Volleyfest set to bring public closures

THE Great Ocean Road Beach Volleyfest is just around the corner and locals are said to expect closures and infrastructure changes across The Esplanade and Elephant Walk in Torquay.

Elephant Walk along Torquay’s foreshore will close to the public on November 7 until December 12, bur the beachside path will remain open during the event.

The Torquay Play Park will remain accessible throughout the closures, with parking available on Zeally Bay Rd, Taylors Park side, Point Danger, Torquay Sailing Club and Surf Beach Drive at Spring Creek.

Pedestrians will be easily able to get access to the park and surrounding areas on foot courtesy of a zebra crossing being installed at The Esplanade/Torquay Play Park.

From an infrastructure perspective, people should expect to see a temporary event village pop up on Elephant Walk, featuring both 1,500-seat and 500-seat grandstands, competition courts, training courts, entertainment, and sport development opportunities.

 

Volleyfest project manager Greg Jury said the public should expect some changes to The Esplanade, however, shouldn’t expect any huge delays.

“The public will see closures to the Elephant Park Walk which is closest to the road and also closures to the vertical parking of The Esplanade section in front of the site,” Mr Jury said.

“We are also putting a zebra crossing at the playground to make sure families can park at Taylor Park to access the public toilets, playgrounds and Volleyfest.

“We aren’t closing down The Esplanade in any shape or form, we will have traffic management for the 2,000 tonnes of sand bumping in, but that will be about it.

“Bike lanes will still be open, and overall, it shouldn’t have a great deal of effect.”

 

The volleyball festival is set to bring the best players in the world to the foreshores of Torquay for 12 days of nonstop action from November 23 to December 4.

The Great Ocean Road Beach Volleyfest will feature the Volleyball World Pro Beach Tour, and Australian Beach Volleyball Tour, offering spectators a variety of formats to enjoy.

The men’s and women’s events will attract about 450 competitors and support crew from around the world to compete in front of thousands of spectators.

Competitors will be making the trek to the shores of Torquay from Sweden, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Brazil, USA and many other federations.

To refresh and replenish from the spring sun, visitors will be able to taste and drink a whole range of goodness from vendors such as That Arancini Guy, Burger Boy, FRITZS WIENERS, Better Beer, Great Ocean Road Gin , Mt Duneed wines and much more.

The event will be proudly supported by local partners including the Surf Coast Shire, Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority, Better Beer and Barwon Water.

Ground passes will afford visitors will access to Court 2 and activations and vendors on the ground level, while a stadium pass will give attendees also access to Court 1.

Tickets to the Volleyfest are available at tickets.volleyball.org.au