Bells Beach

Bells Beach sits below crumbling ochre cliffs on the Surf Coast, and its wave, a long right-hander that breaks over a reef and holds shape in big swells, made it the home of the Rip Curl Pro, a contest first held in 1962 and run as a professional event at Easter since 1973 - the longest-running surfing competition in the world, missed only in 2020 and 2021. Winners ring the Bells trophy. In 1973 the beach became the first surfing recreation reserve declared anywhere. Viewing platforms and stairs run down the cliff, and most visitors watch rather than paddle out, since the break is powerful and heavily localised. The surrounding coast toward Torquay holds Winkipop, Jan Juc and the surf industry that grew up here.

The main sights

• The point break - the long right-hander that made the beach famous.
• The ochre cliffs - the amphitheatre of eroding cliffs above the sand.
• The Rip Curl Pro - the Easter contest, the longest running in the world.
• The viewing platforms - stairs and lookouts along the clifftop.

When to go

March to May for the biggest swells and the Easter contest; the wave needs size to work properly and can be flat in summer. Winter brings large surf and cold water. The contest fills car parks and the cliff completely.

Good to know

On a small day there may be nothing to watch. The water is cold year-round and the break is for experienced surfers only. Facilities are limited to car parks and toilets, and the cliffs are eroding with sections fenced off.

Nearby

Torquay and the surf museum lie northeast; the Great Ocean Road runs west.