Fans of the popular ABC television show, Seachange, would no doubt be familiar with the iconic Barwon Heads Bridge. Built in 1927, the original timber bridge featured as one of the landmarks in the fictional town of Pearl Bay.
After the show ended in 2000, the Barwon Heads bridge became the
subject of much debate, as it was found that the bridge had begun to deteriorate, and discussions were held over a number of years to decide how to proceed.
Eventually it was decided that the bridge would be replaced with a new road bridge, and an additional pedestrian and cyclist bridge would be built alongside it.
In 2010, the new bridges opened, with the road bridge known as the Barwon Heads Bridge and the second bridge known as the William Buckley Pedestrian Bridge.
The two bridges run alongside one another
The road bridge consists of a single lane in each direction, and cyclists have the option of travelling on the pedestrian and cyclist bridge, or using the cycle lane on the road bridge.
The underside of the pedestrian bridge
The pedestrian bridge is very well designed, and is both visually appealing and practical. It's nice and wide, which is good, given the high number of people using the bridge, and has a raised platform on one side, for people to fish from.
It also has high wooden rails on each side, coupled with a horizontal wire balustrade system, which is good for keeping the kids from getting too close to the edge.
A view from the bridge
A view from the bridge, looking back towards Barwon Heads
The Bridge is also a very popular place for fishing, especially during the summer school holidays. Fish length rulers are located on the fishing platform, and fishing line disposal bins are located at each end of the bridge.
There are fish measurement rulers on the bridge fishing platform, with information on the minimum and maximum sizes permitted for certain types of fish
If you're visiting Victoria and keen to do some fishing from the bridge, you'll need a licence, unless you fall into one of the exemption categories (under 18s, over 70s, seniors card holders, holders of various pension cards, and members of traditional owner groups are exempt).
Licences start from $10 for 3 days and can be purchased online at
agriculture.vic.gov.au/fisheries/recreational-fishing/fishing-licence
There are carparks with free parking available on both the Barwon Heads side and the Ocean Grove side, and there are plenty of areas to explore around the bridge area. Bins are also located at each end, and there is a water fountain at the Barwon Heads end.
On the Barwon Heads side of the bridge, there is a carpark and grass area with picnic tables and a rotunda
If you are interested in walking further than the immediate area around the bridge, there's a track on the eastern side of the bridge which continues on to Ocean Grove, and on the western side, you can continue on to the
Barwon Heads River Walk or
Bluff Circuit Walk.
