Great Ocean Road hosts Women’s Surf Fest on 7 November
Published on 10/31/2026 at 17:27 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSSurfing and heritage context
- Surfing Victoria brings the festival to Lorne on 7 November 2026.
- The programme includes competitions, lessons, workshops and the Swell Market.
- Victoria’s heritage register records the road as 242 kilometres long and completed in 1932.
- Torquay marks the eastern start of the route towards Allansford.
The Great Ocean Road hosts the Great Ocean Road Women’s Surf Fest in Lorne from 7 to 8 November 2026. The programme brings women and girls together for surfing competitions, lessons, workshops and community activities. The road’s eastern gateway is Torquay, while the festival takes place farther west on the Surf Coast.
The event is held on Gadubanud Country and returns to Lorne for its third year. It is presented through Surfing Victoria, whose published programme names the dates and location.
Great Ocean Road Women’s Surf Fest returns to Lorne
The festival begins with Friday evening activities before the main programme runs across Saturday and Sunday. Surfing Victoria lists a welcome event at the Mantra Bar and a Surf Coast Women’s Movie Night featuring three films about local female surfers.
The weekend programme includes surf competitions, surf lessons, yoga and the Swell Market. The market is due to include Salty Seconds, a second-hand clothing market scheduled for Sunday. Beginner lessons are delivered by Go Ride a Wave, while Surf Her Way presents intermediate lessons.
Competition is arranged across both days. Individual divisions are scheduled for Saturday, followed by a Tag Team competition on Sunday. The programme also includes workshops on surf knowledge, etiquette, equipment and reading forecasts, alongside a WSL Surfer Panel and a conversation with photographer Katey Shearer about her book Cold & Alive. Surfing Victoria’s festival programme places these activities within the 7 to 8 November schedule.
Heritage road links Torquay with the festival coast
The setting connects a current surfing programme with a route whose history is tied to access along Victoria’s south-west coast. The Victorian Heritage Register records the road as 242 kilometres long, stretching from Torquay to its junction with the Princes Highway east of Allansford.
Construction began in 1919 and was completed in 1932 by more than 3,000 returned servicemen. The project served as a memorial to Australians who died in the First World War, and the road is registered as a heritage place in Victoria. The Victorian Heritage Register entry records both the route and its construction history.
Lorne is therefore more than a named stop on the festival schedule. It is also the town where the completed route was celebrated in 1932, giving the November programme a direct connection with the road’s transport and memorial history. The surf festival uses that coastal setting for activities both on the water and along the foreshore.
Visiting Great Ocean Road: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Great Ocean Road Women’s Surf Fest takes place in Lorne from 7 to 8 November 2026, with surfing and community activities scheduled across the weekend.
- Visitors will find competitions, beginner and intermediate lessons, yoga, workshops and the Swell Market; the programme also lists a Sunday Tag Team competition.
- Lorne lies west of Torquay on Victoria’s Surf Coast, and the route continues towards Allansford in the west.
- The road is a heritage route measuring 242 kilometres, with construction running from 1919 to completion in 1932.
Surfing Victoria’s event information identifies the festival location as Lorne on Gadubanud Country. The published programme should be checked for the final activity sequence before travel.
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Frequently asked questions about Great Ocean Road
When does the Great Ocean Road Women’s Surf Fest take place?
The festival runs in Lorne from 7 to 8 November 2026, with competitions and activities across Saturday and Sunday.
What is the Great Ocean Road?
It is a 242-kilometre heritage route between Torquay and the Princes Highway near Allansford, completed in 1932 after construction by more than 3,000 returned servicemen.
Where is the Great Ocean Road and how do you get there?
The route begins at Torquay on Victoria’s Surf Coast and runs west towards Allansford. The festival venue is Lorne, on the coastal section between those points.
