Belmont, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Belmont Greater Newcastle, New South Wales
View from Belmont 16s sailing club
Belmont Location in the Hunter-Central Coast Region
Population	7,289 (2021 census)
• Density	828/km2 (2,140/sq mi)
Established	1825
Postcode(s)	2280
Elevation	8 m (26 ft)
Area	8.8 km2 (3.4 sq mi)
Location	136 km (85 mi) NNE of Sydney 20 km (12 mi) SW of Newcastle 10 km (6 mi) SSW of Charlestown 45 km (28 mi) N of The Entrance 66 km (41 mi) NNE of Gosford
LGA(s)	City of Lake Macquarie
Parish	Kahibah
State electorate(s)	Swansea
Federal Division(s)	Shortland
Suburbs around Belmont: Valentine Belmont North Redhead Lake Macquarie Belmont Lake Macquarie Belmont South Pacific Ocean

Belmont is a suburb in the City of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia. It is about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Newcastle's city centre. Belmont is located on the eastern side of Lake Macquarie.

This area sits on a sandy piece of land. The Tasman Sea is to its east, and Lake Macquarie is to its west.

History of Belmont

Early Days and First Settlers

The land around Belmont was first home to the Awabakal people. In 1825, a person named Reverend Lancelot Edward Threlkeld started a mission here. A mission was a place where people tried to teach and help others.

He began small farms, growing wheat and corn. Local Aboriginal people helped him with this work. Threlkeld also wrote down the Awabakal language. This was one of the first serious studies of an Aboriginal language.

How Belmont Got Its Name

Thomas Williamson (1833–1880) was an early settler in the Lake Macquarie area. He was born in a town called Belmont in the Shetland Islands. In 1865, he bought 100 acres of land. This land included the site of the old Aboriginal mission.

Williamson built a large guest house on a hill. He named it "Belmont House" after his hometown. People think the village that grew around it took its name from this house.

Streets and Buildings

As the village grew, some streets were named after Williamson's children.

• Ada Street leads to the Lake Macquarie Yacht Club.
• Maude Street goes down to the water.
• Walter Street passed the old Belmont House.
• Alick (for Alexander) and Ernest Streets marked the edge of his land.
• Thomas Street, near the shops, is named after Thomas Williamson himself.

Williamson also planted a vineyard and an orchard near his house.

In 1874, he built the first church in Belmont. The Belmont Post Office opened in 1877. Thomas Williamson was the first Postmaster. He was also the first owner of the Belmont Hotel. In 1873, he opened the first school for local children.

Growing as a Town

For a long time, the roads to Belmont were very bad. It took many hours to travel just 12 miles from Newcastle. This made it hard for guest houses to do well.

Things changed when the roads were improved in the 1910s. The Pacific Highway was built in the 1920s. This helped Belmont grow and use its beautiful surroundings.

A train line was also extended to Belmont. It had a station and places to load coal. Passenger trains ran daily to Belmont. This train line closed in 1991.

Today, Belmont is one of the main centres in Lake Macquarie. It is the fourth-largest suburb by population. The area around it, including Belmont North and Jewells, is the largest local area in Lake Macquarie.

Population Information

According to the 2016 census, Belmont had 7,114 people.

• About 3.0% of the people were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Most people (85.2%) were born in Australia.
• The next most common country of birth was England (2.4%).
• Most people (90.9%) spoke only English at home.
• The most common religions were No Religion (27.4%), Anglican (23.0%), and Catholic (20.6%).

Facilities in Belmont

Belmont has many shops, restaurants, and other useful places.

• There are four primary schools: Belmont Public School, Belmont North Public School, Floraville Public School, and Jewells Public School.
• There are two secondary schools: Belmont High School and Belmont Christian College.
• A campus of TAFE NSW offers further education.
• Belmont Hospital is the only public hospital in Lake Macquarie.
• Belmont Baths, a public swimming area, reopened in December 2018. It is 70 metres long and 45 metres wide.

Transport Options

Until 2006, Aeropelican (now FlyPelican) flew planes from Belmont Airport to Sydney Airport. These flights have stopped, and the airfield is mostly closed.

Today, Red Bull Air Race pilot Matt Hall and a skydiving company own the airport.

Coal Mining History

Many coal mines, both big and small, operated in the Belmont area. The biggest was BHP's John Darling Colliery.

A railway line ran from Belmont to Adamstown. This line carried both passengers and coal. It connected to the main New South Wales Government Railways line. There was also a large coal loading facility near Belmont railway station. Trucks from other mines could bring coal here to be loaded onto trains.

Smaller coal mines closed in the 1960s and 1970s. The larger mines closed later.

Notable People from Belmont

• Daniel Abraham – Rugby league player
• Biraban/We-pohng – Awabakal tribe leader
• Brendon Cook – Racing car driver
• Daniel Halangahu – Rugby union player
• Caitlan Johnston – Rugby league player
• Brett Kimmorley – Rugby league player
• Craig Kimmorley – Rugby league player
• Jack Marshall – Rugby player
• Blake Mueller – Rugby league player
• Brock Mueller – Rugby league player
• Jessica Pickering – Olympic trampolinist
• Alex Read – Football/soccer player

Images for kids

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  A CPH railmotor getting ready to leave Newcastle station for Belmont, around 1972.

• 

  The John Darling Colliery, a large coal mine in the area.