Bells Beach

Bells Beach/Djarrak is a famous surf beach and coastal reserve just southwest of Torquay. I'd stop for the clifftop view: Southern Ocean swells focus onto this exposed break, and wave faces can rise beyond six metres. Come for the surf rather than assume the water is safe for a casual swim.

Viewing platforms look over the surf and a two-kilometre stretch of coast. A long staircase reaches the beach if you want to get closer to the shore; check local signs and surf warnings before heading down or entering the water. For a photo, frame the moving lines of surf with the layered cliff edge, or use the staircase to show the scale of the drop.

The protected area covers 112 hectares: 38 hectares of beach and coastal heathland, with 74 hectares of sea. The main car park has a toilet block, and the headland gives you the coast view without descending to the sand.

The first Bells contest was held in 1962. In 1973 the event joined the world tour, and the beach became the first internationally designated surfing reserve. It later took the name Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. The contest was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 before returning in 2023, so its long history has not been uninterrupted.

Djarrak is the Wadawurrung name for this coast, recorded as “place of the bent arm” and possibly also a reference to the Southern Rock Lobster. The reserve’s story includes years of community work to protect its coastal vegetation as well as the surf competition that made the place famous.