A wave of fear swept over holidaying families with young children at the 647-site Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park after the 47-year-old fiend crept into a caravan annex in the early hours and committed serious sex offences against a seven-year-old girl.

The terrified youngster's screams alerted her mother, who was asleep in the caravan during the 2007 New Year holidays, and Bavage fled ... only to later boast to a friend how he could not resist the child.

Police launched a huge manhunt and three weeks later arrested Bavage, who had chalked up nearly 100 previous convictions including wilful and obscene exposure and an indecent act on a child under 16.

In a series of subsequent Victorian County Court trials, serial sex pest Bavage was convicted of six charges of indecent assault on a girl under 16, two of rape and one each of carnal knowledge of a girl under 10, sexual penetration of a child, attempted indecent assault, false imprisonment, aggravated burglary and an indecent act with a child under 16.

Crown prosecutor Brendan Kissane told the first of the four trials that Bavage and a friend drove to the Torquay caravan park where Bavage intended to steal property from campers.

He said the seven-year-old girl was sleeping next to her two young brothers and awoke to find Bavage sexually assaulting her.

Her attacker then returned to the car and allegedly bragged to his friend how he could not resist the young girl.

Judge Felicity Hampel described Bavage as a "brazen and brutal" offender, saying what he had done to his victims was everybody's worst nightmare.

"Your offending is clearly at the high end of seriousness. You took advantage of children sleeping in their homes or campsite," she added.

Father-of-three Bavage, of Lara, south-west of Melbourne, must serve a minimum of 21 years before being eligible for parole.

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