ABSTRACT: Over 80% of the Australian population lives in the coastal zone. A critical part of managing urban growth in this zone is planning for the expansion of our coastal-based cities. This is particularly challenging given the intergovernmental arrangements for the Australian coastal environment (Norman 2005). The theme of the paper is the governance of growing city regions located on the coast. The purpose of the paper is to gain an overall understanding of the history of regional governance of Geelong. The paper begins by exploring the influence of urban governance arrangements on the development of the Geelong region and the degree to which they have laid a foundation for managing future urban growth. Since the 1960’s, the Geelong region has had a varied history in terms of urban governance including local councils, the Geelong Regional Planning Authority, the Geelong Regional Commission, the Greater Geelong Council and a more recent initiative in cooperative regionalism ‘G21’. During the same period, the City of Geelong and its regional hinterland has experienced significant urban growth.