One of Australia's best-known surfing beaches, Bells Beach is located near the start of the Great Ocean Road on Victoria's southern coast.
It is the site of the Easter surfing classic, the Rip Curl Pro, which runs for 10 days at Eastertime, and includes a music festival on Easter Saturday and Sunday.
Depending on where you start in Melbourne, Bells Beach between the towns of Torquay and Anglesea could be as close as 71 kilometres or as much as 107 or more.
The beach
A small bay between two headlands facing the Southern Ocean, Bells Beach has waves of three to four metres on good surfing days rising to as high as five metres depending on tide and wind conditions.
Swells from the Southern Ocean slow down and rise over the reef-strewn shallows.
Getting there
Bells Beach is accessible by car from the Great Ocean Rd by turning left at Jarosite Rd and continuing on Bells Beach Road.
Travel time from Melbourne is estimated at an hour and 45 minutes.
A free shuttle bus service normally operates between Torquay and Bells Beach during the Rip Curl Pro.
