Torquay

The beach front town of Torquay is located 22 kilometres south of Geelong and at the northern end of the Surf Coast section of the Great Ocean Road.

Torquay has been a popular holiday destination for Victorians since the early 1900s and its beaches have been modelled on those of England with wide grassy foreshores and large shady trees lining the coast. Scenic walking tracks extend through much of the town's foreshore, and good views can be enjoyed from Yellow Bluff and at Point Danger with its Anzac Memorial perched high above the ocean on the headland.

The main commercial centre of Torquay extends along Pearl Street and the length of Gilbert Street which joins the coastal boulevard of The Esplanade. More shops, cafes, restaurants and the town's hotel can be found on Bell Street, across the road from the large camping and caravan ground which fronts the coast near Point Danger.

Torquay has long been associated with the surfing industry and this is evident with the number of manufactures and retailers of surfing related goods that line the main highway through the town. The largest concentration of those can be found at Surf City Plaza which is also home to the Australian National Surfing Museum - the world's largest surfing and beach culture museum.

A few kilometres south-west of Torquay is Bells Beach which hosts the Rip Curl Pro Surfing Classic - an annual event which attracts competitors from all over the world.

Torquay is the official start of the Great Ocean Road - one of Australia's most spectacular coastal drives which covers over 200 kilometres of the south-western Victorian coast, passing through areas such as the scenic Otway Ranges and the rugged Shipwreck Coast west of Cape Otway.