About This Guide
Most beer garden guides stop at October. This one starts at May. Geelong's cooler months run May through August, and a number of venues have invested in covered outdoor areas, patio heaters, and all-weather structures specifically to keep outdoor drinking viable through winter. This guide covers six of them — venues where the outdoor space is still operational when it's cold, not just pushed to the side until September.
Heating availability can change based on staff numbers, weather conditions, and event bookings. Calling ahead in May–August to confirm the outdoor area is set up is always worth the 30 seconds. All venue details are verified as of May 2026.
Geelong Winter Outdoor Spaces at a Glance
| Venue | Location | Outdoor Space | Winter Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen of the West | Geelong West | 700sqm all-weather courtyard | All-weather structure + heaters |
| Sailors' Rest | Geelong Waterfront | Rooftop + heated lounge bar | Rooftop heaters + indoor fire |
| The Telegraph Hotel | Geelong West | Award-winning rooftop terrace | Covered rooftop + heaters |
| Belmont Hotel | Belmont | 1920s art-deco rooftop | Rooftop heaters + views |
| Blackman's Brewery | Torquay | Spritzville covered garden | Covered structure year-round |
| Barwon Heads Hotel | Barwon Heads | Coastal covered garden | Covered areas + coastal setting |
Queen of the West
126 Pakington St, Geelong West · Full listing →
The Queen of the West's 700sqm outdoor garden is the largest pub outdoor space in Geelong, and it's explicitly marketed as all-weather — meaning the structure overhead is there regardless of the forecast. Patio heaters run through winter when the space is open for service. The wood-fired pizza oven helps too, though that's more about the food than the temperature.
The garden runs alongside the main bar and restaurant. All-day dining from midday on Friday through Sunday. Live music most Saturday evenings. The garden fills up on AFL weekend afternoons, so booking ahead or arriving early is the move if you want a spot outdoors.
Sailors' Rest
3 Moorabool St, Geelong Waterfront · Full listing →
Sailors' Rest runs a different pitch for winter: the rooftop stays open with heaters, but the heated lounge bar with its fire and waterfront windows is the stronger cold-weather option. 4.5 stars from over 2,200 reviews — the highest-rated waterfront pub in Geelong. The lounge menu runs alongside the main bistro, with a seafood-focused kitchen and a considered cocktail list.
The view from the rooftop is the same in winter as summer — Corio Bay doesn't change with the season. What changes is how long you want to stay out there. The lounge bar solves that problem: warm, bay-facing, and genuinely comfortable for an evening that runs long.
The Telegraph Hotel
2 Pakington St, Geelong West · Full listing →
The Telegraph Hotel's rooftop has won awards, and for a reason — it sits at the top of the Pakington Street hill with a view down the strip and across Geelong West. The rooftop terrace is covered and heated for winter. 4.4 stars from over 1,000 reviews. Modern Australian food, craft beer selection, a kitchen that handles dietary requirements well.
The Telegraph runs four distinct spaces inside, so if the rooftop gets cold there are genuinely warm alternatives one floor down. Good option for a group that can't agree on whether to be inside or outside — the building handles both without compromise.
Belmont Hotel
77 High St, Belmont · Full listing →
The Belmont Hotel sits in a 1920s art-deco building and its rooftop beer garden is the standout feature. Heaters run through winter. This is the east-of-the-river option for Geelong — 10 minutes from town, with a local crowd that has used this rooftop for decades. Live music on Friday and Saturday evenings from 4pm.
Happy hour runs 4–5:30pm on Friday (same pricing as the popular Saturday session — $10 pints, $10 cocktails, $8 wines). If you're crossing the bridge for a winter afternoon session, the rooftop in the late afternoon with the Geelong skyline behind you is worth the drive.
Blackman's Brewery
26 Bell Street, Torquay · Full listing →
Blackman's Brewery in Torquay runs a covered outdoor garden they call Spritzville — designed from the start as an all-season outdoor space, not just a summer overflow area. Fresh-brewed beer from their on-site tanks, wood-fired pizza, and a beer garden that's 500 metres from the Torquay surf beach. Open seven days from 12pm.
