This is one of the best shots I have seen of the 12 Apostles along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.
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The ferocious waves that crash into Victoria’s southwestern coast have continued to carve away at one of Australia’s most recognized landmarks:
THE Twelve Apostles are now the Seven Apostles. Neil Sander, a tour operator noticed that one of the remaining Apostles had fallen at just after 5pm yesterday.
And with the Grand Final today Mr Sander believes it could be an omen.
“The Geelong surf coast beats a Saint again,” he said.
“I went ‘oh my god’.”
He arrived on the scene with a tour group of nine people and instantly noticed the missing apostle.
But by the time the group had arrived there wasn’t much to see, according to Mr Sander.
“Just a little bit of rock sticking out. The water was murky too, almost an army green mixed with a creamy colour.”
The apostle was one of those nearest the Loch Ard Gorge and Port Campbell and just before the remains of the Island Arch formation. [Herald-Sun]
If you haven’t already I highly recommend reading my prior posting of my visit to beautiful Port Campbell National Park, which is where the 12 Apostles are located. There you can see great pictures like the one below of this beautiful coastline:
Australia is filled with many great drives but none of them can match the dramatic coastal scenery of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road (Highway B100) is located southwest of Melbourne where the highway passes through a number of seaside communities along the rugged shoreline before leaving the ocean to traverse across the Great Otway Ranges. The Great Ocean Road returns to the ocean after this traverse to take in spectacular views of both Cape Otway and Port Campbell National Parks:
A road to connect the various seaside communities on Victoria’s southwest had long been needed because full potential of this area could never be reached as long as ships remained the primary form of transportation to and from these communities. Creating a “Great Ocean Road” was to be the answer.
After World War I Victoria was flooded with returning servicemembers eager to find work. These young, unmarried returning servicemembers provided the perfect labor force needed to construct what would undoubtedly be a truly difficult project because of the areas difficult terrain and remote location. 3,000 of these servicemembers worked for a total of 24 years between 1918 and 1932 to fully construct the highway with many of these workers settling down in the various communities that they worked to connect the rest of the country to with this highway.
This spectacular journey across Victoria’s southwest begins at none other then Australia’s surfing capitol of Torquay. Torquay is home to the Surfworld Museum and is headquarters for a number of brand name surfing companies. What really puts Torquay on the surfing map is that the Rip Curl Pro Surfing Championships are held in this area every year at the lovely Bells Beach just south of town:
As the Great Ocean Road continues south of Torquay you have little indication that this road is famous for its dramatic coastal views as it crosses a wide agricultural plain on its way to the scenic beach side community of Angelsea:
Angelsea is the family friendly version of Torquay with its beautiful beaches protected by the long peninsula capped by Point Roadknight:
From Angelsea the Great Ocean Road begins to gain altitude for the first time as it climbs Urquhart Bluff which provides a great view of the beautiful beaches stretching north towards Angelsea:
From Urquhart Bluff the road continues south where even higher hills begin to rise along the western side of the highway as it passes through the small village of Airey’s Inlet on towards the official start of the Great Ocean Road:
Even though the Great Ocean Road begins in Torquay, technically it doesn’t officially start until travelers reach the Great Ocean Road Arch:
This arch was constructed to commemorate the construction of the Great Ocean Road by returning Australian servicemembers from World War I. 330,000 Australians out of a population of roughly 5 million served during World War I with 160,000 of them being wounded and 60,000 Australian soldiers dieing in the conflict. Australia would prove by far to have the highest casualty and mortality rate of all nations that fought in the war.
Returned servicemembers construct the Great Ocean Road.
This arch stands near the area where construction first began to construct the highway back in 1918. The Great Ocean Road opened in 1932 but the first arch to commemorate the soldiers that built it was not constructed until 1939. The arch has had to be reconstructed over the decades for various reasons to include forest fires with the current arch being constructed after the 1983 Ash Wednesday fire that devastated much of this area of the Otway Ranges at the time. This arch is an enduring symbol of what Australians like to call the largest War Memorial in the world the Great Ocean Road.
