The Parish of Ocean Grove with Barwon Heads was formed in 1959, but the congregations that make up the parish have a much longer history.

Anglican worship at Ocean Grove started in the Temperance Coffee Palace, The Chalet, in the 1880s. Four decades later, Barwon Heads welcomed Anglicans at The Pub during the 1920s.

Both congregations had blocks of land set aside for church buildings while these temporary arrangements were in effect. The first St Peter’s Church was opened in 1896, but by the 1950s the congregation was outgrowing the building. Extensions were planned and fundraising began for the new church, which was dedicated in 1960 and consecrated in 1968. In Barwon Heads, a farm building was converted by parishioners to become All Saints’ Church. Opened in 1937, the church was dedicated in 1940, and extended in 1952 and 1964.

The Vicarage in Ocean Grove was built in 1964. Until then, the Vicars had lived in their own houses. James Waterman House, the parish property in Barwon Heads, was purchased in 1994.

While each congregation works in its own geographical area, we like to feel that the shared gospel of our Lord knows the barrier of neither river nor denomination. Through the years, many activities have spread across the whole parish, and now the parish itself operates under a Parish Council, with participation from the members of both churches.

Incumbents