A design-led hotel at the heart of Australian surf culture
A design-led hotel at the heart of Australian surf culture
Ninety minutes southwest of Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road begins. It is one of those names that carries the promise of adventure: wide-open spaces, wild coastline, and small surf towns. The first stop is Torquay, one of the places that shaped modern Australian surf culture. Rip Curl and Quiksilver were both founded here, and the long lines of Bells Beach are just down the road.
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Ninety minutes southwest of Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road begins. It is one of those names that carries the promise of adventure: wide-open spaces, wild coastline, and small surf towns. The first stop is Torquay, one of the places that shaped modern Australian surf culture. Rip Curl and Quiksilver were both founded here, and the long lines of Bells Beach are just down the road.
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
10% off when you book with us
This is where Surf Hotel opened in 2026, on The Esplanade, the oceanfront street running along Torquay's beaches. For more than four decades, the building was the Surf City Motel. Owners Jack Davis and George Robinson preserved the original structure and reimagined it for a contemporary hotel and dining experience.
The result is a sharp boutique with 16 rooms and a 4-bedroom penthouse. Art runs through the building, curated by Andy Mac, drawn from the surf history and community. The lobby works as a gallery and shop rather than a plain reception desk. The restaurant, run by chef Jo Barrett, overlooks the ocean. It works equally well as a base for a holiday in Torquay or as the first stop on a Great Ocean Road trip.
This is where Surf Hotel opened in 2026, on The Esplanade, the oceanfront street running along Torquay's beaches. For more than four decades, the building was the Surf City Motel. Owners Jack Davis and George Robinson preserved the original structure and reimagined it for a contemporary hotel and dining experience.
The result is a sharp boutique with 16 rooms and a 4-bedroom penthouse. Art runs through the building, curated by Andy Mac, drawn from the surf history and community. The lobby works as a gallery and shop rather than a plain reception desk. The restaurant, run by chef Jo Barrett, overlooks the ocean. It works equally well as a base for a holiday in Torquay or as the first stop on a Great Ocean Road trip.
Rooms
The rooms take their cue from the motel's origins, with a contemporary treatment: terracotta, granite, hand-glazed tiles. Every room has a record player and a selection of vinyl chosen by Torquay's J Wray Records. Vintage surf magazines, Kodachrome prints by photographer Peter Crawford and surfboards mounted above beds make the rooms feel like a time capsule of surf culture.
Rooms range from 29 to 32 square metres and sleep two. Some have a lounge or window banquette, others a freestanding circular bath alongside a fireplace. At the top, the 142-square-metre penthouse sleeps eight across four bedrooms, with a ten-seat dining table and a deck overlooking the ocean.
All rooms have air conditioning, Wi-Fi, Sans [ceuticals] toiletries, a curated minibar and a smart TV.
The rooms take their cue from the motel's origins, with a contemporary treatment: terracotta, granite, hand-glazed tiles. Every room has a record player and a selection of vinyl chosen by Torquay's J Wray Records. Vintage surf magazines, Kodachrome prints by photographer Peter Crawford and surfboards mounted above beds make the rooms feel like a time capsule of surf culture.
Rooms range from 29 to 32 square metres and sleep two. Some have a lounge or window banquette, others a freestanding circular bath alongside a fireplace. At the top, the 142-square-metre penthouse sleeps eight across four bedrooms, with a ten-seat dining table and a deck overlooking the ocean.
All rooms have air conditioning, Wi-Fi, Sans [ceuticals] toiletries, a curated minibar and a smart TV.
Food & Drinks
Even if you’re not a guest, the restaurant downstairs is reason enough to visit. It is led by Jo Barrett, alongside head chef Aaron Brodie. Barrett was named Chef of the Year in the 2024 Good Food Guide, following stints at Little Picket at the Lorne Bowls Club and Oakridge Wines in the Yarra Valley.
The dining room opens onto an ocean-facing deck, with a fireplace for cooler days. The restaurant has the ease of a very good pub, paired with the sourcing and technique of a serious kitchen: mortadella made in house, wild boar dumplings in chilli oil, venison schnitzel with parsley cream, focaccia with wakame butter from Southern Seagreens. The menu shifts with the seasons and the farm lists, making the most of the region’s produce.
Even if you’re not a guest, the restaurant downstairs is reason enough to visit. It is led by Jo Barrett, alongside head chef Aaron Brodie. Barrett was named Chef of the Year in the 2024 Good Food Guide, following stints at Little Picket at the Lorne Bowls Club and Oakridge Wines in the Yarra Valley.
The dining room opens onto an ocean-facing deck, with a fireplace for cooler days. The restaurant has the ease of a very good pub, paired with the sourcing and technique of a serious kitchen: mortadella made in house, wild boar dumplings in chilli oil, venison schnitzel with parsley cream, focaccia with wakame butter from Southern Seagreens. The menu shifts with the seasons and the farm lists, making the most of the region’s produce.
