Torquay (Victoria)

Introduction

Torquay backbeach Victoria

© sunraybret

Torquay is a small town at the start of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. It is widely considered Australia's surfing capital, home to famous surf brands like Rip Curl, Quiksilver and Billabong, the Surf World Museum, and some great beaches, including Bells Beach.

Sights and Activities

Surfing

No visit to Torquay would be complete without a trip to one of its famous surf beaches. Bell Beach and Winki Pop are surf beaches for more experienced surfers, while beginners can pick up some tricks of the trade at Torquay Front Beach and nearby Jan Juc beach. Be sure to check at the Visitor Information Centre or local Surf Life Saving Club beforehand to find out what surf conditions are like. You can also check the Swellnet, Coastalwatch or Buoyweather websites for daily surf reports.

These companies offer surfing lessons:

• Torquay Surfing Academy offer surfing lessons, as well hiring out surfing gear. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 03 5261 2022.
• Go Ride A Wave offer surfing and kayaking lessons, and hire out surfing gear. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 1300 132 441.
• Westcoast Adventure & Westcoast Surf School offer surfing, snorkelling, surf kayaking, canoeing, rockclimbing and abseiling lessons. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 03 5261 2241.
• Offshore Surf tours offers lessons and surf tours from Melbourne. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 03 5261 5606.

Walks

There are several great places to go for a walk around Torquay. To enjoy what remains of the area's indigenous vegetation, walk around Deep Creek Reserve between the Surf Coast Highway and The Esplanade. Also starting at Deep Creek Reserve is the Foreshore Trail, a route you can take along the Esplanade, Torquay Front Beach, Point Danger, Torquay Back Beach and onwards to Jan Juc. The Surf Coast Walk commences in Jan Juc and goes for up to thirty kilometres, passing along Bells Beach, the Iron Bark Basin, Point Addis, Anglesea, Aireys Inlet Lighthouse, Fairhaven and Moggs Creek. It's also possible to just do a section of the walk, if you'd prefer a shorter walk.

Other sights and activities

• Surf World Museum: Surf World is the world's largest surfing museum. It showcases surfing history, memorabilia and culture.
• Shopping: Quiksilver, Rip Curl and Billabong all have their headquarters in Torquay, so be sure to check out their retail and factory outlets in the centre of town.
• Swimming: If you're not into surfing, there are a few nice beaches where you can enjoy a swim. 'Cosy Corner' - located between Torquay beach and Point Danger - and Fisherman's Beach are two good spots to try.
• Golf: Torquay Golf Club is located at 1 Great Ocean Road, offering incredible panoramic views of the coast as you do a round of 18. Alternatively, try The Sands Torquay, which has a lovely coastal location in a natural environment.
• Fishing: Fishermen's Beach, Zeally Bay, Spring Creek and Jan Juc Beach are all great fishing spots. You are not allowed to fish in Marine National Park.
• Tiger Moth World Adventure Park is a theme park devoted to the 1930's open-cockpit Tiger Moth bi-plane. There is a museum and a grass aerodrome to check out, and you can also go for a ride in one of the Tigers. There are also aerial tours of the Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles in modern planes.

Getting There

By Plane

There is a small airport in Torquay, but there are no passenger services to and from other destinations. The nearest airport is Avalon Airport, near Geelong.

By Train

There is no train service to Torquay. However, V/Line operates a train service to Geelong, with coaches connecting on to Torquay.

By Car

From Melbourne, it takes about an hour and fifteen minutes to drive to Torquay. Follow the Princes Freeway to Geelong and then take the Surf Coast Highway south to Torquay.

By Bus

V/Line has buses from Geelong to Torquay. The bus continues along the Great Ocean Road, so if you're coming from that direction, you can take the bus to Geelong and stop off at Torquay along the way. From Geelong, V/Line has a train service to Melbourne.

By Boat

There are no regular passenger boat services to Torquay. Searoad have a car and passenger ferry operating daily on the hour between Queenscliffe and Sorrento. Torquay is only a short distance from Queenscliffe.

Getting Around

By Car

Torquay is quite small, so it is fairly easy to drive around by car.

By Public Transport

There are taxis in Torquay, and McHarry's operates a regular bus trip between Geelong, Torquay and Jan Juc.

By Foot

Torquay is small enough to be able to walk around most of its sights. For a number of suggested scenic walks, see the Sights and Activities section above.

By Bike

There are some great areas to cycle around Torquay, with over 30 popular trails.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés are very common in the larger Australian cities and popular tourist destinations. However, once you leave the major population centres, you might have trouble finding somewhere to log on. Free wifi is getting more and more common (either with or without a code) in places like restaurants, some bars and coffee places and hotels. Sometimes a fee is required.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Australia is on a GSM 900/1800 network, so if you have an unlocked phone that works on those frequencies, you will be able to buy a prepaid SIM-card and stick into your phone when you're in Australia. You will receive a new Australian phone number with the SIM-card.

To dial out of Australia use the prefix 0011, followed by the calling code of the country you are trying to reach, followed by the area code of the city/town (without the 0!) and finally the phone number.

Within Australia, it is necessary to add an area code to the phone numbers if you are calling from outside the area. Below are Australia's area codes:

• 02 - New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory (Sydney, Canberra)
• 03 - Victoria & Tasmania (Melbourne, Hobart)
• 07 - Queensland (Brisbane)
• 08 - Western Australia, South Australia & Northern Territory (Perth, Adelaide, Darwin)

000 is the emergency telephone number in Australia, but the international GSM mobile emergency telephone number 112 also works on mobile phones.

Post

Australia Post is the government's postal service. Most suburbs will have at least one post office. Opening times are mostly from around 8:00 or 9:00am to 5:00pm though larger ones keep longer hours sometimes. A standard letter or postcard sent within Australia will cost $0.60. Internationally, it costs $1.70 to send postcards anywhere in the world. Letters cost $1.85 to send within the Asia Pacific region and $2.60 to anywhere else in the world.^[1]. It is also possible to send things as parcels or by express mail. You can also use use private courier companies like TNT, UPS or DHL as they are competitive and reliable.