Barwon Heads (previously known as Point Flinders) is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the west bank of the mouth of the Barwon River below Lake Connewarre, while it is bounded to the west by farmland, golf courses and the saline ephemeral wetland of Murtnaghurt Lagoon. At the , Barwon Heads had a population of 3,875. History Barwon Heads lies within the territory of the Waddawurrung Balug clan, of the Wathaurong people. Its traditional name is Koornoo. Barwon derives from the Wathaurong word Barrwang or Baarwon meaning magpie. The river and upstream lakes (Lake Connewarre and Reedy Lake) were frequented by Aboriginal hunters and fishermen, including the escaped convict, William Buckley, who lived with the Wathaurong for 32 years. When European settlers arrived in Port Phillip in June 1835, a camp was established at Indented Head. Port Phillip Association surveyor, John Helder Wedge, explored the Bellarine Peninsula, including the Barwon and its lakes, in August 1835. It is unknown when colonists first took up land at Barwon Heads but, by the 1870s, a township was formed, with a Post Office opening in the area on 15 December 1889 (renamed Connewarre East in 1890 when a new Barwon Heads PO opened in the township). Fishing was the mainstay of the town in its early years. In the 1920s and 1930s, the town became a popular holiday resort, and a number of the wealthier families of Melbourne and the Western District built houses here. The summer period still sees a large influx of holidaymakers to the town. In 1959, the closing scenes of the film On the Beach, based on a Nevil Shute novel about the end of the world, were filmed in the town. The Barwon Heads Golf Club clubhouse, located on Golf Links Road and dating from 1923 to 1924, is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The former Barwon Heads Bridge was also listed on the Register, but it was demolished in 2009 after being declared irreparable. A new bridge was constructed, which used components and design elements of the original bridge. A separate footbridge was built parallel to it. Barwon Heads Bridge The Barwon Heads Bridge was opened in 1927, crossing the Barwon River between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove. Prior to that, there had been a rowing boat service across the river. The bridge was a central element