Surfing
Bells Beach, one of Australia’s most iconic surf breaks, is ten minutes down the road. It is is a powerful, long, right-hand reef break beneath an amphitheatre of cliffs. It divides into several take-off zones, and on the right day they link into exceptionally long rides. Rincon is the westernmost section, producing fast, steep rights on smaller swells and higher tides. The Bowl is the standout section, an open-faced, powerful wall that comes into its own on larger swells. Winkipop, just beyond the Button, offers a faster, high-performance right that can run for more than 250 metres when the sections connect. Bells has hosted the Rip Curl Pro since 1962, the longest-running professional surfing event in the world, now in its 63rd edition.
Closer to the hotel, Torquay Surf Beach has long, softer walls that suit beginners and intermediates. Jan Juc is an exposed beach break with shifting peaks.
The Surf Coast works throughout the year, but March to October is the prime window, when Southern Ocean groundswells become more frequent and powerful. Summer tends to be smaller, warmer, and windier in the afternoon. The water reaches 22°C in summer and can drop to around 14°C in winter. A 3/2 wetsuit is usually enough from late spring to early autumn, a 4/3 is only required for the deep winter months.
Bells Beach, one of Australia’s most iconic surf breaks, is ten minutes down the road. It is is a powerful, long, right-hand reef break beneath an amphitheatre of cliffs. It divides into several take-off zones, and on the right day they link into exceptionally long rides. Rincon is the westernmost section, producing fast, steep rights on smaller swells and higher tides. The Bowl is the standout section, an open-faced, powerful wall that comes into its own on larger swells. Winkipop, just beyond the Button, offers a faster, high-performance right that can run for more than 250 metres when the sections connect. Bells has hosted the Rip Curl Pro since 1962, the longest-running professional surfing event in the world, now in its 63rd edition.
Closer to the hotel, Torquay Surf Beach has long, softer walls that suit beginners and intermediates. Jan Juc is an exposed beach break with shifting peaks.
The Surf Coast works throughout the year, but March to October is the prime window, when Southern Ocean groundswells become more frequent and powerful. Summer tends to be smaller, warmer, and windier in the afternoon. The water reaches 22°C in summer and can drop to around 14°C in winter. A 3/2 wetsuit is usually enough from late spring to early autumn, a 4/3 is only required for the deep winter months.
Activities
An outdoor wellness space is due to open later in 2026, with a programme centred on mobility, flexibility and pre-session activation, alongside a timber sauna and sun-lounging area. For now, recovery is available nearby at About Time Bathhouse: magnesium pools indoors and out, saunas, a steam room, ice baths and treatments.
Walk the clifftop trail between Jan Juc and Bells Beach, or head to Point Addis for one of the best views along the Surf Coast. In town, the Australian National Surfing Museum houses the national Surfing Hall of Fame and offers a fascinating look into the history of the sport. Just a short walk from the hotel, a cluster of restaurants, bakeries and wine bars makes exploring Torquay on foot easy.
An outdoor wellness space is due to open later in 2026, with a programme centred on mobility, flexibility and pre-session activation, alongside a timber sauna and sun-lounging area. For now, recovery is available nearby at About Time Bathhouse: magnesium pools indoors and out, saunas, a steam room, ice baths and treatments.
Walk the clifftop trail between Jan Juc and Bells Beach, or head to Point Addis for one of the best views along the Surf Coast. In town, the Australian National Surfing Museum houses the national Surfing Hall of Fame and offers a fascinating look into the history of the sport. Just a short walk from the hotel, a cluster of restaurants, bakeries and wine bars makes exploring Torquay on foot easy.
The People Behind
Surf Hotel is the first Torquay project from Blackwood Hotels, founded by Melbourne property developers Jack Davis and George Robinson. Their approach is adaptive reuse: find recognisable Australian buildings, retain their character and build a contemporary hotel inside.
Here, that meant keeping and rearranging original brickwork rather than erasing the Surf City Motel. Forum Studio handled the architecture, Pasquale Cook the interiors, Seeta Townsend worked as design consultant, and Andy Mac curated the surf art collection.
Rip Curl co-founder and long-time Torquay local Doug Warbrick also collaborated, reshaping a collection of gun-shaped boards he rode in large swells at Bells in the '70s into a new line, Claw Boards, available exclusively through the Surf Hotel shop.
More than a hotel, Surf Hotel brings Torquay’s surf heritage and community into a sharp, contemporary space.
Surf Hotel is the first Torquay project from Blackwood Hotels, founded by Melbourne property developers Jack Davis and George Robinson. Their approach is adaptive reuse: find recognisable Australian buildings, retain their character and build a contemporary hotel inside.
Here, that meant keeping and rearranging original brickwork rather than erasing the Surf City Motel. Forum Studio handled the architecture, Pasquale Cook the interiors, Seeta Townsend worked as design consultant, and Andy Mac curated the surf art collection.
Rip Curl co-founder and long-time Torquay local Doug Warbrick also collaborated, reshaping a collection of gun-shaped boards he rode in large swells at Bells in the '70s into a new line, Claw Boards, available exclusively through the Surf Hotel shop.
More than a hotel, Surf Hotel brings Torquay’s surf heritage and community into a sharp, contemporary space.
Booking
FROM
€210
EUR
per night
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Get 10% off when you book with the code SURFHIDEAWAYS10.
FROM
€210
EUR
per night
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Get 10% off when you book with the code SURFHIDEAWAYS10.