Barwon Heads is a seaside town located near Geelong in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by farmland, two golf courses, the Barwon River and 13th beach. There are about 4000 people living in Barwon Heads and in the Summer the population increases quite dramatically making the usually sleepy town very busy!

Barwon Heads became well known when the television program “Seachange” was filmed here. The program was about a city lawyer and her family who moved to a quaint fishing village. This is where the term “Seachange” came from. The town is a popular place to visit and there are many restaurants, coffee, giftware and fashion shops. There are also quite a few accommodation options.

Barwon Heads was known for it’s heritage listed bridge but it was deemed unsafe and in 2010 two new bridges were built, one for pedestrians and the other for cars. The bridges retain the look and feel of the old bridge.

Many of the locals walk or ride bikes. A series of colourful soldier and parrot bollards form a route through the streets, bike path, pirate playground and park to the school. There is a football/netball club located in the grounds of the caravan park and the cricket club is in the “village park”. Near the cricket ovals is the tennis club. Barwon Heads also boasts  bowls, surf life saving, soccer and pony clubs. Golfers play at the historical Barwon Heads Golf Club on Golf Links Road,or at the course of the Thirteenth Beach Golf Links on Barwon Heads Road. Barwon Heads also has great recreational fishing.

13^th beach is a popular surfing location and on a good day is considered to be  one of the best beach breaks in Australia. It stretches for 2kms and has a wide variety of waves to choose from. Beaches at nearby Ocean Grove, including RAAFS have tamer waves for less advanced surfers. The beach on either side of the bridge (river) is great for families with younger children. The 13^th beach surf club provides a patrolled beach during the Summer and a strong Nipper program during January.

The Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary protects the area around the Bluff, near the mouth of the river and on the outer edges of the reef are the wrecks of two ships.

 

References and more information can be found at the following websites.

http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/barwon-bluff-marine-sanctuary

http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Great-Ocean-Road/Destinations/Barwon-Heads

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barwon_Heads

http://surfsessions.com.au/locations/thirteenth-beach/