Torquay

Torquay and the nearby towns of Jan Juc and Bells Beach are well serviced with hotels, motels and resorts. There are a considerable number of self catering and holiday type accommodation such as bed and breakfasts (also known as bnb and b&b), apartments, holiday houses, cottages, cabins, guesthouses as well as tourist or caravan parks, and backpackers or hostels. Also check out the self contained accommodation and bed and breakfasts in the nearby towns of Jan Juc and Bells Beach to the south west of Torquay.

Self catering accommodation – Apartments, holiday houses, cottages, cabins, b&b’s and guesthouses in Torquay are:

• An Ocean Vista
• Ann's Seawyns Eastern Lifestyle Accommodation
• Azure Seas
• Beach Cottage
• Beachside Stunner
• Bombora Bed & Breakfast
• Cottage Sea View
• Crowne Plaza Torquay
• Dianas Oceanview Beach House
• Freshwater Green Country House
• Gateway to the Great Ocean Road B&B
• Grossman's Saltair Spa Retreat
• Jules B&B In Torquay
• Le Manor Holiday Resort
• Norfolk Cottage Bed and Breakfast
• Ocean Road Retreat
• On The Esplanade
• Rudacha Villa
• Ryan's Retreat Torquay
• Seabird Court Torquay
• Seabourne House
• South Beach Haven
• Spring Creek Cottages
• Surfcoast Cottages
• Surfcoast Retreat
• The Woolshed
• Torquay - 30
• Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park
• Torquay Holiday Resort
• Torquay Point Beach House
• torquayshores
• TQ Beach House
• Wattle Court Retreat
• Whites Beach B & B
• Zeally Bay Holiday Home

Tourist, Caravan or Holiday Parks in Torquay are:

• Torquay Holiday Resort (formerly Bernell Caravan Park)
• Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park
• Jan Juc Park

The Resort in Torquay is:

• Peppers The Sands

The Motels in Torquay are:

• Surf City Motel
• Torquay Tropicana Motel
• Bellbrae Motel
• Torquay Hotel-Motel
   

The Hotels in Torquay are:

• Bells Beach Hotel
• Torquay Hotel
• Torquay Sands

The Backpacker or Hostel in Torquay is:

• Bells Beach Lodge

Torquay Information:

Torquay is a seaside holiday resort located 95 km south-west of Melbourne and 22 km south of Geelong. The B100 from Geelong is known as The Surf Higway. Beyond Torquay to the west it becomes known as The Great Ocean Road. Torquay is Victoria’s surfing capital where the beach-based culture is at its strongest. Some of the biggest names in the world in surfwear and accessories are headquartered here, names such as Rip Curl and Quicksilver. The Surfworld Museum in the main street is on the must see list of surfings afficiados.

Torquay has the best of both worlds with its beaches - protected family beaches, plus the action of the surging surf. Nearby Jan Juc beach is a little ‘wilder’. Bells Beach is next stop on the coast west, the home of the Rip Curl Pro Surfing Classic at easter time. Just a short drive away, Point Addis provides breathtaking views out to sea and back to the gently arching bay from high up on the point. All around here the dense bush and towering yellow cliffs contrast with the ocean’s wide blue expanse right through to Anglesea and beyond. It is thought that the Wathaurung Aborigines occupied the area prior to European settlement. Picnickers began to frequent the spot from the 1860s. 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. It soon became a popular holiday spot for residents of Geelong and Melbourne who initially travelled here by Cobb & Co coach. The seaside resort associations, coupled with the English-orientated demographics, saw the settlement renamed Torquay in 1892 after the holiday resort in Devonshire.
The Australian Strongman Triathlon is held at Torquay in early February, the High Tide Festival in early December and Surf carnivals are also held throughout the summer.

Things to See and Do: 

Tourist Information Centre - The information centre is located in Surf Coast Plaza, at the corner of the Surfcoast Highway and Beach Rd, phonel: (03) 5261 4219.

