Barwon Heads, Victoria

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Barwon Heads
Geelong,  Victoria
Barwon Heads bridge Stevage.jpg
The old Barwon Heads Bridge
Australia Victoria Greater Geelong City location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Barwon Heads
Coordinates 38°17′S144°30′E / 38.283°S 144.500°E / -38.283; 144.500 Coordinates: 38°17′S144°30′E / 38.283°S 144.500°E / -38.283; 144.500
Population3,875 (2016 census) [1]
Postcode(s) 3227
LGA(s) City of Greater Geelong
State electorate(s) Bellarine
Federal division(s) Corangamite
Localities around Barwon Heads:
Connewarre Wallington Ocean Grove
ConnewarreBarwon HeadsOcean Grove
Bass Strait Bass StraitBass Strait

Barwon Heads (previously known as Point Flinders [2] ) is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the west bank of the mouth of the Barwon River below Lake Connewarre, while it is bounded to the west by farmland, golf courses and the saline ephemeral wetland of Murtnaghurt Lagoon. At the 2016 census, Barwon Heads had a population of 3,875. [1]

Contents

History

Barwon Heads lies within the territory of the Waddawurrung Balug clan, of the Wathaurong people. [3] Its traditional name is Koornoo. [4] Barwon derives from the Wathaurong word Barrwang or Baarwon meaning magpie. [4] The river and upstream lakes (Lake Connewarre and Reedy Lake) were frequented by Aboriginal hunters and fishermen, including the escaped convict, William Buckley, who lived with the Wathaurong for 32 years. [5]

When European settlers arrived in Port Phillip in June 1835, a camp was established at Indented Head. Port Phillip Association surveyor, John Helder Wedge, explored the Bellarine Peninsula, including the Barwon and its lakes, in August 1835.

It is unknown when colonists first took up land at Barwon Heads but, by the 1870s, a township was formed, with a Post Office opening in the area on 15 December 1889 (renamed Connewarre East in 1890 when a new Barwon Heads PO opened in the township). [6]

Fishing was the mainstay of the town in its early years. 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. The summer period still sees a large influx of holidaymakers to the town.

In 1959, the closing scenes of the film On the Beach, based on a Nevil Shute novel about the end of the world, were filmed in the town.

The Barwon Heads Golf Club clubhouse, located on Golf Links Road and dating from 1923 to 1924, is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. [7]

The former Barwon Heads Bridge was also listed on the Register, but it was demolished in 2009 after being declared irreparable. A new bridge was constructed, which used components and design elements of the original bridge. [8] [9] [10] A separate footbridge was built parallel to it.

Barwon Heads Bridge

Aerial perspective of the Barwon river discharging into the Bass Strait Aerial perspective of the Barwon river discharging into the Bass Strait.jpg
Aerial perspective of the Barwon river discharging into the Bass Strait
Aerial panorama of Barwon Heads Bridge (2018) Aerial panorama of Barwon Heads.jpg
Aerial panorama of Barwon Heads Bridge (2018)

The Barwon Heads Bridge was opened in 1927, crossing the Barwon River between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove. Prior to that, there had been a rowing boat service across the river. The bridge was a central element in the ABC television series SeaChange .

In July 2006, the Victorian government shelved plans to replace the heritage-listed [11] bridge with a new one. [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, but with the consequence of removing three homes. An independent panel was appointed by the then Minister for Planning, Rob Hulls, to decide on a bridge location. Evidence was presented for and against the Geelong Road site and the existing site, with the conclusion that the Geelong Road alignment was unsuitable for environmental, social, economic reasons.

On 16 March 2007, it was announced that the current bridge would be improved [13] and there were no plans to build a second bridge upstream. 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. A parallel pedestrian bridge was also built.

SeaChange and tourism

View of the town and the Barwon River estuary, as pictured from atop the southern head Barwon Heads Victoria 01.jpg
View of the town and the Barwon River estuary, as pictured from atop the southern head
Face of the bluff on the southern head Barwon Heads Victoria 02.jpg
Face of the bluff on the southern head
The distinctive blue weatherboards of Diver Dan's boatshed cafe have become a local landmark due to SeaChange. Barwon Heads boatshed Stevage.jpg
The distinctive blue weatherboards of Diver Dan's boatshed café have become a local landmark due to SeaChange.

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. This has resulted in a very substantial increase in property and land values, making the town an ideal location for property developers. Since then, the area has experienced a boom in tourist numbers during the summer months.

Nearby Thirteenth Beach is a popular surfing location, the beach is named for its proximity to the 13th hole of the golf course. The town was subject to flooding, including a flood that lasted some weeks in 1952, until the construction of levee banks in the 1950s.

The artist Jan Mitchell erected her first bollard sculptures in Barwon Heads. 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. She then went on to produce more than 100 bollards at the Waterfront Geelong.

Sport

The town has an Australian rules football team competing in the Bellarine Football League. [14] It has made finals in a number of recent seasons, losing the grand final in an upset to Modewarre in 2018 but avenged that loss in 2019 winning its first premiership since 1993 by beating Torquay in the grand final.

