CEO video – BWC Update

Welcome to the Barwon Women’s and Children’s (BWC) end-of-year wrap.

As 2025 closes, we’re reflecting on a milestone year of construction and planning for this major health project.

The year began with the sod-turn event marking the start of works on the BWC tower and Bellerine West Building. Builders soon moved into earthworks and foundations, excavating 20,000 cubic metres of soil – enough to fill eight Olympic pools.

In April, the new Endoscopy and Day Procedure Unit opened at the Youang Surgery Centre, enabling the demolition of the Gretta Volum Centre and paving the way for the new women’s and children’s specialist clinics.

July brought another major milestone with the arrival of 100-metre cranes, celebrated through the Name the Crane initiative honouring local health pioneers Aunty Athalie Madden and Dr Kym Anderson.

Community and staff engagement continued throughout the year, including design showcases and information sessions to share new designs which were informed by more than 600 community ideas. Local students also helped brighten the construction site with artwork displayed on the hoardings.

As we head into 2026, the project will rapidly take shape. More than 248,000 hours have already been worked, with up to 1,500 workers expected on site at peak construction.

The Barwon Women’s and Children’s project is the largest health infrastructure development in Geelong’s history and will deliver significantly improved facilities for our staff and community. Thank you for your patience as construction continues – I look forward to sharing further updates in the year ahead.