Barwon Heads
Tourism Victoria

Highlights

Werribee Park

Built in Italianate style during the 1870s, Werribee Mansion is now preserved in all its splendour,
grandly furnished to re-create the lifestyle of a wealthy family in Victoria’s boom years. Take a tour through the house, then visit the Victoria State Rose Garden before heading off on a safari at the Werribee Open Range Zoo.

The You Yangs

These granite tors rise abruptly from the Werribee Plains. There is a fairly easy walk (3.2 km return) from the carpark to the top of Flinders Peak. On a clear day the view extends to Mt Macedon, Geelong and the skyscrapers of Melbourne.

Geelong

Geelong, Victoria’s second largest city, is a bustling port that grew with the state’s wool industry. The redeveloped Eastern Beach Waterfront district features cafes, restaurants and colourful sculptures, with the historic Cunningham Pier as a centrepiece. Take a stroll along the promenade or cool off in the restored 1930s sea baths.

Geelong wine region

Vines were first planted around Geelong in the 1850s, but were uprooted during the 1870s phylloxera outbreak. Today’s industry was established in the 1960s and there are now around 20 wineries, including eight on the Bellarine Peninsula. Scotchmans Hill, near Drysdale, has views to the coast and a growing reputation for pinot noir and chardonnay.

Focus On: Holiday havens

Just an hour or so from Melbourne, this district is enormously popular for weekend getaways. Queenscliff offers luxurious accommodation and fine dining, and the Maritime Centre and Museum in town displays the region’s historic relationship with the sea. The tiny historic town of Point Lonsdale has great views of the turbulent entrance to Port Phillip. Ocean Grove, the peninsula’s biggest town, is popular with retirees, surfers and scuba divers. A bridge across the estuary leads to Barwon Heads, which was the setting for the television series SeaChange. This is a small town with an excellent surfing beach and good accommodation and restaurants.