Bells Beach struggling to cope

“Once, if you wanted to surf Bells Beach, there were two ways of getting there: paddle from Torquay or bush-bash your way along the coastline on foot, carrying your board.

Joel Parkinson in action at Bells Beach. Which is really a point. Photo: Barefoot Media

In 1960, surfer Joe Sweeney organised a grader to clear a track to Bells and the trickle of surfers became a steady flow. Then, in 1962, Peter Troy and Vic Tantau organised the rally that became the world’s longest-running board-riding contest.

Fast-forward five decades and the beach is struggling to cope with 1 million visitors a year. Already its lone toilet block cannot cope – it now has to be pumped out every 48 hours.”

Read the full article at The Age