Beach fun

Ranging from sheltered bay beaches to crashing surf, there’s a seaside style on The Bellarine to suit everyone. Swimming, surfing, paddling in the shallows, or just relaxing on the sand...

Bay beaches for swimming and boating include Portarlington, Indented Heads, St Leonards, Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale.

Ocean beaches including Point Lonsdale, Ocean Grove and 13th beach (Barwon Heads) are popular spots for swimming and surfing. The river at Barwon Heads is also a popular spot but it is advised that swimming is avoided there for a few days after heavy rains.

Boating

The Bellarine skirts the waters of Port Phillip Bay where every imaginable form of water-based recreation is possible. Boating, fishing, diving, snorkelling, swimming and sailing are among the most popular. Excellent facilities help you enjoy all that the bay has to offer.

There are boat ramps at Clifton Springs, Portarlington, Indented Heads, St Leonards, Queenscliff and Barwon Heads, to mention just a few!

Explore the villages

The Bellarine is dotted with many historic villages and holiday resorts like Drysdale, Portarlington, Indented Heads, St Leonards, Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads. One of the best ways to get a feel for them is with a driving tour. The Bellarine’s compact nature and excellent roads make it easy to get around.

Bellarine Rail Trail

The Rail Trail links Victoria's second biggest city of Geelong, with its magnificent Waterfront development, to the picturesque small resort town of Queenscliff over 32.5 kilometres.

Starting at the Geelong Showgrounds, South Geelong, walk, ride or jog the trail - in an environment that is predominately car free with a very pleasant journey through scenic farm lands. Diversity of the habitat is evidenced by the Moolap grasslands, the Sheoaks through Leopold, and the variety of Gums and under-story plants adjacent to the Curlewis golf course. 

On reaching the outskirts of Queenscliff the trail hugs the shoreline of Swan Bay until its ending at Queenscliff Railway Station. 
 

Shopping

Whichever direction you choose to begin your retail therapy, you'll soon realise that the more you look the more you will discover at each unique Bellarine village.

Whether its children's wear, a new surfboard or headwear for the Spring Racing Carnival, The Bellarine has something to offer. Shopping extends from surfwear to unusual gifts and accessories, business attire and harware.

You'll find providores, spa therapy and yoga centres as well as art galleries and local history musuems sprinkled throughout The Bellarine, satisfying those with a desire for culture and indulgence.

The townships blend a strong coastal character with all the conveniences. From award winning bakeries to supermarkets, chemists and antiques, everything you need is right here on The Bellarine.

Fun Parks

Fun is the theme all along The Bellarine, especially at Wallington on the Bellarine Highway. Beside Adventure Park, you can get yourself and your family lost at the puzzling Amaze 'N Games, one of Australia's largest mazes. Just across the road, an indoor/outdoor mini-golf takes centre stage at Bellarine Adventure Golf's challenging 36-hole layout.

The Bellarine doesn’t reserve all the fun for adults, there are loads of entertaining activities for kids of all ages including the popular Splash & Play at Adventure Park, Victoria’s first $3.5 million dollar water theme-park. Remember to set aside a whole day as you tackle the thrilling waterslide, ride aqua bikes, paddle a canoe and race your friends in the go-karts. Visit www.adventurepark.com.au for more information.

Golf

Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula boast coastal landscapes with courses set in behind the sand dunes.

Barwon Heads Nestled in the dunes at the mouth of the Barwon River, a classical links course. Not long, but lots of charm. Plenty of wonderful holes, but none better than the third. A par four of 373 metres, it doglegs right, around a naturally occurring sandy wasteland. Once reaching the turning point, it's an uphill shot to a green set high on a ridge. The downhill 13th is known as the postage stamp for good reason. www.bhgc.com.au

Point Lonsdale Located alongside the Heads of Port Phillip Bay, but on the opposite side to Portsea. Front nine holes are laid out toward the marsh land of Lake Victoria and its native bird life. A tricky course with many dogleg holes that require a lay-up to the corner from the tee. Relatively small greens by modern standards, but some lovely contouring makes for stimulating putting. http://www.lonsdalegc.com.au/

Queenscliff is a unique golfing location occupying a large section of Swan Island. Surrounded by water, the course weaves through bushland and natural wetland teeming with wildlife. The endangered orange-belly parrot migrates here from Tasmania at the end of winter. One fairway on the sand-based course is fenced off to give parrots free rein. http://www.queenscliffgolfclub.com.au/ 

Thirteenth Beach Offers golfers real variety, with several holes on the highly rated Beach Course running parallel to the coastline, with just the dunes as a buffer between golfers and board riders. This course on the Bellarine Peninsula has a collection of outstanding holes gaining fame for their green settings. The Creek Course, designed by six time major winner Nick Faldo, is more of a parkland style, set among cypresses and pines. www.13thbeach.net 

Curlewis Golf Club Possibly the most underrated course in Victoria, presenting a championship challenge to all golfers. www.curlewisgolf.com.au 

Clifton Springs Golf Club The course is set on gentle hills that ensure perfect drainage and afford wondrous bay views extending to the You Yangs beyond Geelong. www.cliftonspringsgolfclub.com.au 

Portarlington Golf Club Inc Portarlington has a well-presented layout with excellent, fast greens. The course is set on well-drained slopes amidst solid established trees.  www.portarlingtongolf.com.au