At a glance
- Where
- Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre, corner of Colac Road and Pioneer Road, Waurn Ponds, about seven kilometres from central Geelong
- Parking
- Free. About 1,900 spaces, including free three-hour spaces in front of the mall (white lines) and free all-day spaces at the rear and along Pioneer and Colac roads (yellow lines)
- Centre hours
- Monday to Thursday 9am to 5:30pm, Friday 9am to 9pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm
- Santa photos
- 21 November to 24 December, in front of Target; Sensitive Santa sessions for children with sensory needs; pet photos after closing
- Who it’s for
- Anyone driving to Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre, or planning Santa photos with children or pets
- What to do now
- The centre’s pages explain the white and yellow parking lines and link to Santa session bookings
- Last checked
- Monday 9 November 2026, against the centre’s Getting Here, Trading Hours, About and Santa photo pages
- Not yet confirmed
- Christmas trading hours: the trading hours page shows only the regular week, with no December dates
Parking at Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre is free, with a three-hour limit in the spaces in front of the mall and no time limit in the yellow-lined spaces at the rear. The centre trades until 9pm on Fridays, and its Santa photos run from 21 November to 24 December. This guide uses only the centre’s own pages, read on 9 November 2026.
Where do I park, and is it free?
The centre says it provides 1,900 car spaces and that parking is free. It describes two kinds of space:
| Space | Where | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| White-lined | In front of the shopping mall | Free for three hours |
| Yellow-lined | At the rear of the centre, behind Reading Cinemas and the Coles and Kmart loading docks, and in spaces next to the car park fence along Pioneer Road and Colac Road | Free all day |
Disabled spaces are near all the centre’s entrances, and parents-with-prams spaces are near the Coles and Kmart entrances. The centre refers to a car park plan on its website for more detail.
What happens if I stay longer than three hours?
The centre says the three-hour limit is there so that all customers get a fair amount of time and spaces stay available through the day. It says the arrangement is endorsed by Secure Park, which monitors the three-hour terms along with loading bays, disability bays and no-standing areas. Anyone who breaks the three-hour limit is issued a Non-Compliance Breach Notice, which is to be paid to Secure Park. The yellow-lined spaces are the ones the centre lists as free all day.
When is the centre open?
| Day | Centre hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 9am to 5:30pm |
| Friday | 9am to 9pm |
| Saturday | 9am to 5pm |
| Sunday | 10am to 5pm |
The centre lists longer hours for four of its larger stores:
| Store | Hours listed |
|---|---|
| Coles | 7am to 10pm, every day |
| Woolworths | 7am to 10pm, every day |
| Kmart | 8am to 10pm Monday to Friday; 8am to 8pm Saturday and Sunday |
| Target | 9am to 7pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; 9am to 9pm Thursday and Friday |
The page says individual store hours may vary and suggests checking with the store or contacting Centre Management on (03) 5244 2580. It lists only the regular week, so Christmas-period changes are not shown there.
When are the Santa photos?
The centre’s Santa page gives the dates as 21 November to 24 December, in front of Target. The page does not print a year, so check the booking page for the year. It describes three kinds of session:
- Santa Photography, where Santa and his helpers are back to help families capture the magic of Christmas.
- Sensitive Santa, specially designed sessions that are calm, quieter and sensory-friendly, for children with special and sensory needs to meet Santa before the centre gets busy.
- Santa Pet Photography, for four-legged family members.
The centre highly recommends booking in advance. It says its onsite team will try to fit in walk-ins between scheduled sessions but cannot guarantee availability without a booking. Session times and bookings are through the link on the centre’s page.
The pet photo terms say sessions are held strictly outside standard trading hours, once the centre has closed. Pets must be secure and on a lead or in a carrier at all times. Entry is through the Target entrance only, and people wait outside the centre until one of Santa’s helpers calls them in. Owners remain fully responsible for their pets, including cleaning up any accidents immediately.
How do I get there by bus or taxi?
Local buses stop at the Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre bus stop on Pioneer Road; the stop ID is 30769. The centre says to take routes 40, 41 and 42 from Geelong and routes 50 and 51 from the Surf Coast. Travellers from the Surf Coast need to change buses at Marshall Station. For current timetables the centre points to McHarry’s Buslines, on 5223 2111 as printed on the page.
The taxi rank is near the Muffin Break mall entry, outside Yang Yang’s Massage, opposite Pioneer Road. For taxi bookings the centre lists the Geelong Taxi Network on 131 008. By road, the centre says it has direct access from the Geelong Ring Road and sits on the Princes Highway at the corner of Pioneer Road and Colac Road.
What is at the centre?
The centre says it has more than 140 retail stores on one level, with ground-level access, including fashion, homewares, jewellery, electrical, supermarkets, cafes and restaurants. Its major retailers include Coles, Woolworths, Kmart, Target and Reading Cinemas.
Sources
- Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre: Getting here (read 9 November 2026)
- Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre: Trading hours (read 9 November 2026)
- Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre: About the centre (read 9 November 2026)
- Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre: Book your photos with Santa (read 9 November 2026)
Featured image: Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre, January 2017 (photo: StAnselm / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre or Secure Park. Hours, rules and prices can change; check the centre’s website before you go.