For a town renowned as both the home of Australian surfing and the gateway to the Great Ocean Road, Torquay’s always struck me as a bit … unexciting. A place to pass by on my way to the 12 Apostles or the resort towns of Anglesea and Lorne, rather than a destination worth the detour.
Turns out my prejudices are wildly out of date. After a visit last month I’m here to encourage readers to make that detour. To turn off the B100, about 80 minutes southwest of Melbourne, and plan a night or two in the home of Rip Curl, Quiksilver, and the world’s longest running pro-surfing competition (at nearby Bells Beach).
Surf’s still the main drawcard but it’s not just about the waves anymore. Today’s Torquay is a surprisingly cool hangout with terrific eating and drinking beside a magnificent sweep of limestone headlands, broad beaches and a generous, endless swell.
As I pulled into the driveway of the revamped Surf Hotel, opened in May on the seafront Esplanade, I bumped into a colleague from an American publication who’d just spent two days checking out the scene for her fancy international audience. I mention this simply to give an idea of the buzz around this beach town.
That was my first taste of Torquay’s new vibe, followed soon afterwards by one of the more fun Friday nights I’ve had in a while.
Despite being the dead of winter, the deck of the Surf Hotel, formerly the 1980s-era Surf City Motel, is packed to the gills with people drinking cucumber juleps and schooners of draught while watching breakers roll in over Bass Strait. (The deck’s a new addition that’s swiftly become the place to be.) I had a sundowner here with some hotel staff before they herded me down the road to The Mule, a shiny new Mexican bar with indoor and outdoor dining and a dangerous margarita menu.
The energy of the place was infectious – fuelled no doubt by those margaritas, a tempting list of wines by the glass and scrumptious fire-licked snacks. I’m convinced chef Will Wade cooks the tastiest tortillas and tacos this side of the Pacific Ocean.
I left The Mule half full to pop back to the Surf Hotel restaurant where Victoria’s 2024 chef of the year Jo Barrett runs the kitchen. Its 50 seats inside were full. Her partner Dave Osgood ran the floor with flair, introducing me to a completely new wine, an aromatic petite arvine from Beechworth that he reckons is like a cross between chardonnay and pinot gris.
The menu’s a please-all affair that stays true to Barrett’s sustainable ethos with the likes of wild boar dim sims and a schnitzel of locally harvested venison. I had a lovely combo of steak frites and a salad of late-season tomatoes as Barrett and I chatted about Torquay’s glow-up. “I feel like it’s becoming a really cool destination,” said Barrett, who most recently ran the hatted Little Picket at the Lorne Bowls Club. “You can go for a surf, but you can also go for a really nice cocktail and dinner somewhere. You get to be in nature but still satisfy all of those urban needs.”
Surf Hotel’s 16 rooms are arranged in a line beside a carpark, classic motel style except for the groovy four-bedroom penthouse straddling the drive-through-entry. My roomy 32 sqm suite was at the back of the block, beside the soon-to-open “wellness centre” with cold plunge, sauna and small gym with surfer-friendly stretching and strengthening kit.
It’s possibly the bougiest motel room I’ve stayed in. Besides the push-button turntable (furnished with hand-picked vinyl ranging from Red Hot Chili Peppers to the Grease soundtrack) and a skylit circular bath, there’s a fireplace, a vast platform bed and the best shower I’ve had all year.
On Saturday morning I jogged along the coastal track which was already busy with walkers, runners and dogs on their morning constitutional. Wet-suited swimmers ploughed through the ocean at Main Beach. Surfers huddled in packs along the coastline. Cyclists zoomed along the Norfolk pine-lined Esplanade. And this, as I mentioned, is the middle of winter.
Before heading back to Melbourne I lunched at the two-hatted Samesyn 2.0, where chef Graham Jefferies has a similar low-waste policy to Barrett and directs all profits (almost $45,000 in 2025) to a local charity, Feed Me, to nourish those in need.
The noble goals don’t detract from the dining, which involves a procession of deeply comforting foods including an amazing cheese and onion eclair and the surf-and-turf pleasures of peri peri mussels and pork.
Torquay, I was unaware of your game. Next time I visit, I’m bringing reinforcements.
Vintage style
Retro motel makeovers are a trend along the Great Ocean Road. At Anglesea, The Monty is a 16-room, Palm Springs-inspired motel with a Mexican restaurant opening this month. And at Aireys Inlet, the 20-room Sunnymead offers an Indian-fusion restaurant and day spa.
Kendall Hill stayed as a guest of Surf Hotel.
Kendall HillTravel writer
Read related topics:Things to do