Room 1
The Wadawurrung and the pastoral runs
The town sits on the coast of Victoria, in Surf Coast Shire. Spring Creek borders it on the west, and Point Danger and Zeally Bay are among its coastal features. It is on Wadawurrung country, within the Kulin nation around Port Phillip Bay. Before there was a town, the land here was the outer edge of pastoral properties.
Elias Harding occupied the land around the present-day town centre, extending as far as Point Addis. William Neil held the 'South Beach' run, north of the present town. Robert Zeally, who had been based around Camperdown, took over the South Beach run. From the 1860s, picnickers came to the spot, then known as Spring Creek, named for the watercourse that runs along its south-western edge.
“The ship's anchors are still on display at Torquay Front Beach and at the Torquay boat ramp.”
Torquay
Room 2
Spring Creek and the name Torquay
James Follett settled there in 1871. The town's name is said tor-KEY. He had come from the Devon seaside town of Torquay in England, and his suggestion led to the name Torquay being officially adopted in 1892. The 1882 Victorian Municipal Directory had listed the place as Puebla. The town's first shop opened in 1890. A year later, the Pioneer Coffee Palace, which James Follett opened, gained a liquor license and became the Palace Hotel.
A post office opened in the town on 20 August 1894. The Spring Creek bridge, built on 3 April 1908, connected the town to Anglesea. A school opened in 1900 inside a newly built Presbyterian church, then moved to the recreation hall in 1901, and waited until 1910 for a permanent building. By the 1920s the town had tennis courts, a bowling green and a golf course, and the main beach once had 145 bathing boxes.
Room 3
The Scammell and the surf club
In 1891 a sailing ship, the Joseph H. Scammell, struck a reef near Point Danger. The ship became wedged there and broke up in heavy seas. Its cargo washed onto the beach and was looted. The ship's anchors are still on display at Torquay Front Beach and at the Torquay boat ramp.
The Torquay Surf Life Saving Club dates from 1946, and in 1971 it opened its current clubrooms after the previous ones burnt down. The club is the oldest and largest of its kind in Victoria. In 1967 a surfboard shop opened in the town, and Rip Curl, Quiksilver and Piping Hot all began there.
Room 4
Growth to the west and north
The 'old town', the ground between the highway and the beachfront, was almost built out. In the 1970s, housing spread west of Spring Creek to Jan Juc. After the 1980s new estates were opened to the north of the town. There was conflict between long-term residents and the people behind some developments, especially over the site of the former Torquay Primary School, on Bristol and Boston Roads. The government sold that land for luxury apartments and a larger shopping centre rather than keeping it for community use.
In 2001, work began on The Sands, a golf club and residential development north west of the town, on land that had been the Torquay Tip, which shut in the early 1990s. The Sands opened in 2004. A magazine, History Matters, is produced by Torquay Museum Without Walls and continues to document the town's history.
Room 5
Living in Torquay
Torquay faces Bass Strait in Surf Coast Shire, 21 km south of Geelong. Spring Creek runs along its western edge, and Point Danger and Zeally Bay are among its coastal features. The Great Ocean Road begins at the town. The name is said tor-KEY, and in 2021 the town had 18,534 residents, with a median age of 39.
The 'old town', the strip between the highway and the beach, is almost fully developed, with newer housing at Jan Juc in the west and to the north. The Torquay Surf Life Saving Club is the oldest and largest club of its kind in Victoria, and the surf brands Rip Curl, Quiksilver and Piping Hot began in the town. The anchors of the Joseph H. Scammell are on display at the Front Beach and the boat ramp.
Timeline
- 1871
- James Follett settled at Spring Creek.
- 1882
- The Victorian Municipal Directory listed the place as Puebla.
- 1890
- The town's first shop opened.
- 1891
- The Joseph H. Scammell struck a reef near Point Danger.
- 1892
- The name Torquay was officially adopted.
- 1894
- A post office opened in the town.
- 1908
- The Spring Creek bridge was built, linking the town to Anglesea.
- 1946
- The Torquay Surf Life Saving Club began.
- 1967
- A surfboard shop opened, and Rip Curl, Quiksilver and Piping Hot began there.
- 2004
- The Sands resort opened.
Questions
What is the postcode for Torquay?
Torquay's postcode is 3228. The town is in Surf Coast Shire.
How many people live in Torquay?
In 2021 Torquay had 18,534 residents. The median age was 39.
What is the history of Torquay?
The town is on Wadawurrung country and began as the outer edge of pastoral properties. It was long known as Spring Creek, where picnickers came from the 1860s, and James Follett, who settled there in 1871, suggested the name Torquay, adopted in 1892.
What is living in Torquay like?
The town faces Bass Strait 21 km south of Geelong, with Spring Creek along its western edge and Point Danger and Zeally Bay on the coast. Housing sits between the highway and the beach, and has spread to Jan Juc and to the north.
What is the median age in Torquay?
The median age in Torquay was 39 in 2021.