Ocean Grove is a surf beach town on the Bellarine Peninsula, about 23 km and 25 minutes from Geelong. Its 2 km ocean beach is patrolled in summer and suits beginner surfers. Inland, the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve has short bush walks and over 130 bird species. Barwon Heads is across the river bridge.
Ocean Grove is a beach town on the ocean side of the Bellarine Peninsula, about 23 km and 25 minutes from Geelong. The main things to do in Ocean Grove are the 2 km main surf beach, a surf lesson, a walk in the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve and the bridge across the Barwon River to Barwon Heads. About 17,700 people live here (17,714 at the 2021 census), and Wikipedia says the peninsula’s biggest shopping centre is in town.
Visit Geelong & the Bellarine describes Ocean Grove’s main beach as “two kilometres of family-friendly surf beach”. It is an ocean beach facing Bass Strait, so expect waves and rips.
| Ocean Grove main beach | Checked October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Length | About 2 km |
| Lifeguards | Summer only; swim between the flags |
| Hazards | Rips and wind, per the tourism board |
| Dogs | Main beach dog free all year (council); other zones vary |
| Surf club | Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club, on the main beach |
| Food | The Dunes, a cafe and bar overlooking the main beach |
Surf lessons. The tourism board names Go Ride a Wave as the surf school on the main beach. GetYourGuide also lists an Ocean Grove beginner lesson from the same operator, though it had only one review when we looked.
Experienced surfers usually head west across the river to 13th Beach at Barwon Heads.
Walking. The tourism board mentions a 3 km coastal loop that works for a walk or an easy cycle.
A note on dogs: the City of Greater Geelong lists the main beach as dog free year round. A local trial that began in 2021 covered about 805 m between the 13W and 15W beach access stairs, the stretch around the surf club. Other parts of the Barwon coast have summer-only bans, so read the sign at each access path.
Inland from the beach, the Ocean Grove Nature Conservation Reserve is a fenced block of native bushland run by Parks Victoria. Wikipedia gives its size as about 143 hectares, and Parks Victoria calls it the largest patch of non-coastal native vegetation left on the Bellarine.
The signposted walks, from Parks Victoria (Checked October 2026):
| Track | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Go-yin / Wallaby Track (from the Grubb Road car park) | 500 m | About 20 min return |
| Currawong Track to the picnic area | 1 km | About 30 min one way |
| Buluk / Lake Track | 1 km | About 30 min return |
| Wurrack / Banksia Track | 3 km | About 1.5 h return |
More than 130 bird species have been recorded here, including honeyeaters, wrens and yellow-tailed black cockatoos, plus the threatened swift parrot. Swamp wallabies, echidnas and turtles live in the reserve too. Some paths and the picnic-area gates and tables are wheelchair and pram friendly.
The picnic area has tables and fire-pit barbecues (bring your own firewood). Parks Victoria’s page mentions toilets at the picnic area trailhead but also says there are currently none inside the reserve, so plan for that. If dogs come with you, they must stay on a lead.
Ocean Grove began as a Methodist camp. American Methodists had set up a camp community at Ocean Grove, New Jersey, in 1869, and an Australian group set up a similar camp near Point Lonsdale before moving, by 1882, to the site on the eastern side of the Barwon River mouth. When the land was subdivided in 1887, a covenant banned the making or selling of alcohol on it.
Ocean Grove stayed officially “dry” for over a century. The ban was lifted in the 2000s, and Collendina, the eastern part of town, grew up around a pub just outside the old boundary. Today the town has bars, a brewery (FarmDog Brewing) and Flying Brick’s cider house nearby.
Ocean Grove sits on the eastern side of the Barwon River mouth, with Barwon Heads on the other bank. Until the Barwon Heads bridge opened in 1927, the only way across was by rowboat. The original timber bridge was demolished in 2009 and replaced in 2010 by a road bridge on the same line, with a separate pedestrian bridge beside it. Walk or ride across for the Bluff and its rock pools, or for lunch on Hitchcock Avenue.