From the arch the highway begins to more dramatically hug the slopes of the Great Otway Ranges on its winding journey to the lovely beach community of Lorne:
This section of the highway was constructed between 1919-1922 making Lorne the first city opened up to the rest of the state by the hard work of the returned servicemembers that built the road. Lorne has a stunningly beautiful location along the Erskine River that is watched over by the looming hills of the Otway Ranges and framed by scenic, sandy beaches:
Lorne quite possibly has more beach resort hotels then the rest of the Great Ocean Road communities combined which is testament to the beautiful location this city enjoys. Despite the touristy overtones to Lorne it still remains a charming city to visit and should definitely be a highlight of anyones trip along this fantastic highway. Visitors to Lorne should make sure they not only enjoy its beautiful beach but should also make a sojourn into its rolling hills to check out some of the Otway Ranges spectacular scenery such as Erskine Falls and the dramatic views from Teddy’s Lookout above the town:
The stretch of the Great Ocean Road south of Lorne is without a doubt the most difficult terrain the builders of this highway had to contend with. This stretch of highway includes the Great Oceans Road’s most dramatic twists and turns that passes through such scenic locations as the Cumberland and Wye Rivers on its way to Apollo Bay. It took 10 years between 1922-1932 for the builders of the road to complete this section of the highway which is incredible considering the distance is roughly only 50 kilometers:
Besides the twists and turns, visitors traveling south of Lorne on the Great Ocean Road need to keep their eyes open because the thickly forested slopes that surround the road in this area are home to a number of wild Australian koalas:
The trees are absolutely filled with koalas feasting on the gum tree leaves that composes the entirety of their diet. I was actually quite surprised by the number of koalas considering they are by nature a mostly solitary animal but here in this forest it appeared they didn’t mind having all the company around them to include the legions of tourists including myself pointing cameras at them:
Also visitors should keep their eyes open for graves such as this one of a man who lost his life trying to salvage cargo from the W.B. Godfrey, a ship lost off the nearby shoreline in 1891:
Most of all keep your eyes peeled on the fantastic scenery. This stretch of the Great Ocean Road becomes its most dramatic the closer it approaches the southern coastal city of Apollo Bay:
Apollo Bay is a lovely town that is the laid back equivalent of Lorne. Apollo Bay’s location has nearly everything that Lorne has but is located far enough south where this small community is not over run with mobs of tourists like Lorne can get at times:
Make sure to not only enjoy the beautiful beach and various seafood restaurants in the city but to also get out and see the nearby Otway Ranges by taking a drive up the scenic Barham River Road just south of town. This road gets you up close and personal with the rolling hills, large trees, and beautiful waterfalls that compose the Otway Ranges.
