The Great Ocean Road is one of Victoria’s best road trips. Here is the best itinerary from Torquay to Warrnambool, complete with amazing scenery and exciting attractions.
Victoria
Torquay: Where to eat, drink, stay and play
The best things to eat, see, drink, and do in Torquay, on Victoria’s Surf Coast.
When it comes to laidback beachside destinations, Torquay, on Victoria’s southwest coast, should be on every travel bucket list.
With its surf beaches, coastal walks, and flourishing culinary scene, this relaxed seaside town is only 90 minutes from Melbourne.
It caters for families, couples, foodies and beach lovers, with surf apparel stores and factory outlets, casual beachside eateries and specialty coffee shops, and upscale restaurants, brewhouses and bars. There's even luxurious accommodation for those who want to indulge and enjoy an extended stay.
Here is a guide to Torquay's best beaches, cafes, restaurants, bars, breweries and wineries.
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Torquay is a popular shopping destination for surfboards and apparel. Image: Getty
Guide to Torquay
Best things to do in Torquay
Along with great food and wine, people flock to Torquay for fun and adventure.
What's the safest beach in Torquay for families?
Unsurprisingly, water sports are one of the town’s main attractions. From kayaking and kite surfing to stand-up paddleboarding, there’s no shortage of seaside activities.
Torquay Front Beach (aka Cosy Corner) is the ideal spot to learn to surf. Check out local surf school Go Ride a Wave on Bell St for lessons. It is also the most suitable beach for families. According to Surf Life Saving Australia's Beachsafe website, Torquay Front Beach usually has low waves, a shallow bar and no rips, along with the added safety of a summer lifeguard patrol.
If you’re more of a spectator than a surfer, head to the Australian National Surf Musuem, Australia’s largest and only accredited surfing museum.
Where can I get the best view in Torquay?
The Surf Coast Walk, which is made up of 12 separate trails, gives you fantastic views of the ocean and Port Addis Marine National Park. You can walk, run or cycle at your own pace and enjoy the natural beauty. In its entirety, the 44km walk connects the coastal towns of Torquay, Anglesea and Aireys Inlet.
For amazing aerial views of the Surf Coast skyline, there is the choice of tandem skydiving at Skydive Great Ocean Road or an exhilarating adventure on board a vintage tiger moth plane at Tiger Moth World.
Is Torquay good for shopping?
Torquay's population of nearly 19,000 swells to about 100,000 people at its peak over summer. It means the town is a haven of surf shops, boutique clothing and curated homewares. You'll find flagship stores with full-price items alongside clothing outlets for iconic surf brands, such as Rip Curl and Quiksilver. Torquay Farmers Market operates every Saturday at 1 Merrijig Drive, with fresh local foods and artisan produce for sale. If you're interested in local art, craft, jewellery, fashion, vintage goods, plants and more, then head to The Esplanade for Cowrie Market , which is held on the third Sunday of the month from September to April.
Where can I play golf in Torquay?
Take to the fairway at RACV Torquay Resort for a round of golf on the 71-par course, one of the Victoria’s most spectacular golf courses designed by former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy.
Can I get a spa treatment in Torquay?
Torquay is a great destination for those seeking spa and wellness experiences. Enjoy the serenity of a sensory massage or rejuvenating facial at One Spa. Keep it simple with a dreamy Hammam Bathing Experience, or indulge in the ultimate Driftaway treatment, which includes body exfoliation and hydration wrap, full-body massage and advanced facial. The One Spa menu has more than 25 treatments on offer.
Relaxation is guaranteed at One Spa, which is located at RACV Torquay Resort.
Best beaches in Torquay
Cosy Corner (at Torquay Front Beach)
Cosy Corner is your destination if want to set up an umbrella, read a book, and enjoy a refreshing swim.
With its wide foreshore and safe, sheltered swimming access, it’s the ideal spot for family beach days, beginner surfers, bodyboarders and novice swimmers alike.
Whites Beach
A little further along the esplanade from Cosy Corner is Whites Beach, a lovely sandy stretch that is less crowded than its neighbours.
Whites Beach is dog-friendly year-round, making it ideal for puppy play dates, and the Whites Beach playground, with its picnic tables, barbecue facilities and flying fox, is a popular spot for families.
Point Impossible Beach
Point Impossible Beach (the eastern section of Whites Beach) distinguishes itself as a clothing-optional beach spot capped by 10m dunes. Keen anglers will love Fisherman’s Beach (located between Darian and Zeally Bay roads). The Elephant Walk playground area is a stone’s throw away and is one of Torquay’s favourite play and picnic areas.
Bells Beach
World-famous surfing spot Bells Beach is a great place to sit and watch the pros as they glide along the waves. There’s a boardwalk with great views, and the sand is a lovely spot for a picnic or walk.
But be warned – Bells Beach, though beautiful, is treacherous, even for the most competent of swimmers. Exercise extreme caution if entering the water and avoid swimming altogether in high surf.
Always practise beach safety: swim between the flags and don’t enter the water if the beach is not patrolled.
Grab a cocktail at Harding's Bar inside RACV Torquay Resort.
Best cafes and brunch spots in Torquay
If there’s one thing Torquay isn’t short of, it’s cafes and, when it comes to beachside caffeine dealers, here are some of the best:
- Start your day with a cup of Joe and a toastie at Mavis Mavis if you’re looking for a quick bite for a day of seaside activities.
- Swell Café in Jan Juc is a local favourite, serving all-day brunch and lunch, along with fresh juices and smoothies.
- Sweet Ground serves up healthy options, including fresh salad bowls and handmade sodas.
- On the esplanade, you can’t go past one of Torquay’s original specialty coffee shops, Pond, where they’re grinding Seven Seeds and plating up some of the town’s most interesting breakfast fare.