Ocean Grove is a summer town. Wikipedia says the population swells to about four times its usual size in the school summer holidays, and lifeguards patrol the main beach only over summer. In Geelong, the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station, February and March are warm (average maximums of 24 to 26 °C) and the driest months. Outside summer the beach is quieter, and the nature reserve makes a good walk on a cool day.
The tourism board’s Ocean Grove picks include Ket Baker for sourdough, The Dunes on the main beach, FarmDog Brewing, Flying Brick Cider House and Oakdene winery. The Oakdene cellar door at 255 Grubb Road, Wallington, is open daily 11 am to 4 pm; more cellar doors are in our Bellarine wineries guide.
With children, Adventure Park water park is in nearby Wallington, and the tourism board also lists Bellarine Adventure Golf for mini golf. For the rock pools, go to the Bluff at Barwon Heads at low tide.
| Way to go | Time | Details (Checked October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Car from Geelong | About 25 min | About 23 km |
| Bus 55 (McHarry’s) | Check the timetable | Geelong to Ocean Grove via Marshall and Barwon Heads; myki |
| Bus 56 (McHarry’s) | Check the timetable | Geelong to Queenscliff via Ocean Grove and Point Lonsdale; myki |
| From Melbourne | About 75 min by car | Tourism board figure; or train to Geelong, then bus |
Ocean Grove sits between Barwon Heads and Point Lonsdale, so you can string all three together along the coast. The Bellarine Peninsula guide has the full picture, Melbourne to Geelong covers the train, and the tours page lists bookable trips nearby.
3.5 hours
Snorkel at Popes Eye and with the young fur seals at Chinaman's Hat, then go looking for dolphins in Port Phillip Heads, with an optional bus transfer from Geelong Station.
fromA$210
Check availability3-6 hours
A tandem skydive at the Connewarre drop zone near Barwon Heads, south of Geelong, with free return transfers from Melbourne's CBD.
fromA$405
Check availability3-6 hours
A five-course lunch or dinner on The Q Train's heritage carriages, running from Drysdale past Swan Bay to Queenscliff and back.
fromA$150
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Updated
It is a surf beach, so swim between the red and yellow flags when lifeguards are on duty, which is only over summer. The regional tourism board warns about rips and wind and calls the main beach family friendly. For calmer water, try the Barwon River estuary at Barwon Heads across the bridge, or the bay beaches on the Bellarine's north side.
Yes. Visit Geelong & the Bellarine names Go Ride a Wave as a surf school running lessons on the main beach, and the board says the beach has just the right amount of froth for learners. Experienced surfers tend to head to 13th Beach at Barwon Heads, a short drive west across the river.
It is a fenced patch of native bushland managed by Parks Victoria, with four signposted walks from 500 m to 3 km. More than 130 bird species have been recorded, including yellow-tailed black cockatoos, along with swamp wallabies and echidnas. There is a picnic area with tables and barbecues. The main entrance and car park are on Grubb Road.
About 23 km by road from Geelong city centre, roughly 25 minutes by car; the tourism board gives 21 minutes. Without a car, McHarry's bus 55 runs from Geelong to Ocean Grove via Barwon Heads, and route 56 runs through Ocean Grove on the way to Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff. Both use myki.
Not on the main beach. The City of Greater Geelong lists Ocean Grove main beach as dog free all year, after a trial that began in 2021 covered about 805 m of sand around the surf club. Other stretches have their own seasonal rules, so read the signs at each beach access before you let a dog off the lead.
Barwon Heads is a small river-mouth town on the Bellarine Peninsula, about 22 km and 25 minutes from Geelong.
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse is a 21 m white concrete tower, first lit in 1902, on the headland overlooking the Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip.
The Bellarine Peninsula is the stretch of coast between Geelong and the entrance to Port Phillip, 22 to 34 km from the city.
Geelong's city beach is Eastern Beach, a bay beach with a netted swimming enclosure and lifeguards in summer.