — Spirit shifts between overnight-only and day-plus-overnight patterns by season, and check-in for boarding closes 45 to 60 minutes before sailing. A 7:30pm sailing means cars off the road by 6:30pm.
- The terminal address is 1 Corio Quay Rd, North Shore VIC 3214 — not Station Pier or Port Melbourne. The mainland berth moved from Melbourne to Geelong in October 2022. GPS still occasionally routes to the old Port Melbourne pier; check the destination shows "Corio Quay" before driving.
- The Sphinx 4am close is the late-night answer for a 6:30am morning arrival — between 4am and 10am the immediate North Shore area has nothing else open. Pre-arrival options: book Sphinx accommodation for a sleep before the 6:30am landing, or push on to the Geelong CBD foreshore where dawn cafes open from 7am.
- Rideshare from Corio Quay at 6:30am is patchy — the terminal sits ten kilometres north of the Geelong CBD and Uber driver density is low at dawn. Pre-book a return trip from the Sphinx or Gateway if no car is on the booking.
- All three featured pubs have free on-site parking — the Spirit of Tasmania car deck takes most passengers' vehicles direct on the boat, so the airport-style hotel parking problem doesn't apply for car-on bookings. For foot passengers, the parking still suits a hire-car pickup at the pub.
- Avalon Airport is twenty minutes north of Corio Quay via the Princes Highway — a Spirit-and-Avalon combination (ferry from Tassie, flight to Sydney or Brisbane) is genuinely workable. The Lara Hotel sits halfway between the two for a lunch stop between disembarking and check-in.