This new surf-inspired hotel on the Great Ocean Road exudes barefoot luxury Great Ocean Road Rachael Thompson Surf Hotel is making waves in Australia’s surfing capital. Torquay is widely regarded as Australia’s surf capital, famed for its epic and diverse breaks and reliable swells year-round. Once a sleepy beach town, the starting point of the Great Ocean Road has doubled in population size from 10,000 residents in 2011 to an estimated 26,000 to 29,500 today.