Australia Surfing Museum - Within the same complex is The Surf World Museum which is a celebration of Australia's surfing and beach culture, incorporating related dress and musical fashions. It displays vintage surfing gear and memorabilia (including a history of surfboards dating back to 1915), the Ocean Art Gallery, a theatre screening classic and contemporary surfing movies, an exhibition of surf photography by Jack Eden, a wave-making tank (demonstrating the energy needed to produce the perfect swell), a paddling machine to test fitness and a machine to test balance on a surf board, board-shaping demos, interactive surf-related DVDs, a Surfing Hall of Fame and an interactive video system which allows visitors to "talk" with famous surfing legends. It is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily.

All things Surfing - Torquay is home to several major local manufacturers of surfboards and surf-related products - e.g., Ripcurl, Quicksilver and Piping Hot located in Surf Coast Plaza.

The Beaches - Torquay has been a holiday resort since the late 19th century, its beaches are modelled on English seaside resorts with immaculate grassed areas and shady trees for a post-paddling promenade. They are full to overflowing in summer with day-trippers from Geelong and Melbourne.

The settlement is mostly sandwiched between Deep Creek to the north-east and Spring Creek to the south-west. Both empty into the ocean. The beach-walker heading south-west from Deep Creek will find themselves on a stretch of Zeally Bay which is known locally as Fishermans Beach or Fisho's. As the name suggests it is a noted fishing, as well as a sailing spot. There is a boat ramp and sailing club. To the rear is a lawned area for picnics with barbecues provided. At the western end of Fisho's is Yellow Bluff where there are cypress trees and more picnic grounds. On the other side is Front Beach (also known as Cosy Corner), which is a family bathing beach with lawns and an esplanade that is flood-lit at night. It is delimited to the south-west by the rock-strewn extremity of Point Danger from whence there are views north-east to Point Impossible (thought to be an ancient Aboriginal burial place) and south-west to Bells Beach. On the western side of the point is Torquay Surf Beach which has a surf life-saving club beside Spring Creek that operates in summer. On the other side of the Creek is Rocky Point (also known as Torquay Point). On the south-western side of Rocky Point is Torquay Golf Club and Jan Juc Surfing Beach. Due to its greater exposure to ocean swells it is a noted surfing area and also has a surf life-saving club. Further to the south-west is Bells Beach.

Walks - The Surf Coast Walk extends for 27 km from Jan Juc to Angahook Lorne State Park near Aireys Inlet, passing through coastal bushland, and along beaches and cliff-tops. There are subsections for those with more modest ambitions. From Jan Juc to Bells Beach it is 3 km; to Point Addis is another 5 km; on to Anglesea is 7 km; to Aireys Inlet is a further 10 km; and from Boundary Rd to the Distillery Creek Picnic Area is a final 2 km. The trail is well-marked although a related pamphlet can be obtained from Surfworld Museum.

The Point Addis Walk branches off the Surfcoast Walk, taking in fine cliff-top views and native flora and fauna.

The Point Impossible Walk extends eastwards from the foreshore at Torquay to the Thompsons Creek estuary.

The Deep Creek Walk follows the aforesaid creek through a flora and fauna reserve with pockets of black boys, brought on seedlings dropped by trees as a result of bush fires.

The Spring Creek Walk starts at the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club and follows the creek for 4 km.

Tiger Moth World Adventure Park - Tiger Moth World is a theme park revolving around the 1930s Tiger Moth biplane. The operational grass aerodrome contains a living museum dedicated to the aircraft. Visitors can watch the Moths in action, take an aerobatics or scenic ride in a Tiger Moth or a joy ride along the coast to the Twelve Apostles in a modern cabin-class aircraft. Skydiving is another possibility or you can simply explore the Adventure Park with its mini golf, flying fox, bicycles, canoes, paddleboats, playpark, volleyball facilities, the Islands of Surprise, the Jolly Roger, the Volcano Maze, a putting green, bocce, croquet, ten-pin bowling, basketball, badminton, giant board games, gift shop and cafe. Head north along the Surfcoast Highway to Geelong then turn right onto Blackgate Rd and it is 3 km to the park.