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Surf's Up
Bells Beach is probably Australia’s most famous surfing beach. It was even mentioned in the Keanu Reaves surfing/action movie Point Break, as the site of a huge break.
The real Bells story begins in 1960, when Torquay surfing enthusiast and Olympic wrestler, Joe Sweeney, bulldozed a path to the beach. He recouped the cost of hiring the bulldozer by charging eager surfers $2 to use his track. While more conventional roads have since been built for accessing the beach, Sweeney’s track is now part of the Surf Coast Torquay to Angelsea trail.
Bells is home of the longest running professional surfing contest in the world: the Rip Curl Pro. The Victorian Government ranks the Rip Curl Pro as one of the State’s top six sporting events, along with Melbourne Cup and the F1 Grand Prix.
Bells is a ‘long right-hand point break’ that begins just outside the reef known as Rincon, and continues to the ‘Bells Bowl’. Even the most proficient surfer can have difficultly here. There are other challenging breaks nearby, like Winkipop, which can be used if the weather is not aiding the Bells break.
In 1971, Bells became the worlds’ first surfing reserve, and in 2000, the National Trust declared it a site of historical significance.
Preserving the history of surfing is Surfworld Australia, which is impressive, not merely for being the biggest museum of its type in the world, or for the fact that it displays surfboards made of everything from metal to hemp. What really impresses about Surfworld is the way it achieves a rare balance between the serious and the amusing. On the one hand, visitors receive clear scientific explanations on interactive video displays of the processes by which waves are created. Also, the cultural significance of surfing is genuinely explored, and the important work of surf lifesavers is emphasised. On the other hand, the museum is a blast, with heavy doses of humour. The display of Hawaiian shirts is particularly endearing. And watch out for the risqué packaging on surf-wax display. If you are a surfing fan you will love it. If you’re not, it is the perfect place to learn what all the fuss is about.
Surfing has spawned multi-million dollar businesses around the world and Torquay has its fair share. The town contains an almost absurd number of surfing shops, selling surfboards, wetsuit and various other sorts of surfing paraphernalia, as well as all of the latest surfie fashion. The abundance of such outlets is only fair given that two of the world’s largest multi-million dollar international surfing brands, Rip Curl and Quiksilver, originated in Torquay.
Surf City Plaza has an imposing collection of surf stores, and these are by no means the only ones in town. The Quiksilver Surfriders’ Club in the Plaza ranks among the more interesting stores, because its walls are adorned with surfing memorabilia, including a board on which pro-surfer Kelly Slater hand-painted a picture of his then-girlfriend, Pamela Anderson! Whether you are an experienced surfer or just like the clothes, when it comes to surf-related products, if you can’t find it in Torquay, then it doesn’t exist.
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Torquay
- This fast-growing, busy resort, 96km SW of Melbourne, is renowned as the 'Surf Capital of Australia'. Jan Juc and the world-famous Bells Beach are the main surf beaches.
