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Contact Barwon Coast at the following
16 November 2026
There’s more Hooded Plover nesting activity along our coastline, with two new nests recorded at Thirteenth Beach and Ocean Grove Main Beach.
11 November 2026
Expressions of interest are now open for temporary summer food vendor permits across Barwon Coast Caravan Parks from 19 December 2026 to 31 January 2027.
9 November 2026
Three chicks thriving and a new nest
5 November 2026
Three chicks have hatched at Barwon Bluff South
3 November 2026
Two nests have failed and two remain along our coastline.
Published on 30 November 2022

The countdown to Summer in Barwon Heads is underway, with Wonderland Spiegeltent and it’s arts and entertainment playground, filled with sparkling lights, a Nostalgic Ferris Wheel overlooking the Barwon River, a Sunset Bar to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere, sunsets over Barwon Heads and live tunes in the garden bar. From Saturday 17th December to Sunday 29th January the beautiful opulent pop up venue, a favourite to the region, with stained-glass windows, lush velvets aplenty, all wooden, all mirrored to enjoy and gasp at world class cabaret, burlesque with laughs a plenty while sipping champagne and cold beer.
Shimmy this way Campers and Holiday fun in the sun makers! Sip, savour and celebrate at Wonderland Spiegeltent Festival Hub, where the drinks are cold, the Donuts are sweet, the popcorn is Poppin, the lights are raunchy and the entertainment is smoking!
The Wonderland Spiegeltent will feature everything from astounding circus, magical stories of Neverland and the boy who never grew up, luscious burlesque, big comedy names and a Champagne fuelled adult cabaret Popcorn Underground with special events over 5 packed weeks.
Headlining the family program is Circus Wonderland – A Neverland Adventure, a new production with an all-star cast, capturing the magic of Neverland and the joy of this classic tale JM BARRY Tale PETER PAN , reimagined by the team behind Circus Wonderland – A Mermaid’s Tale and Circus Wonderland – Circa 1920.
For the adults, Wonderland’s hit cabaret show, Popcorn Underground is ready to delight audiences with the creme de la creme of the cabaret world. Joining us for this riotous variety show includes Tash York, Adam Malone and Jaimi Luhrmann!
Music lovers get ready for the biggest line up of musicians we’ve brought to Barwon Heads! Get ready to rock with Mark Seymour & The Undertow, INXSIVE, Absolutely 80s: UK Hits Tour, Vaudeville Smash, The Bash Big Band, Ella Hooper – Old News Tour and Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie’s Skyhooks Show!
For the laughs we have the Comedy Christmas Gala and the one and only Akmal.
Outside in our gorgeous garden bar enjoy, live music, performances and the breathtaking views of the Barwon River! Enjoy tasty treats of popcorn, fairly floss, donuts, twisted chip on a stick and more!
Be sure to enjoy dinner and lunch at the wonderful Barwon Heads Restaurants, most only a short walk from the venue!
Now in its sixth year as part of one of Australia’s iconic holiday locations, the Wonderland Spiegeltent transports audiences to the Golden Age of travelling entertainment and mesmerizes guests with the live spectacle of world class talent performing up close and personal in lushly intimate setting.
CIRCUS WONDERLAND – A NEVERLAND ADVENTURE
Monday 26th December 2022 – Sunday 29th January 2023 – Various Dates and Times
Be amazed and captivated as you are immersed in the magic of Neverland! Audiences young and the young at heart will be all smiles enjoying the spell-binding magic of Circus Wonderland. Fun for the whole family as the adventures of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and the Pirates come to life with a fun-filled enchanting circus adventure for the whole family.
A fantasy wonderland of family entertainment you will never forget! Starring an amazing world class cast of acrobatic characters with astounding feats and hilarious antics to keep you enthralled and in wonder! Tik Tok, a magical wonderland awaits.
COMEDY CHRISTMAS GALA
Saturday 17th December 2022 – 7:30pm
Join us for a Comedy Gala with some of Australia’s favourite Comedy legends this December!
Opening in Barwon Heads this December the Wonderland Spiegeltent will host a great line up of Comedians to kick off our Summer season! Full line up announced soon!
