St Leonard’s and Indented Head are not the place for huge attractions and plenty to do, the charm of these two seaside resort towns is quite the opposite, little to do other than relax and enjoy the fresh sea breeze. It is absolutely magic. If you want more action, well the rest of the Bellarine Peninsula and Geelong are under half an hour’s drive away. These two towns are perfect to kick back and slow down from everyday life and enjoy peace and quiet.
Around 1600 call St Leonard’s home and just under 600 at Indented Head with many of the residents being retirees moving to a new peaceful life. The towns swell to many times this size over the summer months.
It’s the peace and quiet and the beach that people come here to visit. And the beach is pretty good, the shallow waters of Port Phillip Bay offer some beautiful sandy shores. The usually calm waters offer great swimming, fishing and just lying around enjoying the sun.
St Leonard’s along with many of the towns on the Bellarine Peninsula were filming locations for the ABC Television program Seachange that stared Sigrid Thornton, John Howard and William McInnes. The beaches of St Leonard’s were also used in the Crowded House music video, Weather with You, which depicts the bayside holiday resort towns which so many families have enjoyed over the years, with a bit of a 60’s twist.
St Leonard’s is home to a golf club, and a sailing club for those after a bit of action, and the St Leonard’s pub overlooking the St Leonard’s pier is a great place to enjoy after a hard day on the beach or golf course, if you know what I mean. Their huge outdoor beer garden with sweeping views of the bay is great place to meet and enjoy happy times with friends or meet new ones.
Many people stay in the huge camping grounds along the foreshore but there are dozens of holiday homes and apartments which are popular all year round. The St Leonard’s township has good amenities with small supermarket, chemist, newsagent and quite a few takeaway shops offering great fish and chips, burgers and the like.
A popular bird watching spot is Edward Point and Duck Island State Fauna Reserve, this is found on the south side of St Leonard’s towards Swan Bay. There are great walking trails and plenty of migratory birds to see. For those lucky enough they might even get a glimpse of the rare orange bellied parrot which lives in the grass around the reserve.
Swan Bay to also to the south of the township overlooking Queenscliff is a shallow 30 square kilometer marine embayment. It is one of the region’s most important fish breeding grounds and nesting sites for many of our native birdlife. The bay is now part of the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park and as legend tells it is home to hidden treasure which was planted by a pirate named Benito who stole it from Lima in South America back in the early 1800’s.
The Paddle steamer Ozone or the remains of it are one of the more interesting sights in Indented Head. The steamer was sunk in 1924 to form a breakwater for the beach. It was built in Glasgow in 1886 and was used to service the bay. The vessels anchor can be visited at Taylors Reserve just up from where the wreck lies offshore.
