Anglesea

Introduction

Kangaroos at Anglesea Golf Club

© Peter

Anglesea is a lovely sea-side town that swells with activity during summer, when Victorian families flock to it. Set on the Anglesea River, along the Great Ocean Road between Torquay and Lorne, Anglesea attracts visitors with its surfing and swimming beaches, scenic lookouts, forests and parks, and golf course with a large resident kangaroo population.

Sights and Activities

• Great Ocean Road - It would be a shame to visit Anglesea and not tour further up the Great Ocean Road. Along the way, enjoy dramatic coastal scenery, lovely seaside towns like Lorne, Apollo Bay, or Port Campbell, and the impressive Twelve Apostles. The drive to the end of the Great Ocean Road takes three hours from Anglesea, although you would be wise to take your time and do it over a number of days.
• Beaches - Anglesea has nice beaches for surfing and swimming. The main Anglesea beach is good for both purposes, while Point Roadknight beach is recommended for families, with protected waters sheltered from the full force of the ocean.
• Anglesea Golf Club: Enjoy a round of golf surrounded by native bushland and kangaroos, which graze on the fairways and around the greens. Do not approach the kangaroos too closely though, as they're wild animals and can be aggressive if they feel threatened.
• Coogoorah Reserve has boardwalks and bridges linking a number of bushland islands, and is a nice way to experience some of the local flora and fauna. There are also picnic and barbecue facilities, and children's play equipment, so it's a great place for families.
• Anglesea Heathland Cliff Walk is a 45 minute walk leading through forests along the coast, north of Anglesea.
• Surfing classes - 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.
• Point Addis - A popular spot for surfing, swimming and hang-gliding, located a little north-east of Anglesea. There is also a nice walk through Ironbark Basin.

Events and Festivals

The vibrant and friendly Anglesea Music Festival is held in spring, where the bush meets the sea. This Surf Coast Festival focuses on regional talent, who perform alongside Australia's finest talent and internationally established musicians of all genres.

The six main venues and fringe venues are all within easy walking distance, and you can participate in great workshops. A market offers arts and craft and a multicultural food court, and street performers and buskers also perform in these beautiful surrounds.

Getting There

By Plane

There are no flights to Anglesea. The nearest airport is Avalon Airport, near Geelong.

By Train

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

By Car

From Melbourne, it takes about an hour and a half to drive to Anglesea. Follow the Princes Freeway to Geelong and then take the Surf Coast Highway south to Torquay, where you turn west towards Anglesea.

By Bus

V/Line has buses from Geelong following along the Great Ocean Road all the way to Warrnambool, so you can catch this in either direction. From Geelong, there is a V/Line train service to Melbourne.

By Boat

There are no regular passenger boat services to Anglesea. Searoad have a car and passenger ferry operating daily on the hour between Queenscliffe and Sorrento. Anglesea is about thirty minutes from Queenscliffe.

Getting Around

By Car

Having a car can certainly be an advantage if you want to explore the rest of the Great Ocean Road, but Anglesea itself is quite easy to get around by foot.

By Public Transport

There is no organized public transport in Anglesea.

By Foot

Anglesea is small, so it's quite manageable to explore on foot.

Eat

• Anglesea Riverbank Restaurant, Great Ocean Rd. Phone: (03) 5263 2500.
• The Saylers Restaurant, Great Ocean Rd. Phone: (03) 5263 1440.
• Diggers Pizza & Pasta House Restaurant, Diggers Parade. Phone: (03) 5263 2904.
• Surfcoast Resort, 105 Great Ocean Rd. Phone: (03) 5263 3363.
• Offshore Cafe, Shop 16, 87-89 Great Ocean Road. Phone: 03) 5263 3644.
• Anglesea Hotel, 1 Murch Crescent. Phone: (03) 5263 1210.
• Furio's Restaurant, 95 Great Ocean Road. Phone: (03) 5263 3616.
• Rose Chinese Restaurant, 65 Great Ocean Road. Phone: (03) 5263 3388.
• Pete's Place, 113 Great Ocean Road. Phone: (03) 5263 2500.
• A La Grecque, 60 Great Ocean Road, Aireys Inlet. Phone: (03) 5289 6922.

Drink

• Anglesea Hotel, 1 Murch Crescent. Phone: (03) 5263 1210.

Sleep

Budget

• Narambi Caravan Park, 11 Camp Rd, Anglesea. Phone: (03) 5263 1362.
• Anglesea Beachfront Family Caravan Park, Cameron Rd, Anglesea. Phone: (03) 5263 1583.
• BIG4 Anglesea Holiday Park, 45 Murray St, Anglesea. Phone: (03) 5263 1640.

Mid-Range

• Anglesea Motor Inn, 109 Great Ocean Rd, Anglesea. Phone: (03) 5263 3888.
• Anglesea Hotel, Murch Crs., Anglesea. Phone: (03) 5263 1210.
• Thornton Heath Bed & Breakfast, 33 Pickworth Dve, Anglesea. Phone: (03) 5263 2542.
• Roadknight Cottages, 26 Great Ocean Rd, Anglesea. Phone: (03) 5263 1820

Upscale

• Surfcoast Spa Resort, 105 Great Ocean Rd, Anglesea. Phone: (03) 5263 3363.
• Surfcoast Resort Apartments, 105 Great Ocean Rd, Anglesea. Phone: (03) 5263 3363.

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.