BOB ‘BONGO’ STARKIE’S SKYHOOKS SHOW
Friday 23rd December 2022 – 8:00pm
Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie’s Skyhooks Show with Laura Davidson is coming to Barwon Heads! The perfect event to celebrate the start of the Christmas season with your family and friends! Bob ’Bongo’ Starkie, original guitarist with the band, has assembled a red hot band to perform their classic songs in a personal celebration of the music of Skyhooks.
SKYHOOKS helped change the face of rock’n’roll in the 1970s with a string of Number One and Top 10 singles to their credit, as well as two of Australia’s biggest selling albums, ‘Living in the 70s’, and ‘Ego is Not A Dirty Word’.
POPCORN UNDERGROUND
Thursday 5th – Sunday 15th January 2023 – Various Dates and Times
A night of joyously entertaining, cabaret, adult carnival, burlesque, astounding circus and extraordinary artists. A riotous variety show like you’ve never seen before.
Combining death defying thrilling acts and hilarious moments that will shock and delight. The creme de la creme of the cabaret world. A magical experience! A night of joyously entertaining, cabaret, adult carnival, burlesque, magic, astounding circus and extraordinary artists. A riotous variety show like you’ve never seen before. Combining death defying thrilling acts and hilarious moments that will shock and delight. The creme de la creme of the cabaret world. A magical experience!
MARK SEYMOUR & The Undertow
Saturday 7th January 2023 – 8:30pm
Mark Seymour formed Hunters and Collectors in 1980, with a bunch of Uni friends. The band became famous for its rhythmic power and very quickly became touted as the “next big thing”. The Album “Human Frailty“ was recorded in Melbourne in 1985.
By 1998, Mark felt that he had done all that he could as the front man of Hunters and Collectors. After eighteen years of touring with what became one of Australia’s most successful and deeply loved rock bands, he found himself alone on stage with just an acoustic guitar. As a solo artist, Mark continues to search for the emotional truth in a song. Mark Seymour’s strength as a performer remains undiminished despite the ever-present shadow of the band he used to be in.
INXSIVE
Sunday 8th January 2023 – 8:00pm
INXSIVE brilliantly capture the sound and style of Aussie Rock legends INXS in their high energy, crowd engaging concerts.
Their full production sound combined with energetic audience engaging performances make INXSIVE Australia’s leading INXS tribute show and an excellent live entertainment option for any venue or event. Their repertoire encompasses all the smash hits from the impressive INXS back catalogue, and a performance by INXSIVE needs to be seen to be believed. They regularly receive rave reviews from their audiences on how closely they capture the sound and style of INXS.
ABSOLUTELY 80s: UK HITS TOUR
Saturday 14th January 2023 – 8:00pm
London’s calling as The Absolutely 80s – UK Hits Tour heads out on the road, paying tribute to New Wave & the New Romantic sound of the 80s from England, Ireland & Scotland.
Without doubt, the 80s was one of the most memorable and massive decades of music. The Absolutely 80s UK Hits Tour is the ultimate celebration of massive hits of the United Kingdom from the 80s. It’s a showstopping spectacle of mega proportions. Featuring some of Australia’s favourite 80s pop icons: Uncanny X Men’s Brian Mannix, Kids in the Kitchen’s Scott Carne & Boom Crash Opera’s Dale Ryder. The UK Hits Tour pays tribute to the best of British New Wave & New Romantic acts of the 80s, with smash hits also included.
THE BASH BIG BAND
Friday 20th January – 8.30pm
It’s great to be to able to pull together a group of talented local musicians from Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove, Geelong and the coastal towns of southern Victoria into one big vibrant team that delivers a great mix of traditional Australian rock, R&B, Funk and Blues.
The Bash Big Band produces a great night of entertainment, taking the audience back to the sounds that incorporate James Brown, Joe Cocker. Stevie Wonder, The Angels and AC/DC and other artists from the 70’s & 80’s.
Come and join us for a night of enjoyment and unfettered fun in the beautiful Wonderland Spiegeltent.
