Beach heaven

Torquay is synonymous with surfing, and has became known as Australia's surf capital. Approximately 100 kilometres from Melbourne,Torquay is one of the most popular beach resorts on the Surf Coast.

Since the early 1960s Bells Beach has hosted the worlds most prestigious and longest running event on the men's professional surfing circuit, the Rip Curl Pro. Bells is also home to the women's world championship, the Sun Smart Classic.

Every Easter the world's best surfers descend on Bells to tackle the swell and waves that can rise up to five metres. The event is now a 10-day festival attracting a crowds.

Torquay is a great place for surf-related products. Major manufacturers are based here, making surfboards, wetsuits, clothing, sunglasses and accessories,as well as the Surfworld Museum and Hall of Fame.

Surfing carnivals are held throughout summer, as well as the Australian Strongman Triathlon in February and the High Tide Festival in December.

You don't have to be a surfer to enjoy Torquay. A holiday resort since the late 19th century, Torquay's beaches are modelled on English seaside resorts with immaculate grassed foreshore reserves, shady trees and picnic areas. A number of protected beaches offer safe swimming and are ideal for families. Sailing, diving, fishing and windsurfing are just some of the other favourite pursuits around Torquay.

Great Ocean Road

Winding along the western coast of Victoria, the Great Ocean Road offers stunning ocean views, beachside activities, laidback coastal towns and maritime villages.

Some of the nations best-known surf beaches are located at the start of the region, including the legendary Bells Beach - host to the Rip Curl Pro and Sunsmart Surfing Classic each April. Beyond Bells Beach is Lorne, a popular holiday and a great place for a break in a cafe.

The road winds along the coastline towards Apollo Bay, a town on the edge of the Otway Ranges. Walk through breathtaking wilderness, explore secluded beaches or the forest canopy via the Otway Fly Tree Top Walk in the Otway National Park.

The Twelve Apostles, ancient limestone stacks that rise from the ocean. Erosion has created spectacular shapes in the nearby cliffs, including Loch Ard Gorge, the Arch, the Blowhole and London Bridge. Join a scenic flight and take in the scenery from the air, or follow the boardwalks to lookouts and great views of the coastline.

The coastline is dotted with plaques and signs that mark the places where more than 160 ships foundered along the aptly named Shipwreck Coast. Stop at delightful towns along the coast, including Port Campbell, Port Fairy and Warnambool, a popular spot for whale watching between May and October.

Shipwreck coast

The south-west coastline of Victoria between Moonlight Head and Port Fairy is a treacherous section of coast that has claimed more than 160 ships and earnt it the name Shipwreck Coast. Discover the stories of the ships that foundered along the coast at local museums and along the Shipwreck Trail, along which signs and plaques tell the tales of dozens of wrecks and identify their resting places. Highlights are Loch Ard Gorge, where you can discover the history of the Loch Ard, wrecked in 1878 and Wreck Beach. The name Wreck Beach is derived from the still visible anchors of two ships wrecked along the beach, the Marie Gabrielle in 1880 and the Fiji in 1891.

Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool is a re-created seaport village typical of the late 1800s when Warrnambool was a thriving centre of international sea trade. There are replicas of many buildings of the time, including a sail makers loft, town hall, bank and chapel.

The number of disastrous shipwrecks along the coast resulted in the construction of a lighthouse in 1848 on the point of Cape Otway. It guided ships bound for Port Phillip through the narrow entrance to Bass Strait. Today you can climb to the top of the lighthouse, mainland Australias oldest, for breathtaking views. The Cape Nelson Lightstation near Portland is also open to visitors and offers guided tours.

At towns such as Portland and Port Fairy, charming National Trust-classified homes, modest cottages and stately buildings are everywhere you look.

Warrnambool is the largest town on the Shipwreck Coast and a popular destination for whale watchers, who come to see southern right whales and their calves in the shallow waters off Logans Beach during their annual migration (between May and October)

Drive the Great Ocean Road

One of the world's most spectacular coastal drives, the Great Ocean Road winds past quiet bays and beaches, rainforests, and historic shipwreck sites for some 106 kilometres west of Geelong.

First stop is Torquay - Australia's 'Surf City'. This magnificent stretch of coastline produces the best waves this side of Hawaii. Every April, Bells Beach hosts the Rip Curl Pro and Sun Smart Classic, the most prestigious World Championship Tour event in the world.

At nearby Anglesea, golfers tee off among kangaroos that relax under shady trees and graze the fairways.

Further along the coast is Lorne and the surrounding Otway Ranges, where waterfalls, crystal-clear rivers and bubbling streams swirl beneath canopies of giant trees and ferns to the ocean below. Explore the Otway National Park, with its lush rainforest scenery complete with bush tracks, picnic spots and Otway Fly Tree Top Walk that leads visitors through the forest canopy.

For most the Great Ocean Road's highlight is Port Campbell National Park, home of the Twelve Apostles and other natural landmarks, such as London Bridge and the Bay of Islands. The ancient limestone stacks were formed by thousands of years of the sea and wind erosion, are can be seen from scenic flights that take off nearby, or by following boardwalks to lookouts.

The Shipwreck Coast is a graveyard for over 160 ships that foundered in the treacherous seas. It is also a popular destination for whale watching. From May to September rare southern right whales calve in the shallow waters off Logans Beach at Warrnambool.

The historic fishing village of Port Fairy, once home to a large Irish community, boasts colonial architecture, cafes, galleries and historic boutique accommodation.