Barwon Heads Bridge (Barwon River)

The bridge between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove crosses the Barwon River just upstream of the mouth, and the river mouth and bridge are classic beginner water, with gentle estuary on one side and the ocean a short walk away. The likely catch is bream, yelloweye mullet, silver trevally and salmon, with King George whiting and flathead also turning up in the lower river, and an occasional autumn elephant fish further up the estuary. Mulloway live in the estuary too, though they are the fish that everyone has a story about and nobody has a photo of. Barwon Heads' Main Jetty is just downstream towards the mouth, and the little Ozone Jetty at the end of Ozone Road is a short walk upstream.

Fish the run-in tide: the two hours either side of high tide are the window around the jetties, because the lower river is very shallow at low tide. Small hooks and light baits (prawn, sandworm, pipi, bass yabby) suit bream, mullet and whiting — the mullet will find the bait first, every time; small metals or plastics for salmon and trevally. Mulloway are night fish on a live mullet or fresh squid, fished around the bridge pylons and the deeper holes on the big tides. Leave the small salmon out of it: undersize salmon can't be kept, so they can't be used as bait. Catch the live mullet here — live bait can't be brought in from another waterway.

Bream, whiting and mullet are the everyday catch, with salmon, silver trevally and flathead; elephant fish are a February–May run (less common in recent years); mulloway are occasional. Bream 28 cm and 10 (kept whole until off the water); King George whiting 27 cm and 20; mullet no minimum and 40 combined; salmon 21 cm and 20 combined with Australian herring; silver trevally 20 cm and 20; flathead 27 cm and 20; elephant fish 1 per day. Mulloway are 60 cm minimum, bag 5 (changes have been proposed — check the VFA guide).

Barwon Heads Main Jetty closes in sections for repairs from time to time — check Barwon Coast's notices on the day and obey any closure fencing. Tiger snakes are common along the river banks upstream towards Geelong; wear boots and long pants on the banks. The Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary covers the reef and rock platform at the bluff beside the river mouth — all fishing and bait collection are banned inside it, so don't wander out onto the bluff platform with a rod.

The bridge carries Bridge Road between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, with a separate path on it, and the Barwon Heads foreshore, jetties and shops are at the western end. The Ocean Grove boat ramp is on Guthridge Street. Expect busy foreshore parking in summer. Barwon Heads still gets visitors hunting for the SeaChange locations; the bridge is real, and so are the bream underneath it.

This is the lower estuary, so the tide rules everything: the incoming tide brings clean ocean water and fish up past the bridge, and low tide leaves the jetty areas almost too shallow to fish. Fresh water after heavy rain pushes fish towards the mouth. Dawn and dusk are best for bream and whiting; night for mulloway.

Fast tidal flow under the bridge and near the mouth, traffic on the bridge, slippery banks after rain or at high tide, and snakes on the river banks. The Barwon River bar is dangerous to boats. Wear a lifejacket on the jetties and anywhere the current runs hard (AS 4758 level 50S or greater, children Level 100 or greater). Barwon Bluff has had recent rockfalls — keep clear of the cliff base and don't get caught below the bluff on a rising tide.

Bream, mullet, silver trevally and salmon are the everyday catch at the mouth and bridge, with whiting, flathead, the odd autumn elephant fish and occasional mulloway in the lower river.

No. The bluff's reef and rock platform are in the Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary, where all fishing and bait collection are banned. Fish the river side instead.

Around high tide — two hours either side — because the lower river is very shallow at low tide. Dawn and dusk for bream and whiting, night for mulloway.