From Apollo Bay the Great Ocean Road leaves the ocean to traverse across the heart of the Great Otway Ranges. Notice how the agricultural lands instantly gives way to the lush forests of Great Otway National Park:
The Great Ocean Road quickly gains in altitude the further west it goes providing spectacular views of the mountain tops cleared for agriculture:
Within a short distance the road then drops in altitude and enters into the Great Otway National Park which creates a dramatic contrast to the area of the ranges used for agriculture because of its thickly forested slopes that give the park an almost primordial feeling that a dinosaur is going to jump out the bushes and eat you:
The best place to view this primordial wilderness is by stopping at Mait’s Rest which has a nice nature trail that give visitors an up close and personal view of the world tallest flowering plants, mountain ash trees that soar up to 100 meters in height:
From Mait’s Rest travelers on the Great Ocean Road have the option of taking a short 25 kilometer side trip south to see the beautiful Cape Otway area of Victoria:
The Cape Otway area is filled with rugged and dramatic coastal scenery that claimed many sailing ships over the years. Due to the loss of life from the many shipwrecks that occurred along these shores, the Australian mainland’s first lighthouse was constructed here in 1846:
The Great Ocean Road from Cape Otway next travels across a large river plain before rising once again in altitude at Castle Cove where the road begins to head back deeper into the Great Otway Ranges towards Laver’s Hill:
As the Great Ocean Road from Cape Otway exits the national park land it descends into the wide and scenic river plain of the Aire River that flows a short distance from the interior of the Otway Ranges and into the ocean:
This large, marshy plain is not only scenic but has also provided extremely productive grazing land for the herds of cattle that are raised here:
Once across the Aire River plain the road rises up a short hill that provides great views of the wild waters of Castle Cove Beach:
From Castle Cove the Great Ocean Road heads north deeper into the Otways to reach the small village of Laver’s Hill. Along the way travelers have the option of once again taking a short side trip to see the famous surfing waters of Johanna Beach:
Johanna Beach is famous with the surfing crowd because of its large surfing waves that have been used as alternate before for the Rip Curl Pro Surfing Championships if the waters at Bells Beach in Torquay are not suitable for the competition:
At Laver’s Hill once again another side trip is available, which is one I highly recommend, to take a walk literally on top of the forest at the Otway Fly Tree Top Walk:
The Otway Fly is a piece of preserved forest literally surrounded by farming land that has had walkways and lookout towers constructed to give visitors a view of the forest that people would otherwise never experience from the forest’s bottom:
From Laver’s Hill the road continues to traverse through the lower western slopes of the Otway Ranges that provides many great views of the surrounding bushland:
Eventually the highway exits the Otway Ranges and opens into the large, flat agricultural area that composes most of western Victoria that is irrigated by the various rivers that flow from the Otways:
The final and most visited area of the Great Ocean Road is Port Campbell National Park which is where the flat agricultural plain gives way to the wild waters of the southern ocean:
Port Campbell National Park is famous for its coastal cliffs such as these seen from Gibson Beach:
Besides the dramatic coastal cliffs the ocean is also responsible for carving same amazing coastal rocks such as these ones at Loch Ard Gorge:
However, without a doubt the most famous site of the park and the Great Ocean Road in general is one of Australia’s iconic images, the 12 Apostles:
Only seven of the original 12 Apostles stand today, if twelve ever stood in the first place but it is still quite a site to see first hand. Highway B100 does continue past Port Campbell National Park connecting more seaside Victorian communities with the rest of the state but its ceases to be known as the Great Ocean Road since the construction of the road by the World War I soldiers ended at Port Campbell National Park.
It makes you wonder though if those soldiers working on this road all those years ago ever realized what a worldwide famous landmark their efforts would later become? The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s biggest tourist attractions which is quite evident by the fact that local authorities have to construct signs such as this to make sure all the foreign tourists drive on the left side of the road:
During the peak holiday periods from December through February the road can get quite backed up by all the caravans trying to traverse the curving roads of this iconic Australian drive. So if possible avoid peak travel periods because visiting the road is a great experience all year around as long as it isn’t raining. Truly no visit to Victoria or an extended holiday in Australia would be complete without taking a drive down this incredible highway that features such various landscapes, beaches, forests, and wildlife.
Just make sure you drive on the proper side of the road if visiting.
Prior Posting: Port Campbell National Park – Part 1
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Loch Ard Gorge
The next cluster of incredible rock formations along Victoria’s southern coastline encompassed by Port Campbell National Park is Loch Ard Gorge. This area has a variety of amazing rock formations that are distinctly different from the previous 12 Apostles to include this amazing arch known as the Island Archway:
The Tragic Tale of the Loch Ard
This cluster of rock formations and gorges received its name after a ship named the Loch Ard that set sale from Gravesend, England on March 2, 1878 and wrecked like many ships before on this rocky coastline.
The Loch Ard clipper in England.
