Explore
Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary
Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary is part of an Aboriginal cultural landscape in the traditional Sea Country of the Wadawurrung Peoples.
Parks Victoria respects the deep and continuing connection that Wadawurrung Traditional Owners have to these waters, and we recognise their ongoing role in caring for Country.
Located near the mouth of the Barwon River, Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary protects 17 hectares of reef and sea life. Featuring a diversity of habitats in a small area, it makes an excellent spot for learning about local marine life by exploring the rock platforms and beaches on an organised or self-guided tour.
It is also a great place for snorkelling and diving to discover a fascinating and complex underwater world featuring feather stars and barnacles, sea slugs, rays and small sharks, and schools of fish living amongst the kelp forests, sandstone arches, and colourful sponge gardens.
The eastern half of the reef is basalt and exposed to the flow of the river, while the western side is old sandstone influenced by ocean swell. Keen explorers may be able to find the remains of a shipwreck (Earl of Charlemont, 1853) on the outer edges of the reef.
Back on the shore enjoy bird watching and rock pool rambling, or simply take a walk around the Bluff and along Thirteenth Beach for stunning views over the sanctuary, Bass Strait, and glimpses of the kelp forests rising from submerged sections of the reef.
As beaches and coasts are natural environments, you may encounter hazards. Follow our water safety advice to make sure your day out at Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary is a safe and enjoyable one.
Things To Do
Scuba diving
Meet some of our unique marine life
Bird watching
Walking
Beaches
Surfing
Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary
This area is well known for its wildlife, such as diverse intertidal invertebrate communities including limpets, whelks, barnacles, mussels, tube worms, and sea squirts. There are also diverse fish communities within kelp forests and subtidal reefs including Western Blue Groper, Horseshoe and Six-spined Leatherjackets, Magpie Perch, Boarfish, Herring Kale, Zebra Fish, Port Jackson Shark, Smooth Stingray. Keep an eye out for shorebirds and seabirds including Pied Oyster Catcher, Hooded Plover, Pacific Gull, Black-browed Albatross.
As well as unique fauna, there are extensive platforms covered in Neptunes Necklace, coralline algae, and turfing algae. On the shore, there are rockpools containing Sea Nymph Seagrass and green, brown and red algae. Subtidal Kelp Forests containing Crayweed, Bull Kelp, Giant Kelp and many other species are a highlight of the area.
Tours in the area
Bushwalking, four-wheel driving, horse riding, kayaking, rock climbing and mountain biking are just some of the many activities you can experience in Victoria's parks.
If you want to try something new or meet some like-minded people on your next visit to a park, contact a licensed tour operator.
Parks Victoria licenses tour operators who are experts in these activities and more. They will help you get the most out of your visit.
How to get there
Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary
Visitors can access the Marine Sanctuary from the town of Barwon Heads.
When you're there
See the warnings and restrictions that apply to Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary.
Need to know
Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary
Accessibility
Stair access to beach from carparks 27W and 28W (Emergency Markers).
There is a trail with several lookouts that goes around the top of the Bluff. Remember to stay on the trail, the cliffs are fragile and dangerous and there are several areas of significant vegetation and habitat for native fauna.
How we keep it special
We aim to ensure that our valued parks, and the natural assets and cultural heritage they hold, can be enjoyed now and by future generations.
Parks Victoria undertake seasonal surveys of the marine environment at Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary as part of the Sea Search rocky shore monitoring program. Sea Search is a community-based monitoring program for marine national parks and sanctuaries.
Parks Victoria also work closely with Barwon Coast, Friends of the Bluff, and other community groups and organisations in the sustainable management of Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary.
Friends of the Bluff is an active local community group of committed volunteers providing support, education, awareness and publicity for the physical regeneration of the natural vegetation and all habitats of the Barwon Bluff area including the Marine Sanctuary.
Resources
- Life on the Edge – A Guide to the Animals and Plants of the Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary
- Birds of the Bluff – A Walking Guide to Birds that may live in or visit the Barwon Bluff area
- Plants that Clothe the Bluff – A Walking Guide to the plants that may see as you wander around the Barwon Bluff and environs.
Barwon Coast Committee of Management manage the land around Barwon Bluff and are appointed by the Victorian State Government to manage 15km of coastal Crown land through the Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads townships.