VAUDEVILLE SMASH
Saturday 21st January – 8.30pm
Made up of three brothers and two mates, no other Australian band sounds like them. An explosion of funk, flute, sax, synth and groove, the dance floor is packed at a Vaudeville Smash gig, the crowd goes wild. In case you’re wondering, they took their name from an Italian children’s karaoke machine that was around in the late ’80s.
“I’ll be damned if Vaudeville Smash aren’t the most mind-blowingly refreshing live act to emerge from Melbourne since God knows when.” – Beat Magazine
AKMAL
Friday 27th January 2023 – 8:30pm
Akmal is one of the funniest comedians in the world. The fact that he has written this blurb does not take away from his genius.
He will be doing a best of show, bringing comedic gold selected from the previous 25 years. Some people have suggested that he’s doing this because he is lazy and could not be bothered writing a new show. These people are ignorant and most likely lesser comedians who are jealous of his talent and good looks. Happy ending guaranteed (for an extra twenty bucks). *No kids, no real estate agents, no refunds.
“Random, improvised and hilarious…” Crickey Publications
“No one wanted the show to stop…he seemed to own the stage.” Sydney Morning Herald
ELLA HOOPER
Saturday 28th January 2023 – 7:00pm
Ella Hooper was still a teenager when she burst onto the Australian music scene – Unearthed by Triple J when she was just 13, Ella scored her first number one with the single ‘Mascara’ on her 17th birthday. And at 18, she became the first woman to be awarded APRA’s Songwriter of the Year.
After releasing three hit albums with Killing Heidi, Ella embarked on a solo career. Her forthcoming album, Small Town Temple – written in her hometown of Violet Town – has been hailed as a new beginning, showcasing Ella’s deeply personal songwriting. After a multitude of gold and platinum records and four ARIA Awards, Ella remains committed to her craft.
As she sings on Small Town Temple: “Still strong, still on a mission.”
WONDERLAND SPIEGELTENT FESTIVAL HUB LAHEY SQUARE PARK NEXT TO THE OCEAN GROVE BRIDGE, BARWON HEADS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR
TO BUY TICKETS HEAD TO WWW.WONDERLANDSPIEGELTENT.COM.AU
ABOUT WONDERLAND ENTERTAINMENT
Wonderland Entertainment is the touring company popping up in locations across Australia, from Melbourne Sydney, Barwon Heads, Sunshine Coast, Mackay, Townsville and Port Douglas and Adelaide Fringe Festival. Touring the nostalgic Wonderland Spiegeltent welcomes guests from all over the world, both onstage and off, as the good times flow on long after sundown.
You can follow the festival’s updates and tag images on Instagram @wonderland_spiegeltent or on Facebook @wonderlandspiegeltent
For all Media & Press Inquiries for Wonderland Entertainment, please contact:
Melissa Head
Wonderland Spiegeltent Director Wonderland Spiegeltent Festival Hub
melissa@wonderlandspiegeltent.com.au
Mobile: 0419 571 704
There’s more Hooded Plover nesting activity along our coastline, with two new nests recorded at Thirteenth Beach and Ocean Grove Main Beach.
Expressions of interest are now open for temporary summer food vendor permits across Barwon Coast Caravan Parks from 19 December 2026 to 31 January 2027.
Three chicks have hatched at Barwon Bluff South
ℹ️ Service disruption – Microsoft outage
Barwon Coast is currently experiencing some system disruptions due to the global Microsoft issue, which may affect our ability to respond to enquiries as quickly as usual.
If your enquiry is urgent, please give us a call on (03) 5254 1118.
Thanks for your patience and understanding. We`ll keep you updated and let you know when we are back to normal.
A little kindness goes a long way.
This World Kindness Day, we`re encouraging everyone in our coastal communities to show kindness to one another, to our environment and to the people who care for it.
Our Barwon Coast team works hard, and with heart, every day to care for the coast we all love. Whether they`re maintaining our beaches and facilities, protecting our natural environment or helping visitors enjoy their time on the coast, they do so with pride and dedication.
We ask our community to extend the same care and respect to our staff that they show to our coastline.
