Send flowers to St John of God Geelong Hospital
A Geelong florist makes up the bouquet and brings it to St John of God Geelong Hospital on Myers Street. Ring the ward first: some wards, including intensive care, take no flowers.
St John of God Geelong Hospital is the city's large private hospital, a 284-bed Catholic not-for-profit hospital at 80 Myers Street, Geelong 3220, run by St John of God Health Care. It opened in 1965 as Holy Cross Hospital and took its present name in 1980. Maternity, cancer and cardiac care are its best-known services, and it runs a private emergency department from 7am to 10pm seven days a week. People searching for "flowers to SJOG hospital" or "flowers to Geelong hospital" often mean this one, but check: the public University Hospital Geelong is on Bellerine Street a few blocks away, and a bouquet sent to the wrong hospital spends the afternoon at the wrong reception desk.
Visiting hours set the delivery window
The hospital publishes visiting hours of 10am to 8pm on the general wards and 3pm to 8pm on the maternity ward. Florists deliver during the day, so a bouquet for a new mother is best ordered for afternoon delivery, which also gives the family the morning to themselves. If the ward cannot take the flowers at the door, they are left at the main reception on Myers Street for a volunteer or nurse to bring up.
Which wards take flowers
St John of God Geelong does not publish a hospital-wide flower rule, so the usual Australian pattern applies and a call to the ward settles it. Intensive and coronary care normally refuse fresh flowers, and the oncology beds may ask you to avoid strongly scented or pollen-heavy stems such as lilies. Maternity and the surgical and medical wards generally welcome a small arrangement. Private rooms have a little more shelf space than a public four-bed bay, but a bedside table is still a bedside table.
Addressing an order for a private hospital
Use the patient's full name, the ward and the room number if the family has told you. Private hospitals tend to admit under the surgeon's name, so the ward may ask who the treating doctor is; include it in the delivery notes if you know. For a birth, a compact posy or a small arrangement in a box fits beside the cot and travels home easily, and a card with the baby's name and date is kept long after the flowers are gone.
Ordering from interstate
Geelong runs on Victorian time, which means daylight saving from October to April. Order before 2pm on a weekday or 10am on a Saturday, Geelong time, for a same-day attempt Monday to Saturday; there is no Sunday delivery, and hospital deliveries are never promised for a set time because the ward decides when they come up. From Brisbane in summer the cut-off is 1pm; from Perth it is 11am. Bouquets start at about AUD 75, with the delivery fee shown at checkout. If the patient is going home to Newtown, Belmont, Highton or the Bellarine within a day, send the flowers there instead and they arrive to a longer welcome.
Did you know? St John of God Geelong Hospital opened in 1965 as Holy Cross Hospital and today has 284 beds and a private emergency department open 7am to 10pm daily.
Frequently asked questions about flowers to St John of God Geelong Hospital
Can I send flowers to St John of God Geelong Hospital?
Yes, to most wards. Visiting hours are 10am to 8pm on general wards and 3pm to 8pm on maternity, and florists deliver within the day. Ring the ward first: intensive care and coronary care usually refuse fresh flowers, and oncology may ask for low-pollen stems. Reception at 80 Myers Street takes the bouquet if the ward is busy.
Is this the same as Geelong Hospital?
No. St John of God Geelong is the private hospital on Myers Street; University Hospital Geelong, the public hospital run by Barwon Health, is on Bellerine Street. Both are in central Geelong, so ask the family which one the patient is in before you order and give the full hospital name on the order.
What should I send to a new mother on the maternity ward?
A small posy or boxed arrangement that sits beside the cot and travels home without a vase. Keep scent low for the baby's sake, choose soft colours, and write the baby's name and birth date on the card. Order for the afternoon, when the maternity ward opens to visitors at 3pm.