about us
Facilitating investment and generating jobs in Geelong since 1964
A national award winning family-run business, Bisinella Developments has a proud 60 year history of successful residential and industrial development in the region.
In 1953, nine-year-old Lino Bisinella migrated to Australia from Italy with his family. They settled in Little River and then Norlane.
A plasterer by trade, Lino was working for himself by the age of 19 and took on his first full-time employee in October 1964. A decade later, the enterprising post-war migrant was employing a workforce of 45 at his plasterboard factory in Corio.
Over the years, the business has grown and diversified into Bisinella Developments as we know it today – one of the region’s largest local land development company.
Bisinella has a proud history of facilitating investment and generating jobs in the region.
Since he started, Lino, Bisinella’s managing director, has provided direct and indirect employment for thousands of local people on the company’s industrial and residential projects.
The family business employs 14 staff and has more than 75 contractors and consultants working on Bisinella projects throughout the Geelong region on any given work day.
Lino’s first residential subdivision went on the market in 1990 and since then he has developed estates, totalling thousands of lots, across the Geelong region.
Bisinella’s successful formula is to provide high quality real estate, urban design and community infrastructure and back it up with exemplary customer service.
National benchmark for excellence
Based in Lara, Bisinella has set a national industry benchmark for excellence.
In 2015, Bisinella’s Grand Lakes Estate in Lara, took top honours at the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s annual Victorian awards for excellence.
In a first for the Geelong region in the 20 year history of the UDIA Victoria awards, Grand Lakes was judged the best residential estate and also won the award for environmental excellence.
The largest estate developed to date in Lara, Grand Lakes is now a vibrant community of more than 2000 residents. Built around 18 hectares of open space it includes three ornamental lakes, a café, two state-of-the-art playgrounds and expansive areas of densely-planted wetlands and landscaped parkland.
In 2016, Grand Lakes beat some of the biggest development companies in Australia to receive the urban development industry’s national award for environmental excellence.
Industrial estates
As well as residential estates, the company has developed industrial land and custom built factories and warehouses for more than 40 years.
Bisinella now owns, leases and manages industrial facilities totalling more than 110,000 square metres and in 2017, commenced development of a new 40 hectare industrial estate at Corio in the Geelong Ring Road Employment Precinct.
Supporting our community
Passionate about his local community, Lino has been supporting community groups for 40 years. He and the team at Bisinella aid a wide range of organisations and projects and generously donate to many church, charity and philanthropic causes, including Samaritan House Geelong.
Lino is the Patron of Samaritan House Geelong and a major financial supporter of the charity which provides crisis accommodation for homeless men in the region.
Bisinella also recognises the crucial role sporting clubs play in our community and proudly supports more than 15 sporting clubs in Lara and the wider area.
Lino is also known for his painstaking restoration of important heritage properties in the area. This includes the multi-million refurbishment of Bisinella’s historic Pirra Homestead. The estate is now enjoyed by thousands of people from near and far who flock to Pirra each year for community events including the Lara Food and Wine Festival, the Lara Fun Run/Walk and the Lara Community Carols.
Lino is also responsible for the painstaking restoration of the former Lake Bank Hotel in Lara and its transformation into the Lara Museum and Heritage Centre. The museum was opened in 2013 and is situated in one of Lara’s oldest buildings which dates back to 1860.
Lino bought the building in 2011. He then oversaw the restoration and refurbishment of the site at his own cost so that the building could be used for a community museum.
Bisinella then leased the property for a $1 a year to the local community group formed to operate the museum.
The museum provides visitors with the opportunity to take a step back in time and learn about the history of the town.