Leopold is a residential eastern 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 ...

and is a gateway to the Bellarine Peninsula in the

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 ...

n state of Victoria. At the 2016 census, Leopold had a population of 12,814.

History

The area was formerly known as Kensington, but was renamed in 1892 after Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, the youngest son of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. The post office opened as Kensington on 19 May 1858, and was renamed Kensington Hill in 1882, Leopold Hill in 1884 and Leopold in 1885.

Heritage listed sites

Leopold contains a number of heritage listed sites, including: * 221-229 Matthews Road, Melaleuka * 715-729 Bellarine Highway, St Marks On The Hill

Today

The Bellarine Rail Trail passes through Leopold. The Gateway Plaza is situated on the corner of the Bellarine Peninsula and Melaluka road. Leopold is constructing four new residential developments called the Kensington Estate, the Estuary Estate, the Debonair Heights Estate and the Gateway Estate. Much of the available land has been sold. Houses are either in construction or others near finished. The town has an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

team competing in the Geelong Football League known as the ''Lions''. The Leopold Sportsmans Club provides bowls green, squash, function rooms and other facilities. Leopold is also home to Lake Connewarre—a Ramsar listed estuary. The town has a tennis club featuring 8 hard courts that competes in Geelong regional competitions.

Education

As of 2012, Leopold consists of four sources of education. * Leopold Primary School * Leopold Kindergarten * Allanvale Preschool Centre

References

"Census Populations 2011"
Suburbs of Geelong Towns in Victoria (state) Bellarine Peninsula {{BarwonSouthWest-geo-stub