Highton, Victoria

Highton is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is bordered by Ceres and Wandana Heights to the west, the Barwon River to the north and east, the former Kardinia Creek to the south-east, and the Princes Highway and Pigdons Road to the south.HistoryGrazier John Highett set up a farm and finished building his house on a hill overlooking the Barwon River in 1837. 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.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.EducationThe Highton Primary School was the first school in the area, opening in 1854. Post-war growth led to the opening of Bellaire Primary School in 1963 and Montpellier Primary School in 1969. The Geelong Grammar School once occupied a campus in Highton from 1962 to 1998, and Christian College opened in the former St Augustine’s orphanage in 1980.