Highton, Victoria
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Highton is a residential suburb of
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. With views across Geelong, Corio Bay and the surrounding region, Highton is located along the banks of the Barwon River and across the rolling Barrabool Hills. The Barwon River straddles Highton to the north and east, while it is bordered by the hilly Ceres and Wandana Heights to the west, the former (and now underground) Kardinia Creek separates the suburb from Belmont to the south-east, and the
Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...
and Pigdons Road to the south separate the suburb from Waurn Ponds.


History

Grazier John Highett set up a farm and finished building his house on a hill overlooking the Barwon River in 1834. Two years later his wife and daughter moved in with him.Later his property became the Montpellier vineyard, hotel and picnic ground. Highton was named after an abbreviation of his name. Reserves, reservoirs and a school in this beautiful suburb still bear the Montpellier name.City of Greater Geelong: Highton
/ref> The ruins of the original property still exist in Montpellier Park. The district had been extensively subdivided by the mid-1860s and boasted a hotel, a post office (opened on 1 December 1864) and a population of about 300 people. Vineyards, orchards and farmland were the major commercial activities for some decades. Between 1927 and 1933, two major orphanages and the Glastonbury children's home were opened in the suburb. Residential development reached Highton by the post war 1950s, the scenic hills overlooking the Barwon River valley being popular with residents. The Highton shopping centre in Bellevue Avenue was constructed in the mid-1960s. Highton Post Office moved here in 1965 and a Highton South office opened the same year. Kardinia Creek separating the suburb from Belmont was placed underground. Further residential expansion continued southwards and by the 1990s housing had reached the Glastonbury Drive area. Major residential developments in the area north of Barrabool Road and west of Scenic Road have seen a sizeable increase in the suburb's population.


Education

Highton has three state run primary schools. Highton Primary School was the first school in the area, opening in 1854. While post-world war two growth led to the opening of Bellaire Primary School in 1963 and Montpellier Primary School in 1969. Belmont High School is the only state run high school in the area. It opened in 1945 and is still open to this day.
Christian College A Christian college is an educational institution or part of an educational institute dedicated to the integration of Christianity, Christian faith and integration of faith and learning, learning in traditional academic fields. Unlike Bible colle ...
, a co-denominational Christian school, opened in the former St Augustine's orphanage in 1980 and offers the suburb's only independendent primary and secondary school. Formerly,
Geelong Grammar School Geelong Grammar School is a private Anglican co-educational boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located in Corio on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay. Establ ...
occupied a campus in Highton from 1962 to 1998. However, this campus is now part of
Christian College A Christian college is an educational institution or part of an educational institute dedicated to the integration of Christianity, Christian faith and integration of faith and learning, learning in traditional academic fields. Unlike Bible colle ...
which now has three campuses in the suburb. Highton is also located in close proximity to
Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974 with antecedent history since 1887, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia and a founding father of Australian Fede ...
's Waurn Ponds campus and the southern section of the suburb has a high student population.


Healthcare

Highton has multiple medical surgeries and pharmacies. It is also noted that
Epworth HealthCare Epworth HealthCare is a not-for-profit private hospital group that provides a wide range of acute medical, surgical and rehabilitation services in Melbourne, Australia under the auspices of the Uniting Church. Epworth commenced in 1920 as a 25 b ...
operates a private hospital in Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds which is across the road from many residents of Highton as Pigdons Road separates the two suburbs. The nearest public hospital University Hospital Geelong located in Geelong's central business district.


Shopping

Highton has two smaller shopping centres namely: Highton Village is a boutique shopping strip in Belle Vue Avenue containing specialty shops and a supermarket. In 2016 Barrabool Hills Plaza opened in Provence Blvd containing a Woolworths Supermarket and some small speciality shops. There is another small strip of shops containing a bakery, post office, and small cafes along Porter Avenue.


Sport

Running, walking and bike riding are also popular activities along the Barwon River as tracks exists to enable such pursuits. Popular spots to begin include near Queens Park. Highton Reserve is the home of the Geelong Falcons training ground the complete in the AFL under 18 TAC League. Queens Park also contains a golf course called the Queens Park Public Golf Course and hosts both the Geelong Amateur Football & Netball Club and the Newtown and Chilwell Cricket Club. There is a sporting precinct near Highton Village which hosts the
Geelong Falcons The Geelong Falcons is a youth Australian rules football representative club in the Talent League, the Victorian statewide under-18s competition in Victoria, Australia. The club takes in talented junior players from the Geelong, Colac and Warr ...
. This sporting precinct is also home to the
Highton Tennis Club Highton is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. With views across Geelong, Corio Bay and the surrounding region, Highton is located along the banks of the Barwon River and across the rolling Barrabool Hills. The Barwon River ...
and Highton Bowls Club. On the boundary between Highton and Belmont is a third sporting field, home to the South Barwon Football and Netball Club.


Transport

Highton is connected by road to the centre of Geelong by Barrabool Road, Shannon Avenue, and the
Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...
. Traffic to Melbourne is able to use the Geelong Ring Road that passes to the west of the suburb. Public transport to the area is provided by
bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...
es operated by
McHarry's Buslines McHarry's Buslines is a family-owned bus company in Geelong, Victoria, dating back to 1932. It operates public transport bus routes in Geelong, and on the Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast, as well as school bus and charter A charter ...
and
CDC Geelong CDC Geelong, formerly known as Benders Busways, is a bus company operating in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, with routes as well as charters. It is a subsidiary of CDC Victoria, in turn a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Australia, in turn a subsidia ...
, under contract to
Public Transport Victoria Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is the brand name for public transport in the Australian state of Victoria. It was previously the trading name of the Public Transport Development Authority (PTDA), a now-defunct statutory authority in Victo ...
. The two routes run from
Geelong railway station Geelong railway station is a regional railway station on the Warrnambool line, part of the Victorian railway network. It serves the city of the same name, in Victoria, Australia. The original station opened on 1 November 1856.Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974 with antecedent history since 1887, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia and a founding father of Australian Fede ...
at Waurn Ponds, via the Geelong city centre. Route 42 serves the southern area of the suburb, also running through Belmont and
Grovedale Grovedale is a southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. At the , Grovedale had a population of 14,869. History Toponymy The locality was originally named ''Germantown'' because several families of German Lutheran origin had settled th ...
, and Route 43 serves the northern area, also running through Newtown. Trams used to operate through the outskirts of Highton, until 1956 when Geelong trams were replaced with buses.


Notable people

Notable people from or who have lived in Highton include: * Greg Stewart, an Australian triathlon and duathlon champion.* * Cuba Di Stefano, a really good guitar player


See also

* The Hermitage had a campus in Highton from 1960 to 1976 and then amalgamated with
Geelong Grammar School Geelong Grammar School is a private Anglican co-educational boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located in Corio on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay. Establ ...
.


References


External links


Highton - City of Greater Geelong
{{Geelong_suburbs Suburbs of Geelong