History on the beaches

TORQUAY has an abundance of beautiful worldclass beaches and for many of us who have lived here for a long time, we have had ample opportunity to enjoy them with a great deal of solitude.

It’s not so these days, with Torquay transitioning itself from a holiday destination town of a few thousand traditionally older residents, to a thriving community of close to 20,000 people made up of predominately younger families now making Torquay home.

There is no doubt that our beaches (and beach lifestyle) is a massive drawcard and many of the “locals” have learnt to enjoy and share our beaches with the many newcomers that have also found Torquay the place to be.
There is a lot of history around the beaches of Torquay and we will endeavour to explore how our local beaches and surf spots were named, although there are always many versions told, we have done our best to collate the facts.
Importantly we need to acknowledge the first people to enjoy our special place were the Wathaurung (Wathaurong, Waddawurrung), and we know from their stories that they frequently camped along our shores and meals of fish and shellfish, and told their tales by a campfire on the beach.