Having grown up near Cronulla Beach in the Sutherland Shire in Sydney, I love anything to do with the beach and surfing. While in Torquay on Victoria’s Surf Coast, which some would say is the home of Australian surfing, I visited and took a walk through the Australian National Surfing Museum. Come with me as I recall my visit to a surfing treasure in Australia.

When it comes to unique and unusual museums, the Australian National Surfing Museum, Torquay is one of the largest unique museums in Australia I have been too. And I love visiting the smaller museums you find in Australia’s towns because they are so unique to the local area. Like the Australian Motor Racing Museum in Bathurst and the Killer Whale Museum in Eden, I now include the Australian National Surfing Museum in Torquay up there as one of my favourites. So what do you see at the museum?

The Bells Exhibition

The first thing you are greeted with when you enter the Australian National Surfing Museum is The ‘Bells’ exhibition. The ‘Bells’ are the surfing trophies given to the winners of the prestigious Bells Beach Surfing Classic held at Bells Beach near Torquay every Easter. The ‘Bells’ on display include original Bells trophies won by Gail Couper (1968), Kelly Slater (2010) and Simon Anderson (1977, 1981). Very impressive.

see the Bells

The Board Room

Moving through the Museum you cannot miss the wall of surfboards in the board room. The boards are attached to a blue sculptured wave that traces the development of surfboards from early solid timber forms to today’s lightweight high performance boards. Very interesting. In this room are also some interactive displays.

check out the boards in the Board Room

The Theatre Room

Sit for a while in the theatre room and watch surfing films and hear and see stories about surfing from many of the surfing legends themselves. And while sitting there you can admire vintage surfboards and memorabilia. Also check out Australia’s Surfing Hall of Fame paying home to our home grown surfing champions and legends. One of my favourite items here was one of ‘Mark Richards’ surf boards. He was surfing world champion four years in a row – 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982 and for most of his career surfed on surfboards with his initials MR on them. He was one of my favourite surfers. 

Mark Richards surfboard

Other Surfing Displays

There are plenty of surfing displays in the Australian National Surfing Museum. I thought the table of different brands of board wax was quite interesting. I also loved seeing the different board fins and underwater cameras. You can also see how boards are shaped. Together, all the displays really help you step into the surfing culture which is a really big thing in Australia.

Are You Ready to Visit Australia’s National Surfing Museum?

Get ready to discover the world of surfing with over 100 years of surfing lifestyle when you visit this iconic museum in Torquay. You can find the Australian National Surfing Museum at 77 Beach Road, Torquay. It is open every day from 9am to 5pm 364 days of the year. Closed Christmas Day. If you love surfing, you will love visiting the museum and the rest of the fabulous surfing town of Torquay at the beginning of The Great Ocean Road, one of Australia’s best road trips. I made the visit on a Melbourne getaway when I spent a weekend in Geelong. Have you been to the museum and the local area around Torquay? I’d love to know.

Inspired to Learn to Surf?

If all this talk about surfing has inspired you to learn to surf then Torquay is the place to hit the waves! Book your 2 hour learn to surf at Torquay now.