WorldAustralia › Victoria › Torquay Front Beach

Torquay Front Beach 79.2

#1303 of 5756 surf spots in the world · 🇦🇺 Australia · Victoria · near Geelong

Works almost every day, no off season.

Works all yearIntermediate
Surf score79.2 /100
Surfable days100% of the year
Clean days53% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell69% period 11 s+
Typical size1.5 m 4.8 ft median
Water16°C a 4/3 with boots

Best time to surf Torquay Front Beach

The best time to surf Torquay Front Beach is April, July, August. The season runs Feb to Dec. In April the water sits around 17°C, so pack a 3/2 wetsuit, and the typical wave is 1.5 m. The nearest airport is MEL (87 km) and the nearest town is Geelong (20 km).

MonthSurfableCleanSizeWaterSuit
Jan100%32%1.4 m18°C3/2
Feb100%43%1.6 m18°C3/2
Mar100%49%1.4 m18°C3/2
Apr100%74%1.5 m17°C3/2
May99%58%1.6 m16°C3/2
Jun98%53%1.3 m15°C4/3
Jul99%71%1.4 m14°C4/3
Aug99%59%1.6 m13°C4/3
Sep100%59%1.6 m13°C4/3
Oct99%49%1.4 m14°C4/3
Nov100%44%1.4 m15°C4/3
Dec100%49%1.4 m16°C3/2

What is under Torquay Front Beach

Eight kilometres out along its swell window the sea floor is still shallow, 25 m. Alongside the bank the survey finds a channel, 35 m against 25 m, deep enough to bend swell onto one peak instead of spreading it along the beach.

Depth 8 km out25 m
Depth 4 km out18 m
Channel beside it35 m

Measured, not estimated: NOAA ETOPO 2022 global relief at 15 arc-seconds, about 460 m per cell, sampled along this spot’s own swell window. At that scale the survey sees passes and channels; it cannot see a reef ledge, so nothing here is said about how the wave breaks.

Why 79.2

Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and multiplied by its weight; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world scores 100. Wave quality and what the spot does on its best days carry more than half of it, which is what separates this from a ranking of where the water is warm.

Wave quality 34.7%
17.9
Best days 22.4%
13.3
Clean days 18.4%
18.4
Consistency 10.2%
10.2
Season spread 4.1%
4.1
Water comfort 6.1%
1.2
Access 4.1%
3.5

The detail

Faces 140° with 42% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 77% of days. Mean peak period 11.8 s. Days over 3 m: 3%. On its best tenth of days it reaches 2.4 m, with a peak period of 14 s. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 28%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates -38.336, 144.330 (OpenStreetMap).

What it costs to be here

Living here
€1,840/ month
typically €1,620 – €2,060
Rent, one bedroom€970
Groceries€385
Eating out€220
Getting around€130
Phone + internet€140
Renting by the month, cooking most days, local transport.
One month here
€3,600/ month
typically €3,170 – €4,030
Somewhere to stay€2,120
Eating out€755
Car, transfers, fuel€490
Data + extras€230
Short stays, eating out, a car or transfers.
49% cheaper if you live here instead of visiting

Estimate: World Bank PPP price level for Australia (2025, United States = 1.00) applied to a fixed surfer basket, then adjusted for how remote the spot is. Your own number moves with the season and how you live.

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Spots nearby

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