Barwon Heads, Victoria

Barwon Heads (previously known as Point Flinders[2]) is a town on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

Port Phillip Association surveyor, John Helder Wedge, explored the Bellarine Peninsula, including the Barwon and its lakes, in August 1835.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the town became a popular holiday resort, and a number of the wealthier families of Melbourne and the Western District built houses here.

[12] A proposal was put forward to align a new bridge with Geelong Road, permitting traffic to bypass the main shopping precinct and primary school, which would have required the demolition of three houses.

In 2010, a new Barwon Heads road bridge was constructed on the alignment of the existing one, making use of its components and design elements.

During the late 1990s, Barwon Heads was the primary location of filming for the popular Australian television series, SeaChange.

In the past decade, Barwon Heads has become subject to what is colloquially known in some parts of Australia as the "seachange effect".

Since the SeaChange television series first aired in 1998 there has been a significant increase in tourism and real estate sales and development (both commercial and residential) in the area.

Visitors to the area will encounter the colourful soldier and parrot bollards, which designate a route for the local children from the primary school, through the streets to the bike path, park and playground.

[17] Cadel Evans, the cyclist who won the 2011 Tour de France, owns a house in the area and is regularly seen training on local roads.

The Barwon river discharging into Bass Strait, showing the two bridges, 2018
Aerial panorama of Barwon Heads Bridge, with road and pedestrian bridges, 2018
View of the town and the Barwon River estuary, as pictured from atop the southern head, 2006
Face of the bluff on the southern head, 2006
The blue weatherboard building served as Diver Dan 's boatshed café in SeaChange , 2007