Barwon Heads has a cricket club which won five premierships in eight seasons (2005/06, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010/11 and 2013/14). They defeated Queenscliff in the A grade final on Sunday March 15, 2014 by 102 runs at Jan Juc. They are currently competing in the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association.

Barwon Heads also boasts a tennis, bowls, surf life saving, cycling, surfing, soccer and pony club. Golfers play at the Barwon Heads Golf Club on Golf Links Road, [15] or at the course of the Thirteenth Beach Golf Links on Barwon Heads Road. [16] Barwon Heads has great recreational fishing from its river to the heads, it caters for all types of anglers.

Notable people

The footballer Jaxson Barham and the entertainer Barry Crocker were born there. [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. [18]

Related Research Articles

Geelong is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay and the left bank of Barwon River, about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Phillip</span> Bay in Australia

Port Phillip or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completely surrounded by localities of Victoria's two largest cities — metropolitan Greater Melbourne in the bay's main eastern portion north of the Mornington Peninsula, and the city of Greater Geelong in the much smaller western portion north of the Bellarine Peninsula. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 km2 (750 sq mi) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 mi), with the volume of water around 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi). Most of the bay is navigable, although it is extremely shallow for its size — the deepest portion is only 24 m (79 ft) and half the bay is shallower than 8 m (26 ft). Its waters and coast are home to seals, whales, dolphins, corals and many kinds of seabirds and migratory waders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Greater Geelong</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The City of Greater Geelong is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of 1,248 square kilometres (482 sq mi) and, had a population of 271,057 as of the 2021 Australian census. It is primarily urban with the vast majority of its population living in the Greater Geelong urban area, while other significant settlements within the LGA include Anakie, Balliang, Barwon Heads, Batesford, Ceres, Clifton Springs, Drysdale, Lara, Ocean Grove, Portarlington and St Leonards. It was formed in 1993 from the amalgamation of the Rural City of Bellarine, Shire of Corio, City of Geelong, City of Geelong West, City of Newtown, City of South Barwon, and parts of Shire of Barrabool and Shire of Bannockburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torquay, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Torquay is a seaside resort in Victoria, Australia, which faces Bass Strait, 21 km south of Geelong and is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. It is bordered on the west by Spring Creek and its coastal features include Point Danger and Zeally Bay. At the 2021 census, Torquay had a population of 18,534.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barwon River (Victoria)</span> Perennial river in Victoria, Australia

The Barwon River is a perennial river of the Corangamite catchment, located in The Otways and the Bellarine Peninsula regions of the Australian state of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean Grove, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Ocean Grove is a seaside town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Bellarine Peninsula. At the 2016 census, Ocean Grove had a population of 14,165.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indented Head</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Indented Head is a small coastal township located on the Bellarine Peninsula, east of Geelong, in the Australian state of Victoria. The town lies on the coast of the Port Phillip bay between the towns of Portarlington and St Leonards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont, Victoria</span> Suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Belmont is a southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The name means "beautiful hill". Belmont is geographically separated from the Geelong central business district by the Barwon River. The suburb is primarily residential, with some light industry along Barwon Heads Road. The suburb is part of the City of Greater Geelong local government area. At the 2011 census, Belmont had a population of 13,616.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portarlington, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Portarlington is a historic coastal township located on the Bellarine Peninsula, 28 km from the city of Geelong, in the state of Victoria, Australia. It has a diverse population which includes a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, a high proportion of retirees, and a large seasonal holiday influx. The gently rising hills behind the town feature vineyards and olive groves, and offer spectacular panoramic views across Port Phillip Bay. Portarlington is a popular family holiday destination and a centre of fishing and aquaculture (mussels). At one time the town claimed the largest Caravan Park in the Southern Hemisphere, although the size has reduced considerably in recent decades. With direct ferry links to the city of Melbourne Portarlington also serves as a gateway to the historic towns and surf beaches of the Bellarine Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Lonsdale</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Point Lonsdale is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia. The town is divided between the Borough of Queenscliffe and the City of Greater Geelong. Point Lonsdale is also one of the headlands which, with Point Nepean, frame The Rip, the entrance to Port Phillip. The headland is dominated by the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse. At the 2016 census, Point Lonsdale had a population of 2,684. The population grows rapidly over the summer months through to the Easter period due to its popularity as a holiday destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchelsea, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Surf Coast Shire local government area, the suburb or locality of Winchelsea is predominantly within Surf Coast Shire with a small section within the Colac Otway Shire. Winchelsea is located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellarine Peninsula</span>

The Bellarine Peninsula is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peninsula, separates Port Phillip Bay from Bass Strait. The peninsula itself was originally occupied by Indigenous Australian clans of the Wathaurong nation, prior to European settlement in the early 19th century. Early European settlements were initially centred on wheat and grain agriculture, before the area became a popular tourist destination with most visitors arriving by paddle steamer on Port Phillip in the late 19th century.