This ship’s crew and passengers were holding an on-deck party in honor of nearly completing their three month journey to Melbourne. However, the party quickly ended when a look out saw the rocky coastline directly in front of them. The ship’s captain had misjudged how close to the coast they were and the ship was not able to change direction quickly enough before crashing into the rocks spilling all 37 passengers and 19 crewmen overboard into the cold and rough waters. Ultimately only two people survived the crash to tell the tale of what happened that night.
By personally seeing how rugged the coast line here is it is amazing that anyone survived the wreck. Some of the massive rock formations here looks very similar to some of the rock formations over at the 12 Apostles:
Then other formations are just long rocky peninsulas such as this rock wall known as the razorback:
There is a variety of trails to view this rocky coastline from and while walking around the various trails it was easy to see that even if someone was able to get washed up onto one of the few beaches located within the gorges, there would be no way of climbing up the rock walls:
It was on one of these beaches that one of the survivors of the Loch Ard, a crew member by the name of Thomas Pearce washed up on. When he washed up on the beach he heard the screams of the other survivor, a female passenger by the name of Eva Carmichael who was clinging to a wreckage from the ship. Pearce swam out back into the ocean and rescued Carmichael by bringing her back to the beach.
Loch Ard Beach
This is the beach at Loch Ard Gorge that is where the two survivors of the Loch Ard found refuge:
By walking out onto one of the rocky peninsulas that form the gorge it is possible to see how long and narrow this gorge is:
The two survivors were extremely lucky that they did not get washed up into one of the various ocean caves or gorges with no beaches in them that litter this coastline:
The parks department has constructed a staircase to walk down to the beach where the two Loch Ard survivors were washed up at. From the beach the ocean actually looks quite pleasant an calm compared to the crashing waves located outside of this gorge:
By standing on the beach I was able to better appreciate how high the rocky coastal cliffs surrounding the beach really are to include this cave that the Loch Ard survivors initially sought refuge in:
The Rescue of the Loch Ard Survivors
Incredibly Loch Ard survivor Thomas Pearce climbed up this rock cliff some how and walked to a local farmhouse to raise the alarm about the shipwreck. Soon after a local rescue team was able to safely recover Eva Carmichael from the beach.
Thomas Pearce
Eva Carmichael
The wreck of the Loch Ard was major news back then in Melbourne dominating the local headlines. The papers made Tom Pearce a hero and speculation mounted whether a fairy tale romance between 19 year old Tom and the beautiful 18 year old Irish born Eva Carmichael would take place. Carmichael however had no intentions of starting a romance with anyone because she was in deep grieving due to the fact that she lost both her parents and all five siblings that were traveling with her on the boat.
The Aftermath of the Loch Ard Disaster
She decided to return to Ireland three months after the wreck to live with her grandmother. She ended up marrying, moving to England, having three sons, and living to 74 years of age before passing away in 1934. Tom on the other hand stayed in Australia and married the sister of a crewmen he was friends with that died on the Loch Ard. They had two sons before Tom passed away at 49 years of age. His oldest son became a ship’s captain and ironically died in a shipwreck. His youngest son went on to be awarded high combat honors during the First World War.
Today a few of the casualties of the Loch Ard disaster are buried at a local cemetery near the gorge:
Grave of the Carmichael family which only the rescued Eva Carmichael was a survivor of:
Not many bodies were recovered after the wreck thus a plaque was constructed to remember all 54 people who died in this tragedy:
Thunder Cave
From the cemetery I continued to walk westward along the coastline. From one viewpoint during the walk I was able to see Mutton Bird Island which was the rock islet that the Loch Ard initially crashed against:
From there I continued down the coastline and eventually came to a rocky gorge known as the Thunder Cave:
It is quite easy to understand how this cave received its name. Waves from the ocean are funneled up this narrow gorge which only increases the ferocity of the waves hitting the rocky walls:
Concluding My Walk
From Thunder Cave I continued the walk westward and the rain then proceeded to come down in buckets on me. I was glad I brought my rain jacket and umbrella with me. I started quickly walking back to the car park. Along the way I took at few last pictures of the Port Campbell coastline and its large waves that continues to shape the geography of this fantastic part of Victoria:
There is actually more rock formations further west of Loch Ard to see but the rain was coming down so heavy now my wife and I decided to head on back home. We had seen most of the park and had a great time doing so despite the buckets of rain that were falling on us. Port Campbell National Park is without a doubt a great way to conclude a drive on Australia’s Great Ocean Road and is a must see for anyone planning on visiting Victoria, even in the rain.
