Geelong's Best Beaches: Complete Guide to Bay and Ocean Swimming

Geelong is uniquely positioned between two very different beach environments: the Bellarine Peninsula's calm Port Phillip Bay beaches to the south-east and the Surf Coast's ocean swell beaches (Torquay, Bells Beach, Jan Juc) to the south-west. Geelong residents can choose between sheltered bay swimming and proper surf within 30-45 minutes of the city centre, which is a beach privilege few Australian regional cities can match.

Eastern Beach Geelong, Eastern Beach is Geelong's foreshore swimming beach, with the Geelong Waterfront's heritage carousel, restaurants, and the restored Eastern Beach Baths (Art Deco sea baths, reopened after restoration). It is not a surf beach but a calm bay swimming location with good family amenities and the city skyline behind. Walking distance from the Geelong CBD.

Torquay and Jan Juc, Torquay (30 minutes south-west of Geelong) is the gateway to the Surf Coast and home to Torquay surf beach, the Surf World museum, the Rip Curl and Quiksilver headquarters, and the start of the Great Ocean Road. Jan Juc immediately south has more protected surf conditions and a more local atmosphere than the commercial Torquay main beach.

Bells Beach, Bells Beach (10 minutes south of Torquay) is Australia's most famous surf break and the venue for the Rip Curl Pro annual surfing competition. The cliff-top lookout provides an excellent viewing platform for watching the surf below, and the beach walk down to the sand rewards when the swell is running and the surf is genuinely spectacular.

Barwon Heads, Barwon Heads on the Bellarine Peninsula (30 minutes south-east of Geelong) has a charming beach town atmosphere, good surf beach conditions on Ocean Grove nearby, and the Barwon River mouth's calm estuary swimming for children. The village café strip and the Point Lonsdale lighthouse nearby round out a complete Bellarine day.

Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the Bellarine Peninsula tip has calm bay beaches and the Point Lonsdale Blowhole as natural attraction, with the Queenscliff heritage town providing Victorian-era hotels and the Queenscliff to Sorrento car ferry crossing for those wanting the Mornington Peninsula on the return.