- A little further along the way there’s the Salty Dog, a dog- friendly seaside cafe that boasts beautiful beach views and delicious beans to match.
- At Amitie Cafe, a quirky spot in the Amitie Textiles warehouse, you can grab a cut of the coast’s coolest fabrics, as well as delectable house-baked treats (the yo-yos are a must-try) and locally roasted Ocean Grind coffee.
- In town, have a stroll through the Torquay Farmers Market on a Saturday morning, or head to Surfcoast Wholefoods, an organic greengrocer-come-healthy cafe for nourishing plant-based bites as part of the regional vegan scene.
- Vegetarian cafe Ginger Monkey is little further along the highway.
Enjoy fine dining or pub-style meals at RACV Torquay Resort.
Torquay's best restaurants and casual eateries
Pub meals
- Torquay Hotel has classic counter meals with a contemporary twist, live music and events.
- RACV Torquay Resort's Whites Paddock is open seasonally with the best pub-style meals.
International
- The Kyn on the Esplanade offers Middle Eastern-inspired dining, along with amazing cocktails and an extensive wine list. Expect shared style dining with indoor and outdoor options.
- The plate-list at Pholklore is a mix of contemporary and classic Vietnamese hits. Here, they’re dishing up everything from rice paper rolls and popcorn cauliflower to traditional pho, fusion pho (we’re talking miso pho and pho laksa) and pho-inspired cocktails. What’s not to love about lemongrass and Thai basil mojito or a Pho White with cognac, white rum, cinnamon, and lime.
- For Italian, Pearl is Torquay’s local trattoria. With just six tables and a nightly-changing menu of five fresh, seasonally inspired spaghetti dishes scrawled on a blackboard, this is the epitome of local dining.
- Over at Ilm, it’s all about that base, where they sling some of Torquay’s best pizza.
Seafood
- Roku Den for a fill of fresh sushi, sashimi and seared local scallops.
- Fishos is your resident grilled fish and fried potato dealer, making some seriously delicious fish tacos and seafood platters.
Fine dining
- Have you even been to Torquay if you haven’t dined at RACV Torquay’s acclaimed Number One restaurant? With sweeping views over the golf course and beyond to Bass Strait, here, it’s all about local, seasonal ingredients – like artisan cheeses, panko fried oysters and Camperdow garlic. The drinks list also has an extensive range of local brews and wines, as well as an eclectic cocktail selection.
- Samesyn 2.0 - Helmed by chef Graham Jefferies (who co-owns hatted Geelong stalwart Tulip), Samesyn 2.0 launched in 2024, building on the solid foundation of its previous iteration, Samesyn. The two-hatted restaurant is billed as "low waste dining", and its seasonal dishes highlight local ingredients.
Dessert
- Don't miss Dooley's for award-winning ice cream. From the divine (honeycomb, salted caramel and strawberries and cream) to the sublime (chilli chocolate, cinnamon and vegemite), there are more than 40 flavours to choose from. There's even "unicorn poo" for those with wild imaginations. If the queue is too long, there's also Nordenfine Ice Cream Company and Augustus Gelatery, which are among Victoria's best ice cream and gelato shops.
- If you’re a chocolate lover, check out the Surfside Patisserie or a stop at the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery.
You'll find some of Victoria's best ice cream shops in Torquay. Image: Getty
Best bars and breweries in Torquay
One of the best things about a weekend away is being able to switch off, unwind and kick back with a cocktail or a beer while a gentle sea breeze sweeps away the city stress.
If beers and burgers are your staple, you’ll love locally owned and independently run Blackman’s Brewery, one of the best breweries in regional Victoria, where you can stop in for a tasting paddle and caramelised pumpkin pizza.
Nestled on a rooftop overlooking Fisherman’s Beach, you'll find Bomboras Beach Bar. As well as the best view in town, you can enjoy live music, cocktails, and a great selection of beers and wines. If you get peckish, there's an onsite food truck and cheese plates. Catering to seasonal demands, the high season is 1 October to 1 April, with reduced hours during the cooler months.
Get into the craft spirit at the 4 Pines Torquay brewpub, which is co-located next to Boardriders.
For something more refined, Archers Torquay is barrelling a selection of the finest local and imported drops. Their seasonal tapas are made with fresh seasonal ingredients and are perfect for sharing with friends.
Bellbrae Estate Winery is five minutes' drive from world-famous Bells Beach. Image: Visit Victoria
Best wineries near Torquay
Speaking of wine, if you love a good weekend winery experience, sip your way through some of the Surf Coast’s coolest cellar doors from your Torquay base.
Just 13 minutes’ drive from Torquay, in Connewarre, you’ll find The Minya (appointment only), where owners Jeff and Sue Dans have been mastering the art of making grape juice since 1974. Stop in for a glass of grenache, shiraz, chardonnay or spicy gewurztraminer.
Heading about the same distance towards Anglesea on your Great Ocean Road tour, you’ll pass the beautiful Bellbrae Estate. Here, the wines are a celebration of the local area, with the Estate Range even named after some of the region’s best-loved surf breaks.
About 10 minutes' drive inland from Torquay, you’ll find Wolseley Wines, a 100 per cent organic vineyard that runs solely on solar power. Sunday sessions are a regular fixture at this boutique Paraparap cellar door, which plays host to a revolving stage of talented local artists.
For lovers of pinot noir, a visit to the Brown Magpie cellar door is a must (currently open by appointment only). Located about 20 minutes from Torquay in the gently sloping Surf Coast hinterland, the rustic Modewarre winery is one of the region’s best-kept secrets, with their award-winning pinot noirs having garnered something of a cult following.
