Meet the site
The Bluff at Barwon Heads is the headland that closes the mouth of the Barwon River, a ridge of basalt and older sandstone that pushes out into Bass Strait as Point Flinders and shelters the river town behind it. Its waters were declared the Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary in 2002, 17 hectares of reef and sea life that Parks Victoria describes in terms of kelp forests, sandstone arches and colourful sponge gardens, and it is the Bellarine's principal ocean shore dive. The geology splits the site in two. The eastern half, facing the river, is basalt reef washed by river flow and gives the calmer, shallower dive; the western half, facing the ocean, is old sandstone eroded into ledges, gutters, overhangs and small arches and carries the richest life. Between the reef pincers at the tip of Point Flinders is a small bay with a floor of sand and rock. Kelp forests of crayweed, bull kelp and giant kelp cover the outer reef, and beneath them are sponge gardens, feather stars, sea tulips, barnacles, mussels and sea slugs in numbers. Fish are those of the open Victorian coast rather than the bay: Western blue groper, horseshoe and six-spined leatherjackets, magpie perch, boarfish, herring cale, zebrafish, Port Jackson sharks, smooth stingrays and, on the sand, large rays. The wreck of the SS Orungal (1940) lies about 700 m off the northern side and the Earl of Charlemont (1853) is buried off the southern side; both are documented separately. The dive is a step up from the bay piers: a rock-shelf entry, Bass Strait surge, kelp and a real requirement to read the swell, and The Scuba Doctor notes that it is better with little or no swell but that for the experienced the swell adds to the challenge and beauty. Rockfalls from the cliffs are a documented hazard on land, and high tides cut the beach off below them. The Bluff is also the staging town for the ex-HMAS Canberra, 3 km east, and the two make a natural weekend.
What you might see
Western blue groper, horseshoe and six-spined leatherjackets, magpie perch, boarfish, herring cale, zebrafish, Port Jackson sharks, smooth stingrays, giant rays, sea slugs, feather stars, sea tulips, sponges; crayweed, bull kelp and giant kelp
Location
17 ha marine sanctuary around the Bluff (Point Flinders) at the mouth of the Barwon River, Barwon Heads, on the Bass Strait coast of the Bellarine Peninsula; basalt reef on the eastern (river) side and sandstone reef with kelp forests, arches and sponge gardens on the western (ocean) side.
Facilities nearby
Two free car parks on Bluff Road; public toilets at the Bluff and in the village; cafes and shops in Hitchcock Avenue, Barwon Heads; nearest air fills Bay City Scuba (Geelong) or Dive Victoria Group (Queenscliff)
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
parks.vic.gov.auscubadoctor.com.auscubadoctor.com.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.