Bells Beach
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Bells Beach ( ) is an internationally famous surf beach in Victoria, Australia, located 100 km south-west of Melbourne, on the Great Ocean Road near the towns of Torquay and Jan Juc.
The main break is known as the Bells Bowl or Bowl section. It is a point break and works through all tides depending on the size of the swell. It is surfable from 2' up to 15', and a north-west to west wind is optimal wind direction.
Although the beach was 'featured' in the final scene of the film Point Break, the scene was not actually filmed there. Bells Beach is a straight stretch and the beach in the film is a cove with pine trees atop a hill. The actual location of the film was a beach called Indian Beach, in Ecola State Park, located in Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA.
Bells Beach is the home of the world's longest running surfing competition - the Rip Curl Pro Surf & Music Festival. The event was formerly known as the Bells Beach Surf Classic. The competition was first held in January 1961 and then at Easter every year since although occasionally, when conditions at Bells aren't suitable, the competition has been transferred to other breaks such as Johanna.
The beach is named after the family that first took up the pastoral run in the 1840s. As early as 1939 surfers from Torquay made their way to Bells but access was a considerable problem until 1960 when Torquay surfer and Olympic wrestler Joe Sweeney hired a bulldozer and cleared a road along the Bells cliff [1] from the Cobb & Co Road, where the concrete wave now stands, down to the beach. He charged one pound per surfer to recover his expenses. This is now part of the Torquay to Anglesea walking track.
Nearby surf breaks include 'Southside', 'Centreside', 'Rincon', 'Winki Pop' (Uppers and Lowers), Boobs and Steps. Although Bells is known internationally as one of the best breaks in Victoria, 'Winki Pop' often works better under more diverse conditions than the other nearby breaks.
[edit] Surfing competitions at Bells Beach
- Surf, Dive & Ski
- Rip Curl GromSearch National Series (under 17s)
- Rip Curl Pro Surf & Music Festival every Easter, since 1961
[edit] References
- ^ Heritage Council of Victoria Annual Report 2003-04
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