Belmont, Geelong – our spiritual home

The Belmont Library meeting room has been the venue for Geelong Family History Group meetings since August 2013 – long enough for us to call it our ‘spiritual’ home.  Technically the library is on High Street however most of us use the car park on the southern side off Roslyn Road.  Interestingly, this early map of the Township of Belmont n.d. [Wynd Collection] didn’t mention either High Street or Roslyn Road.  Back then, both were called Government Road.  Present day High Stret had additional notations showing ‘From Colac’ at the southern end and ‘To Geelong’ at the northern end.  Other Government Roads became Thomson Street and Mount Pleasant Road.  Township Reserve became Herd Road and Hovell Street was renamed McDonald Street.

The present Belmont Library was opened in 1982 following a temporary relocation to Regent Street during demolition and building.  Their previous building had been on the High Street site since 1957 and prior to that the Library was on Mount Pleasant Road with the old South Barwon Shire Offices.

A forthcoming auction was reported in the Geelong Advertiser on Wednesday March 15:

A most important announcement to the PUBLIC OF VICTORIA, but more particularly to persons in search of Comfortable Suburban Residences, Stores for general merchandise, Blacksmiths, Wheelwrights, and Hotel-keepers; also, Vineyard Sites, near the river Barwon. [ … ]

The Township of BELMONT, now a town in reality, on which there has been recently erected, 24 COTTAGES, all for positive sale to the highest bidder, the greater number having each Four Comfortable Rooms, besides a Hall, and others of Two Rooms each, all of them substantially built and finished, under the careful inspection of Messrs. Snell and Kawerau. [renowned architects of Geelong] [ … ]

J B HUTTON, being instructed by the proprietor of the above very valuable Fee-simple Properties, DR THOMSON M.L.C., has much pleasure in announcing that a Sale by Auction will take place on the 16th Instant, on the Grounds, when a sumptuous entertainment will be provided for the occasion.  The Township of Belmont is on that beautiful rising ground after crossing the Barwon at South Geelong, just above Kardinia, and all the New Houses erected thereon (about 24 in number, and now to be sold), are on good sized allotments of Ground; and the situtaion for health, comfort, and convenience, being less than one mile out of Geelong, is not to be surpassed.

This aerial photograph, c.1926, taken by Charles Daniel Pratt not only shows Belmont with High Street running from north to south but also his aerodrome and strip at the lower left hand side of the photograph.

The red arrows and numbers on the image show:

1. Site of the Belmont Hotel
2. Location of ALDI supermarket today
3. Location of the Belmont Library