Port Campbell National Park
Australia’s Great Ocean Road has a number of fabulous sites to include pristine beaches, spectacular coastlines, beautiful waterfalls, ancient rain forests, giant trees, and attractive small towns. However, the most well known and most photographed area along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road is not any of these locations, but is in fact Port Campbell National Park.
The park is located on the far end of the Great Ocean Road about 190 kilometers southwest of Melbourne:
The 12 Apostles is an area of limestone coastline that formed 20 million years ago that has been slowly eroded by the crashing ocean waves since that time. This erosion has resulted in a deeply fractured coastline that features a number of dramatic rock formations.
My wife and I had spent the night at a nearby campground in our trusty Coleman tent and woke up early in order to get to the park and see its most famous attraction the 12 Apostles before the crowds arrived. We were literally the first people at the park that morning and were greeted with off and on rain. It wasn’t enough rain to spoil our visit though.
The Gibson Steps
The first rock formation we stopped to see was at Gibson Beach:
The parking lot was on the cliffs high above the beach which could only be accessed by walking down what is known as the Gibson Steps:
These steps were carved by hand back in the 19th century and were quite slippery when I was walking down them because of the rain. Once on the beach we were rewarded with quite a dramatic view of the steep ocean cliffs:
Besides having a great view of the cliffs, Gibson Beach also has a perfect view of the first of rock formation composing the 12 Apostles:
The 12 Apostles
From Gibson Beach my wife and I then made the short drive over to the next car park which is where the main visitor center for the park is located. It was still early and the visitor center closed, so we just followed the short trail to the viewing platform that overlooks the 12 Apostles:
No one is really sure who named the 12 Apostles because there is only seven of these fascinating rock formations now. The other five formations may have been knocked down by the crashing waves. In 2005 there was eight Apostles left until one suddenly collapsed due to the eroding waves. The rubble of that Apostle can be seen in the foreground of the picture above. Locals believe that there probably wasn’t ever 12 Apostles to begin with, but that a drunk with double vision incorrectly counted the number of rock columns and named the place. If you have been in Australia as long as I have, you would understand that this theory is totally plausible.
Anyway the individual rock formations are really stunning and the rock layers that composes them and the surrounding coastline can be easily seen:
I also found myself fascinated by the steep coastline:
As can be seen by the erosion of the cliff face, the ocean’s water level once reached much high then is does today. With all the talk about climate change, it is very clear as can be seen here, that climate change has happened before and will happen again.
Walks Around the 12 Apostles
Anyway from the visitor center there is a variety of trails that run in each direction on top of the cliffs in order to get various views of the 12 Apostles and the dramatic coastal cliffs:
Following one of the trails heading off towards the east it lead out onto a peninsula that provided great views looking both towards the east and west. Toward the east I was able to get a view of the first rock columns I had saw over at Gibson Beach:
Looking west I had yet another view of the rest of the 12 Apostles:
Looking at the 12 Apostles it was interesting to see the how different each of the rock formations were. About half of them were really thick and bulky:
While the other half were slender and elegant:
The Shipwreck Coast
As stunning as this coastline is, it is important to remember that this area is known as the Shipwreck Coast because of the number of ships that have been lost on these rocky shores. In just one 40 year period 80 ships were lost along this coast due to the fog and hidden reefs that made navigation so treacherous in these waters.
