Bells Beach Victoria | |||||||||||||||
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![]() Bells Beach hosting the Rip Curl Pro 2019 | |||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 38°22′S 144°17′E / 38.367°S 144.283°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 130 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 3228 | ||||||||||||||
Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) | ||||||||||||||
Location | |||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Surf Coast Shire | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Corangamite | ||||||||||||||
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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]