Explorers Hume and Hovell, arrived at Duck Ponds (Lara) near Jillong (Geelong) concluding it was a good place for settlement. Noticing the fine harbour and the surrounding country, they concluded that it would be a great place for a settlement. They recorded that the Aborigines described the bay as Jullong and land as Corago, suggesting origins for the names of Geelong and Corio.