By seeing these rocks, cliffs, and high waves for myself, it is easy to see why navigating these waters was so dangerous for early sailors. Unlike those early seafarers that crashed on these shores, I was safe on top of these steep cliffs taking in some great views. Despite the rain and wind I was getting battered with, I was having a great time and couldn’t wait to see the rest of this fantastic park.
Next Posting: Port Campbell National Park – Part 2
The southern most point of the peninsula the Great Ocean road crosses and the location of the oldest lighthouse on mainland Australia is beautiful Cape Otway:
Here is how the area looks on Google Earth:
The cape is located down a road that travels south about 25 kilometers off the Great Ocean Road. The road is a nice drive through green woodlands before opening up into the coastal shrub land. Along the way my wife and I saw plenty of wildlife, especially birds like these crimson rosellas:
This land traditionally was home to the aboriginal Gadubanud people who used Cape Otway as a regional meeting place. Many artifacts from these Aborigines can be seen on display at the lighthouse station:
Today the Gadubanud land is home to the Cape Otway Lighthouse Station that stands perched over dramatic ocean cliffs that stand watch over the rugged seas of the Bass Strait:
Once the Bass Strait between Tasmania and Victoria was properly explored; large passenger sailboats from England began to sail through the strait instead of around Tasmania to reach Sydney in order to save a week of sailing time. Amazingly the Cape Otway coastline was the first land the passengers of these ships saw during the entire three month journey from England.
The shortcut came at a cost though as many shipwrecks occurred along these rocky cliffs. About 160 ships have wrecked along the dangerous shores of the Bass Strait with the most deadly wreck occurring in 1845 when the passenger ship the Cataraqui wrecked on King Island in the middle of the strait claiming 406 lives. The Cape Otway Lighthouse station was established in 1848 in response to these shipwrecks and continues to operate with this same mission even today.
Cape Otway was more then just a lighthouse, but in fact an entire small community to support lighthouse construction and operations. Less then 50 people lived on Cape Otway which included the families of the lighthouse personnel and the adjacent telegraph station. These families had to endure extreme isolation and had to be extremely self sufficient as they only received supplies once every 6-12 months.
The first structure of this community visitors will see is the old telegraph station:
This building was constructed in 1859 and connected Tasmania to mainland Australia. This connection lasted for only six months when the underwater transmission cable failed. The station was used instead to telegraph back to Melbourne the status of all ships passing through the Bass Strait.
There are plenty of other buildings to check out at the lighthouse station that served as living quarters, storage, and working facilities:
The Cape Otway Lighthouse began construction in 1846 and was completed in 1848. It was designed by Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis and is 15.6 meters high and can be seen 22 kilometers out to sea. 70 workers and 10 mules were used to construct the lighthouse. Every single stone used to construct the lighthouse was hand carved:
Amazingly no cement or mortar was used to construct the lighthouse. All the stones were carved to support each others weight. Pretty incredible when think about how they constructed this structure in the middle of nowhere in the 1840′s.
The light in station was originally lit by 21 polished reflectors and lamps mounted on a frame:
The lamps were lit and kept going using sperm whale oil. Today the lighthouse stil operates but uses electric lamps powered by solar energy, but still serves successfully serves its original purpose of warning ships traveling through Bass Strait of the dangers of the nearby coastline.
After a long, winding walk up the many stairs of the lighthouse, my wife and I were awarded with an amazing view of the 100 meter cliffs that compose the Cape Otway coastline:
We also had great views of the surrounding coastal shrub land that surrounds the lighthouse station community:
Only the small shrubs grow around the cliffs because of the salt in the air from the crashing ocean surf below. Just a couple miles inland the vegetation changes dramatically to the thickly forested rolling hills of the Otway Ranges.
My wife and I walked down the lighthouse and walked towards a small hill to the west of the lighthouse. Something my wife and I were quite surprised about while visiting Cape Otway was the amount of flies. The coastal shrub lands is filled with flies compared to the woodlands of the Otway Ranges where we found few bugs that bothered us while walking in the inland forests.
