Anglesea

Anglesea is a coastal town on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria's Surf Coast Shire, about 110 km southwest of Melbourne. Situated where the Anglesea River meets Bass Strait, it is known for its long sandy main beach, river estuary, and surrounding Anglesea Heath. The town is a popular family holiday destination and gateway to the Great Ocean Road, noted for surfing, river activities, bushwalking and kangaroos at the local golf course.

Visitors can expect a relaxed coastal town centred on a wide sandy surf beach and calm river estuary. The main beach is patrolled in summer and backed by foreshore reserves with picnic areas. The Anglesea River offers calm water for kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. Surrounding heathland and coastal cliffs provide walking tracks, lookouts at Point Roadknight, and opportunities to see kangaroos, particularly at Anglesea Golf Club. Cafes, shops and accommodation line the Great Ocean Road.

Anglesea is on Wadawurrung Country. The town was named after the Isle of Anglesey in Wales and developed in the late 19th century as a small fishing and holiday settlement. Coal was discovered and mined near Anglesea from the 1920s, with the Anglesea Power Station and open-cut mine operating from 1969 to 2015. The Great Ocean Road, built in the 1920s, established Anglesea as a key stop for coastal tourism.

Anglesea is part of Wadawurrung Traditional Owner Country and holds significance for its coastal and heathland environment. It is recognised for its surf culture as the first town on the Great Ocean Road surf coast and for its family-oriented beach holiday tradition within Victoria's Surf Coast region.