BARWON HEADS

THERE ARE A NUMBER of reasons why Barwon Heads is one of Victoria’s favourite holiday destinations. It lies on the southern coast of the Bellarine Peninsula, where the gentle Barwon River estuary meets the wild Bass Strait, just 22 kilometres south-east of Geelong. It brings together all the elements of the classic Aussie beach escape: a shallow and sandy shoreline, a rocky bluff lookout with views across the ocean and back into town along with coastal walking tracks, and a justifiably popular ocean surf break at Thirteenth Beach with a long stretch of sand.

The town also has a swag of restaurants, cafés, bakeries, surf shops and upmarket boutiques, and four top golf courses. There’s fertile farmland to the west and north, plus Lake Connewarre Wildlife Reserve, an expanse of wetland and water bird habitat that buffers Barwon Heads from the rapidly expanding growth corridors of Geelong.

All these things — and more — make Barwon Heads ideal for a holiday and was filmed there in the late 1990s. Today, this vibrant community of just under 4000 people enjoys a friendly, relaxed coastal and country environment, with easy access to all the amenities of Geelong, Victoria’s second largest city.