A friendly smile, a kind word or a simple thank you can make someone`s day. Be kind to each other. Be kind to our staff. Be kind to our coast. 💙
The coastal skies can be so much more interesting than just clear blue (although we do love a sunny day on the coast!). This pic by one of our clever staff members gives yet another new perspective on the Bluff, sea and skies 🤩 What a magical place to live, work or visit - we are so lucky.
A little chick, with a watchful parent close by! 🐣
Filmed on Monday at Barwon Bluff, this Hooded Plover chick is one of three that hatched last week. All three chicks were last sighted yesterday and are still going strong!
A big thank you to Friends of the Hooded Plover Bellarine for their incredible work monitoring these vulnerable birds and for sharing this precious footage with us.
Please continue to respect beach closures and follow signed detours to give these little ones the best chance of survival.
🚧 Temporary beach access closure – Thirteenth Beach
The car park and beach access path at Thirteenth Beach sand ramp beach access (Emergency Marker THI182, formerly 40W) will be temporarily closed on Friday 13 November 2026 for essential track surface repairs.
Works are expected to take one day.
Thanks for your patience while we complete these important maintenance works to keep our coastal access tracks safe.
"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."
– Laurence Binyon, For the Fallen
Today, we honour those who have served and sacrificed in times of war, conflict and peacekeeping.
We also acknowledge the service and sacrifice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have served in defence of our country and the freedoms we enjoy today.
At 11 am, we join Australians across the country in observing one minute`s silence to remember all who have served and sacrificed.
Lest we forget. 🌺
💙 Hooded Plover update – Three chicks and a new nest!
Some positive news from our coast today (9 November)!
🐣 Barwon Bluff South: All three chicks are now five days old and were spotted foraging on the intertidal reef this morning.
🥚 Thirteenth Beach at Boings: A new nest has been discovered with three eggs!
How you can help:
💙 Do not enter the closed section of beach between The Bluff Dune South and The Hole beach accesses.
💙 Follow the signed pedestrian detours.
💙 At Thirteenth Beach at Boings, keep dogs on lead and walk close to the waterline.
💙 Follow local signage and give nesting birds and chicks plenty of space.
Thank you for helping give these vulnerable shorebirds the best chance of survival! And a big thank you to Friends of the Hooded Plover Bellarine for their ongoing monitoring efforts and for sharing this wonderful video with us!
Find out more, including the beach closure map, on our website news section (link in bio).
The magic of the sun rising over this beautiful stretch of coastline will never be taken for granted - at Barwon Coast, we count ourselves lucky to be tasked with caring for the coast. Do you love to catch a sunrise, or a sunset, at the beach? Where are the best vantage points? What about a sunrise swim, like the @sunrise.hunter_ group that meets every morning at Ocean Grove Main Beach all year round?
📣 Did you know you can report an issue via our website?
Whether it`s vandalism to one of the facilities we manage, a maintenance issue or something else that needs fixing, you can let us know using our online reporting form.
Our team will review your report as soon as possible and follow up where required.
💻 Report an issue via our website (link in bio)
Thanks for helping us care for our coast!
P.S. This is an old pic
💙 Three Hooded Plover chicks have hatched at Barwon Bluff South! 🐣
Three Hooded Plover chicks hatched today (5 November), marking a positive milestone in this year`s breeding season.
To protect the chicks, a temporary beach closure is being established between The Bluff Dune South and The Hole beach accesses for approximately five weeks, until the chicks can fly and are considered self-sufficient.
💙 Please respect the closure and follow local signage and barriers.
💙 Follow the signed pedestrian detour or explore one of our other beautiful local beaches while the chicks grow.
💙 Keep dogs away from the protected area and give the chicks plenty of space.
A big thank you to the Friends of the Hooded Plover – Bellarine volunteers for their ongoing efforts!
Read the full update, including the beach closure map on our news story on our website - link in bio

This is Wadawurrung Country. We acknowledge the Wadawurrung People as the Traditional Owners of the land, waters, seas and skies of Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, 13th Beach, Black Rock and Breamlea. We honour and say Nyatne to Elders past, present and future whose ancestors, for thousands of years, have cared for this part of Dja (Country). We are committed as an organisation to meaningfully work together with Traditional Owners to make Wadawurrung Culture and Country strong.

© 2026 Barwon Coast. Website by Residency Studios.