in Australia. Transport Roads High Street is the main road in Belmont, running from the centre of Geelong towards Colac. A four lane bridge over the Barwon River links Belmont to the north and the rest of Geelong. Once part of the Princes Highway, a bypass of Belmont was commenced during the early 1980s. Completed in 1990, the four lane James Harrison Bridge over the Barwon River removed heavy through traffic from the main shopping centre and diverted traffic down an upgraded Settlement Road. The Princes Highway remained on this route today until the opening of the Geelong Ring Road. Other major roads include the Surfcoast Highway which runs from Settlement Road south to Grovedale and Torquay before forming the Great Ocean Road. Barwon Heads Road which forms an important link to Barwon Heads and other smaller coastal towns. Shannon Avenue which provided a northerly connection to the rest of Geelong, and Barrabool Road which runs west to Highton and Wandana Heights. Trams Trams served Belmont from 1927 to 1956. The tramline was opened on 16 December 1927 when the 'South' route was extended across the Barwon Bridge in Moorabool Street. The tram line ran along High Street to the terminus just south of the intersection with Roslyn Road. The extension was made possible by the completion a new wider bridge over the Barwon the same year. The line was single track, except for two crossing loops: one just south of the bridge and the other just south of Mount Pleasant Road. In 1951 four trams per hour operated over the line during peak times. The line was the last of Geelong tramways to close, the final run occurring on 25 March 1956. Buses replaced the tram services. Buses A motor bus service to Belmont commenced on 15 January 1914, using double-decker buses capable of travelling at . It was later replaced by the tram service. Today Belmont is served by a number of bus routes which link the suburb with the city, Highton, Grovedale, Waurn Ponds and Deakin University. The services are operated by CDC Geelong and McHarry's Buslines, under contract to Public Transport Victoria. Routes run into the suburb via High Street, before splitting off to various destinations. Bus services to Torquay also stop in Belmont to pick up passengers, as do V/Line road coaches to Lorne and Apollo Bay. Facilities Shopping The High Street shopping strip is