Torquay & the surf coast
The Great Ocean Road opens with a swagger: Torquay, the birthplace of Australian surfing and home of Rip Curl and Quiksilver, sitting at the start of the drive. Around it stretches the surf coast — legendary Bells Beach, family beaches, clifftop walks and grazing kangaroos. It's a lively, laid-back place to begin. Here's what to see before the road turns wild.
Torquay: the home of surfing
Torquay is where the Australian surf industry was born — Rip Curl and Quiksilver both started here — and it wears the title proudly. Dive into the story at the Australian National Surfing Museum, browse the brand outlets at Surf City, and relax on the patrolled Front Beach. It marks the official start of the Great Ocean Road, though the iconic Memorial Arch photo stop is a few towns further along at Eastern View.
A world-famous break
Just down the coast, Bells Beach is surfing royalty — home to the Rip Curl Pro, the world's longest continuously running surf contest (since 1961). The 2026 event runs across an early-April window around Easter and celebrates a milestone 50 years of World Surf League history. Bells is a powerful reef break for experienced surfers, so most visitors come to watch from the clifftop — spectacular in a big swell. Nearby Jan Juc and Winkipop draw the crowds too.
Beaches, walks & kangaroos
Beyond the surf, the coast rewards a wander. Walk the clifftops to Point Addis, swim at patrolled Torquay or Anglesea, and don't miss the kangaroos grazing the fairways at the Anglesea Golf Club — a genuinely odd and delightful sight. Families love the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie near Bellbrae. It's an easy, relaxed opening stretch — save your energy, because the coast gets wilder and more dramatic the further west you drive.
Torquay & the surf coast: your questions
Torquay is the birthplace of the Australian surf industry and the home of global surf brands Rip Curl and Quiksilver, both founded here in the wetsuit-and-board boom of the late 1960s. It marks the official start of the Great Ocean Road, and its Surf City precinct and the Australian National Surfing Museum tell the story. Just down the coast is world-famous Bells Beach. For surfers and non-surfers alike, it's a great first stop.
Bells Beach, near Torquay, is one of the world's most famous surf breaks and home to the Rip Curl Pro — the longest continuously running surfing competition in the world, held here since 1961. The 2026 event (part of the World Surf League Championship Tour) runs across an early-April waiting period around Easter and marks a milestone 50 years of WSL history. Bells is a powerful reef break for experienced surfers — most visitors come to watch, not paddle out.
Yes, at the right beaches. Torquay Front Beach is calmer and patrolled in season, good for families, while Fishermans Beach is sheltered. The famous surf breaks — Bells Beach, Winkipop, Jan Juc — are powerful and best left to experienced surfers. As always on this coast, swim between the flags at patrolled beaches only, watch for rips, and never swim at unpatrolled surf beaches. Anglesea and Lorne also have patrolled family beaches further along.
Lots. Visit the Australian National Surfing Museum and the Surf City brand outlets in Torquay, walk the clifftop paths to Point Addis and the Ironbark Basin, watch kangaroos graze the fairways at the Anglesea Golf Club, and enjoy the beaches and cafés of Torquay, Jan Juc and Anglesea. It's an easy, relaxed stretch to start the road — and the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie near Bellbrae is a popular family stop.
The Great Ocean Road officially begins at Torquay (technically just south, at the edge of town) and runs west for 240 km to Allansford near Warrnambool. The famous Memorial Arch — the iconic photo stop marking the road as a war memorial — is a little further along at Eastern View, between Aireys Inlet and Lorne. So Torquay is your gateway; the arch is the ceremonial welcome a few towns in.