For evidence, look no further than Point Roadknight, a short excursion south of the main beach, where a microcosm of beach life is supported by a kiosk and a surfeit of local spirit.
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“I head there as much as I can in the mornings for a swim and a coffee,” says Great Ocean Road Real Estate’s Paula Fowler, a local of 45 years’ standing. “My morning dip is very special, and we’re also very lucky to have the kiosk, which is a really lovely little hive.”
It’s not just the waves that beckon in these parts. The coastal cliffs and heathland walking trails add the fairy dust of coastal living to the town around 90 minutes’ drive from Melbourne.
The town is one of the Great Ocean Road’s busiest, and its humming shopping strip has everything you could want for a beach getaway or a more permanent move.
“I’m a big advocate for the bowling club as well,” Fowler says. “Friday night drinks are big there. We’re really lucky to have a number of little boutique places that make it feel like a community.”
Winespeake Cellar and Deli is helping elevate Anglesea from ordinary beach town to bougie bolthole. The outpost of the Daylesford favourite has shelves lined with a cracking collection of Victorian, Australian and international bottles. Grab a table for a glass and a salumi and cheese board or a cracking toastie. Next door, Akuna serves a fine pizza, whether that’s a puffy-crusted margherita or nuevo Greek-style lamb shoulder, while up the hill the surf club’s Lovehouse is the home of sprightly Asian bites.
Make an Anglesea weekend of it, retro-style, by checking into The Monty, a 1970s motel given a colourful Palm Springs makeover. Wear your in-room olive-green towelling poncho to the beach or just flop around the swimming pool while channelling the Rat Pack. Over the road, the walking trail alongside the river will take you into town if you turn left, or up to the surf club. Either proposition is a good one.
12 Wallis Street, Anglesea VIC 3230
Beach views are one attraction of this sprawling modern home where living is elevated to the upper floor, all the better to catch the surf report from two good-sized balconies. The adjacent main-bedroom suite has a private balcony, and there’s a second living zone downstairs.
15 Betleigh Street, Anglesea VIC 3230
Larissa Dubecki Larissa Dubecki has been a journalist for 20 years, in a career spanning news writing and specialist food reviewing, including seven years as The Age's chief restaurant critic. Her work has appeared in publications including Guardian Australia, Gourmet Traveller, Time Out and The Australian. She is the author of the 2015 memoir Prick With a Fork.
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