The Torquay drive (45 minutes from Geelong CBD) adds a different quality to the outing. If you want a winter beer garden that doesn't feel like you're huddled against the cold in a city backyard, the Torquay setting makes a difference. Blackman's is also dog-friendly on leash in the garden area.
Barwon Heads Hotel
1 Hitchcock Ave, Barwon Heads · Full listing →
The Barwon Heads Hotel sits at the mouth of the Barwon River with covered outdoor garden areas that work through the cooler months. Open from 10am on weekends — earlier than most pubs in Geelong, which makes it the right call for a long winter Saturday that starts at lunch and ends at the waterfront. Full bistro with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options on every menu section.
The Bellarine Peninsula location adds 30 minutes to a Geelong run (via the Princess Highway rather than the coast road for better winter driving), but Barwon Heads is small and quiet in the cooler months — meaning a table outdoors in mid-May feels genuinely like you've left the city rather than just crossed the river.
Planning a Winter Outdoor Session
The Pakington Street Double — Geelong West rooftops
Start at The Telegraph Hotel for a late afternoon drink on the covered rooftop (warm up inside first if needed, then take the table outside once the heaters are running). Walk 800 metres up Pakington Street to Queen of the West for the 700sqm all-weather garden and the kitchen. The two venues cover the full length of Pakington Street's best section and give you two different outdoor formats in one evening.
Waterfront without the cold — Sailors' Rest lounge
Sailors' Rest in winter is the lounge bar, not the rooftop. Fire on, menu running, waterfront view from inside. If you want the rooftop experience in May, it's there with heaters. If the temperature drops below 12 degrees, the lounge bar is the right call — same view, same kitchen, considerably warmer. Either way: from 11am, seven days.
Bellarine Peninsula winter drive — Barwon Heads or Torquay
On a clear winter Saturday, the Bellarine Peninsula drive is 45 minutes and changes the character of the afternoon entirely. Pick one: Barwon Heads Hotel for the coastal village setting and the Barwon River mouth, or Blackman's Brewery Torquay for the Spritzville covered garden and 500m beach walk before a drink. Both have kitchens. Neither requires a booking for small groups in winter. Check the weather forecast — coastal wind in Geelong's cooler months is the one factor that changes the outdoor equation regardless of heater capacity.
Winter Outdoor Drinking — Six Tips
- Call ahead in May–August to confirm the outdoor area is set up for service. Heaters require staffing decisions and don't always go on for small bookings mid-week.
- Friday 4–6pm is the premium window — after-work crowds, heaters likely running, happy hour pricing at Belmont and Sailors' Rest.
- Wind matters more than temperature in winter. Geelong's bay-facing venues (Sailors' Rest, Queen of the West waterfront) can be cold on westerly days regardless of heaters. Face-of-building covered spaces (Telegraph Hotel rooftop, Belmont rooftop) are generally more sheltered.
- Blackman's Brewery Torquay and Barwon Heads Hotel are best on still winter days. Torquay wind off the beach is a different proposition to Geelong city wind.
- Book for groups of 6+. Winter service staffing is leaner and good outdoor tables go fast on weekends even in the cooler months.
- Bring a layer. Even with heaters, a covered outdoor space in May is not an indoor space. The pubs listed here are genuinely heated — they're not just leaving the heaters off and hoping for the best — but outdoor is outdoor.
Also Worth Knowing
Petrel Hotel (Pakington St, Geelong West) — Heritage beer garden dating to 1849. Not a covered space, but the garden has a character that's different from the newer fit-outs. Worth it on a still winter afternoon.
Edge Geelong (Eastern Beach Rd, Waterfront) — Outdoor deck with Corio Bay views. Open from 8am Sunday. No permanent heater infrastructure on the deck, but the sheltered position makes it usable in winter more often than the forecast suggests.
Best Beer Gardens in Geelong — for the full outdoor picture in summer, the beer gardens guide covers six venues with an outdoor-first perspective.