Bells Beach
Bells Beach
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Bells Beach
The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
7 within 3 miles
Attractions
42 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
535 reviews
Excellent
290
Very good
195
Average
48
Poor
1
Terrible
1
gregs3071
melbourne8,039 contributions
Jun 2021
I visited Bell's Beach on day one of my Great Ocean Road tour which was the Winter Solstice. It was cold and foggy but the fog was not thick.
I pulled over as soon as I saw a sign saying Bell's Beach. The car park was of a decent size and there were not many cars there. A sign by a path indicated a 10 minute walk to Bell's Beach.
The path along the cliff top was quite chilly. I was wearing a beanie and a hooded jacket. I'm not one who feels the cold terribly but I needed to pull the hood over my beanie.
At the end of the path there was another, larger car park, with more cars parked and a crowd of people lining the fence. That was the Bell's Beach/Winki Pop car park.
The car park and viewing area is at the top of the cliff over looking the beach. There were somewhere between 20 to 30 surfers in the water. I had stopped 3 times at other beaches on the way and this was by far the most surfers I had seen. The surf looked pretty good.
I did not venture down to the beach itself. I took a couple of pictures from the lookout and returned back down the path to my car. I had many places to visit that day.
I pulled over as soon as I saw a sign saying Bell's Beach. The car park was of a decent size and there were not many cars there. A sign by a path indicated a 10 minute walk to Bell's Beach.
The path along the cliff top was quite chilly. I was wearing a beanie and a hooded jacket. I'm not one who feels the cold terribly but I needed to pull the hood over my beanie.
At the end of the path there was another, larger car park, with more cars parked and a crowd of people lining the fence. That was the Bell's Beach/Winki Pop car park.
The car park and viewing area is at the top of the cliff over looking the beach. There were somewhere between 20 to 30 surfers in the water. I had stopped 3 times at other beaches on the way and this was by far the most surfers I had seen. The surf looked pretty good.
I did not venture down to the beach itself. I took a couple of pictures from the lookout and returned back down the path to my car. I had many places to visit that day.
Written July 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,591 contributions
Mar 2023
Bells Beach hosts the world's longest running surfing event. This classic competition is held every Easter. Allthe world's best surfers compete. The surging waves come straight off the mighty Southern Ocean. Bells Beach is 100 km south-east of Melbourne. It's on the Surf Coast, near the towns of Torquay and Jan Juc. Geelong is the major regional center. The winner hoists the well-known bell as the symbol of triumph.
Written March 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ScarlettOtto
681 contributions
Nov 2019
Wow!!
most likely the most famous and most amazing australian surfing beach.
the view from the top is stunning.
we would literally spend hours staying on the top, observing waves and surfers.
very peaceful and laidback place.
An Australian must see
most likely the most famous and most amazing australian surfing beach.
the view from the top is stunning.
we would literally spend hours staying on the top, observing waves and surfers.
very peaceful and laidback place.
An Australian must see
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stewarts Vacation
1,543 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
We made a detour to visit this acclaimed surf beach, but completely lucked out as there were no waves! Plenty of hopeful surfers were bobbing about, attempting to catch a wave, but the water was flat! We believe that it is one of the world's best surf beaches with top class swells from the Southern Ocean!!
Written April 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AnnieGrant
Sydney, Australia239 contributions
Jan 2022 • Friends
The wind and bleak weather on the day we visited didn’t deter the hardened surfers. Good viewing platform and windswept trees growing at impossible angles make for interesting photographs. For the surfing aficionados.
Written April 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul L
Hallam, Australia998 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
In the interest of full disclosure I've never 'hung ten'. Or even 5...
So as a non surfer what was Bells Beach like? Well it is nice to see a place that's famous even if in a sphere you don't normally swim in. But for the non surfer the appeal is that it's quite an interesting little cove and beach. It's darn near perfect in shape with cliffs surrounding in. There are multiple lookouts there where you can get good views and watch the surfers do their thing.
There is a reasonable amount of parking and facilities and you can include checking the place out in between checking out Jan Juc Beach and Bird Rock Lookout. So even if you aren't a surfer this is still a worthwhile piece of coastline to check out.
So as a non surfer what was Bells Beach like? Well it is nice to see a place that's famous even if in a sphere you don't normally swim in. But for the non surfer the appeal is that it's quite an interesting little cove and beach. It's darn near perfect in shape with cliffs surrounding in. There are multiple lookouts there where you can get good views and watch the surfers do their thing.
There is a reasonable amount of parking and facilities and you can include checking the place out in between checking out Jan Juc Beach and Bird Rock Lookout. So even if you aren't a surfer this is still a worthwhile piece of coastline to check out.
Written September 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Norm the Nomad
Australia1,245 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
Next off to Bell Beach, about a 30 min drive away. Quite a few people around and plenty of surfers (perhaps the dregs from the the recent RipCurl Pro-Surfing competition. The swell was beckoning, so after snagging a few rad pipes, we dried off and ventured further south.
Written April 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,591 contributions
Feb 2020
The beaches close to Mewlbourne are bay beaches, which have very little surf, but are good for paddling. Bells Beach is a surf beach, it hosts the Rip Curl Pro Bell, one of the marquee events of the world's surfing championship. It's being held in 2020 the first two weeks of April. When things are quiet, you can go for a waander around, or body surf if you don't have a board. Bells Beach is just out of Geelong, Victoria's second city.
Written February 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard T
Burnley, UK1,263 contributions
Mar 2020
A great first stop once starting the Great Ocean Road from Torquay end. Excellent views from purpose made look out. Decent parking but I guess it is insufficient at busiest times. Quite a bit of surfing going on when we were there in March. Only 10 minutes off Great Ocean Road
Written March 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maree
Swan Hill, Australia25 contributions
Jan 2023 • Family
Absolutely beautiful place to visit. Beaches are beautiful and so much to see and do around the area. The town its self is expensive and very touristy. We enjoy doing some waterfalls, some beach walks and exploring around the area.
Written July 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing