A resort town, known for its surfing beach, sea fishing, sporting
facilities. Torquay has laid claim to being the surfing capital of
Australia and some of the finest boardriders in the world flock to
Bells Beach every year for the annual Easter Classic.
Location: 99 km from Melbourne on Great Ocean Road; 22km south of Geelong.
Brief history: it is thought that the Wathaurung Aborigines occupied
the area prior to European settlement. Picnickers began to frequent the
spot from the 1860s. The location soon became a popular holiday spot
for residents of Geelong and Melbourne who initially travelled here by
Cobb & Co. coach.
Origin of name: when the first land was sold in the mid-1880s the
locality was known to Europeans as Spring Creek, after the rivulet
which demarcates its south-western edge. Its seaside resort
associations caused its name to be changed in 1892 to that of a British
resort town in Devonshire.
Torquay Visitor Information Centre
Surf City Plaza, Beach Road, Torquay, Victoria 3228
Ph: (03) 5261 4219
Things To See and Do
Bellbrae Carriages: a museum of early Australian horse-drawn
carriages. The exhibits show how the early Australian settlers used to
make their way around, while gaining a true appreciation of modern
travel. Ph (03) 5261 2908
Surf World Museum: celebrates the story of surfing and charts Australia's significant contribution to the development of surfing around the world. The museum commemorates Australia’s surfing heritage and rich beach culture. Location: Surf City Plaza, Beach Road, Torquay. Ph (03) 5261 4606
Natural features: Thirteenth Beach; Bramlea beach; Point Danger Marine Sanctuary; Point Addis Marine National Park
Surrounding Area
Bells Beach is located on Victoria’s Surf Coast, Bells Beach
is one of Australia's iconic surfing spots. Located 100 km south-west
of Melbourne on the Great Ocean Road near the towns of Torquay and Jan
Juc, Bells is the home of the world's longest-running surfing
competition – the Rip Curl Pro Surf & Music Festival. The
event was formerly known as the Bells Beach Surf Classic.
Jan Juc is a popular surfing spot adjacent to Torquay. The Jan Juc beach lies between Rocky Point to the East and Bird Rock to the West, and is bounded by high cliffs. In the late 1990s, a surfer found the only known 'Janjucetus hunderi' fossils, on a beach near Jan Juc.