After a short walk up the small hill, all the while battling the flies, we found another piece of Australian history but of a more recent vintage, which is this RAAF radar station:
This station was in service from 1942-1945 and was part of Australia’s coastal defenses to track Japanese submarines. Inside the station are a few pictures and some history about the Australian radar defenses, but without a doubt the best reason to walk up the hill is to get this great view of the beautiful Cape Otway lighthouse:
Cape Otway is truly a beautiful place with significant Australian history attached to it. This makes Cape Otway definitely worth the time it takes to make the short detour off the Great Ocean Road to visit. Just make sure you bring fly net because you will need it.
The small town of Torquay (Pop. 8,000) on Victoria’s Surf Coast may be the most recognizable small town in all of Victoria. What makes Torquay so well known is the fact that is the start point for The Great Ocean Road and home to the Rip Curl Pro World Surfing Championships.
The Great Ocean Road is recognized across the country as one of the greatest if not the greatest road journey in all of Australia. The road runs from Torquay and around the southern peninsula of Victoria hugging the stunning coastal hills of the Otway Ranges that steeply plunge into the Southern Ocean before the road ends with amazing views of the dramatic coastal cliffs of the 12 Apostles at Port Campbell National Park:
The Great Ocean Road may have gotten Torquay its first recognition, but it is surfing that has made it a national icon. The downtown area of Torquay is packed with name brand surf stores to include such famous brands as Quiksilver and Rip Curl. These stores and nearby beaches makes Torquay a very popular destination for weekend surfing fans.
Unfortunately the day I visited Torquay the weather was no cooperating and there was not a whole lot of surfing going on at the beaches that border the city:
There was a few people out there playing some beach cricket which is popular at just about any Australian beach it seems no matter the weather:
Walking further down the beach at Torquay we did run into some people body boarding on the waves coming in:
How these people are able to body board in such cold weather is beyond me. However, most of the beaches around Torquay were lonely as this picture suggests:
Something else my wife and I found interesting besides admiring the beaches of Torquay was to check out the gigantic mansions that line the beach front in Torquay:
Judging by the size of the homes in the city, Torquay definitely has a lot money either living in it or at least owning property the owners take advantage of on the weekends. Torquay is also home to the Surfworld Museum that is considered the world’s premier surfing hall of fame:
If you have any interest in surfing you will find all you ever wanted to know about surfing in this museum. Part of the museum is open to the public and serves as a visitor center but to explore the remainder of the museum a small entrance fee is needed.
The most iconic aspect of Torquay’s surfing image is the Rip Curl Pro World Surfing Championships that take place every Easter Weekend:
This world famous surfing championship is held every year at Bell’s Beach located just a short five minute drive south of Torquay:
This competition has happened every year since 1962 and the world’s longest running surfing competition and this more then anything has put Torquay on the map. However, you don’t need to be a surfing fan to enjoy Bells Beach. The view from the cliffs that overlook the beach are really stunning:
I visited the beach early in the morning and the weather had improved dramatically from the day before but very few people were visiting the beach despite the large waves coming in:
There was a few dedicated surfers out there taking advantage of the beach they literally had to themselves:
Besides the handful of surfers the beach was deserted which a bit surprising considering how famous this beach is:
However, when I pulling out of the parking lot I did see a tour bus come rolling into the parking lot which leads me to believe that after the breakfast hours the beach probably starts getting filled up with tourists like myself wanting to get a look at the beach.
Anyone traveling the Great Ocean Road I highly recommend taking the side trip and taking a look at the beautiful Bell’s Beach because the views from the cliff over the beach is quite scenic and it is fun to watch the surfers do their thing on the waves which at times was quite impressive. However for the city of Torquay unless you are into surfing there isn’t a whole lot else to see. I found the city a bit one dimensional and definitely almost exclusively geared towards the surf crowd. So keep that mind if visiting but it was interesting seeing the town none the less.
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