The Wadawurrung nation, also called the Wathaurong, Wathaurung, and Wadda Wurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian people living in the area near Melbourne, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula in the state of Victoria. They are part of the Kulin alliance. The Wathaurong language was spoken by 25 clans south of the Werribee River and the Bellarine Peninsula to Streatham. The area they inhabit has been occupied for at least the last 25,000 years.

Connewarre, is a locality in Victoria, Australia, is located in the City of Greater Geelong and Surf Coast Shire, and is named after Lake Connewarre which is situated immediately to its north-east. Connewarre is a version of "kunuwarra", the name of the black swan in the Wathawurrung language. At the 2016 census, Connewarre and the surrounding area had a population of 788.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breamlea, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Breamlea, Victoria, Australia, is a secluded seaside hamlet located on the south coast of the Bellarine Peninsula, 18 kilometres south of Geelong, and halfway between Barwon Heads and Torquay. It is divided between the City of Greater Geelong and the Surf Coast Shire. In the 2016 census, Breamlea had a permanent population of 162.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Connewarre</span> Estuarine lake in Victoria, Australia

Lake Connewarre, a shallow estuarine 880-hectare (2,200-acre) lake on the Barwon River, is located on the Bellarine Peninsula southeast of Geelong in the Australian state of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Connewarre State Wildlife Reserve</span>

Lake Connewarre State Wildlife Reserve (LCSWR) is a 3411.1 ha Park in Victoria, Australia, that contains a diverse range of unique and significant ecosystems including a river, tidal delta, lakes, swamps, salt marshes and grasslands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of South Barwon</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The City of South Barwon was a local government area in Victoria, Australia, which contained a number of Geelong suburbs south of the Barwon River, and extending to Torquay in the south and Barwon Heads to the east. The city covered an area of 165.4 square kilometres (63.9 sq mi), and existed from 1863 until 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reedy Lake</span> Lake or swamp in Victoria, Australia

Reedy Lake, historically also known as Lake Reedy, is a shallow 5.5-square-kilometre (2.1 sq mi) intermittent freshwater lake or swamp on the lower reaches of the Barwon River, on the Bellarine Peninsula southeast of Geelong in the Australian state of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murtnaghurt Lagoon</span> Body of water

Murtnaghurt Lagoon, also known as Murtnaghurt Swamp or Lake Murtnaghurt, is a shallow, ephemeral wetland west of the town of Barwon Heads on the southern coast of the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. It comprises two enclosed depressions, elongated west-east and separated by a low ridge. The wetland is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in length, and up to 600 metres (2,000 ft) wide, with 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) of shoreline enclosing an area of 81 hectares. It is connected by a narrow 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) palaeochannel extending from the lagoon northwards to the main tidal channel of the lower Barwon River.

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Barwon Heads (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 16 November 2017. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. ↑ "Centenary Celebration Of Shipwreck : Memorial Service at Barwon Heads". The Cairns Post . 5 December 1953. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  3. ↑ Clark, Ian (1990). Aboriginal languages and clans : an historical atlas of western and central Victoria, 1800-1900. Melbourne: Monash University. Department of Geography and Environmental Science. ISBN   090968541X.
  4. 1 2 Clark, Ian; Heydon, Toby (2002). Dictionary of Aboriginal placenames of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages. p. 26. ISBN   0957936060.
  5. ↑ Morgan, John; Sayers, C. E (1967). The life and adventures of William Buckley : thirty-two years a wanderer amongst the Aborigines of the unexplored country round Port Phillip, now the Province of Victoria. London; Melbourne: Heinemann. p. 66.
  6. ↑ Post Office List, Premier Postal History, retrieved 11 April 2008
  7. ↑ "Barwon Heads Golf Club Clubhouse". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Barwon Heads Bridge". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Benton, Jessica (21 May 2009). "Protests to greet work on bridges". Geelong Independent. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Beauchamp. "Barwon Heads Bridge: History or heritage?". Australian Journal of Multi-Disciplinary Engineering. 9 (1).
  11. ↑ "Barwon Heads Road bridge (listing RNE102760)". Australia Heritage Places Inventory. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
  12. ↑ "Print Email Facebook Twitter More 'Sea Change' bridge wins reprieve". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 July 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  13. ↑ City of Greater Geelong: Councillors welcome Barwon Heads bridge announcement Archived September 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ Barwon Heads, Full Points Footy, archived from the original on 16 May 2008, retrieved 25 July 2008
  15. ↑ Barwon Heads, Golf Select, archived from the original on 28 March 2009, retrieved 11 May 2009
  16. ↑ Thirteenth Beach, Golf Select, retrieved 11 May 2009
  17. ↑ "Barwon Heads folk praise their favourite son" by Jessica Craven, Geelong Advertiser (29 July 2008) Archived 16 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Riding buddies hail 'sensational' Cadel, ABC Online, 25 July 2011
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