Anglesea Beach

Drive from Geelong via the Great Ocean Road — it's a straightforward 32-minute run with daily access. Multiple foreshore car parks serve the beach; note that visitor parking fees have been introduced at the Anglesea SLSC car park, with local residents exempt, and spaces fill fast on summer weekends. There is no entry fee to the beach itself. A flat foreshore path and a beach access ramp are available for visitors with mobility needs.

The Anglesea Golf Club, just 0.3 km from the beach, is home to a resident mob of kangaroos — one of Australia's most photographed wildlife encounters and genuinely worth the short walk. Head 0.9 km inland to the Anglesea Lookout for a sweeping view over the coastline and river valley. For something different, a Horse and Cart experience is available about 1 km away, and Westies Seat at 2.5 km offers a quieter vantage point above town. Bells Beach, the world-famous surf break set in a sandstone amphitheatre, is only 11.8 km down the road if you want to watch serious surfing without getting wet.

Love House Anglesea, 0.6 km from the beach, is the closest sit-down option for a post-swim meal. Anglesea Pizza & Pasta and Morgans Bar & Grill are both around 1 km away and cover the casual-dinner bases, while Umisango brings Japanese flavours to the same strip. If you're working from the beach, Cannoli 73 at 1 km is the nearest laptop-friendly café.

The Old Headquarters Building, Boss Hurst House, and Lodge are all located about 2.6 km from the beach — a short drive or a manageable walk if you're travelling light. Sunnymead Hotel sits a little further out at 9.2 km, making it a better fit if you have a car and want a quieter base.

The golden sand and turquoise water photograph best in the early morning when the light is low and the beach is quiet — position yourself near the river mouth for a natural foreground element. The Anglesea Golf Club at 0.3 km is the other unmissable shot: kangaroos grazing against a manicured fairway with the coastal hills behind.

Always swim between the flags when the Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club patrol is active — rips can form near the river mouth and the flags mark the safest corridor. Patrol runs from the last weekend in November until Easter Monday, with additional paid services during peak summer (late December to late January); outside those hours, exercise caution. Dogs are prohibited on patrolled beach sections in summer, though they are permitted on a leash in designated areas outside patrol hours. Arrive before 10 a.m. on summer weekends to secure parking and a good stretch of sand before the day-trippers roll in.