Bells Beach, Victoria

Bells Beach
Victoria
Bells Beach hosting the Rip Curl Pro 2019
Bells Beach is located in Surf Coast Shire
Bells Beach
Bells Beach
Coordinates38°22′S 144°17′E / 38.367°S 144.283°E / -38.367; 144.283
Population130 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)3228
Elevation12 m (39 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Surf Coast Shire
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)Corangamite
Localities around Bells Beach:
Bellbrae Bellbrae Jan Juc
Anglesea Bells Beach Bass Strait
Bass Strait Bass Strait Bass Strait
Aerial views of Bells Beach.
Bells Beach.
Surfers at the beach

Bells Beach is a coastal locality of Victoria, Australia in Surf Coast Shire and a renowned surf beach, located 100 km south-west of Melbourne, on the Great Ocean Road near the towns of Torquay and Jan Juc.

It is named after William Bell, a Geelong businessman and grazier,[2] who owned much of the property there from the 1840s. Many records wrongly accredit the location's name to John Calvert Bell of the family that took up a pastoral run there much later in 1905 and built the 'Addiscot' homestead. John Calvert Bell was, before that time, a resident at Calder Park, Mount Duneed, and not related to William Bell of Bells Beach. The beach and coastal reserve are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.[3]

In the 2016 Census, there were 130 people in Bells Beach, 88.7% of whom were born in Australia and 94.5% of whom spoke only English at home.[1]

  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Bells Beach (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 November 2017. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "William BELL." Torquay Museum Without Walls, 11 Apr. 2022, https://www.torquayhistory.com/brief-history-of-torquay/people/pioneer-william-bell/
  3. ^ "Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve (H2261)". Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 2014-03-23.