Known as the Village by the Sea, Barwon Heads is one of the Geelong region's premier holiday destinations with thousands of holiday makers making this lovely seaside town home over the summer months in the expansive camp grounds, boutique accommodation and quality B&Bs.

The mouth of the Barwon River separates the town from Ocean Grove located on the eastern bank, which is on the Bellarine Peninsula. The two towns are separated by the Barwon Heads Bridge which has become the town's most controversial feature. Residents and the government battled for years on replacing the original 1927 structure spanning the river, with a footbridge and a rebuilt bridge taking in many of the original design elements.

The town has transformed and grown over the last decade from a sleepy seaside town to a vibrant and exciting township with a great selection of cafe's restaurants and boutiques along its main street Hitchcock Street. One of the main reasons for the new found interest in Barwon Heads was its feature on the ABC television series Seachange staring Sigrid Thorton during the late 1990's. The town gained much media attention again in 2011 as the home town of 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans.

The giant bluff at the mouth of the Barwon River is the town's focal point; the limestone cliff face offers shelter to the river mouth and protects the sandy shores making it ideal and fairly safe for swimming and also offer great protection to the large camp grounds at its base. To the south of the bluff are some of the region's best surf beaches including 13th Beach.

Two of the state's best golf clubs are also in easy reach of Barwon Heads. Golf has been played at the Barwon Heads Golf Club since 1907 and today it is one of the most scenic 18 hole greens in Australia. 13th Beach Golf Links is a new course in the area. Voted amongst the top 25 courses in Australia and was designed by golfing legends Tony Cashmore and Nick Faldo.