Barwon Heads, Victoria

Nestled at the mouth of the Barwon River on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula, Barwon Heads found fame in the popular Australian television series, SeaChange, which depicted a quiet holiday hamlet. In many ways it lives up to this reputation with quiet river beaches on its doorstep, one main shopping street and a large hotel to provide for locals and the summer influx of visitors.

The wide and picturesque river estuary is used for many water-based activities year-round including swimming and fishing. Enjoy safe swimming along the sandy river foreshore at the river mouth. There is also lively surf action over the Bluff at Thirteenth Beach, and on the ocean beach, high hummocks shelter one of Australia's best links golf courses.

Cross Victoria's longest wooden bridge (built 1927) to reach Ocean Grove, where you'll find one of the most impressive sweeps of beach anywhere in Victoria. From the heads at Point Lonsdale, the unbroken stretch of sand reaches out to the mouth of the Barwon River many kilometres away and it is one of the most popular ocean beaches for surfing and swimming in Victoria.

Barwon Heads is 95 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, or about 90 minutes' drive, on the Princes Highway and Barwon Heads Road.