Great Ocean Road Women’s Surf Festival Breaks Record Participation

Surfing Victoria has wrapped up the largest iteration of the Great Ocean Road Women’s Surf Festival in the event’s history, attracting over 300 competitors and an estimated 3,000 spectators to the Lorne beachfront.

The multi-day festival celebrated female surfing, community development pathways, and elite competition, combining a packed tournament schedule with morning movement sessions, coastal market activations, and athlete Q&A panels.

The competitive program featured the Tag Team event, backed by commercial partner Torquay Dental, which awarded a $1,000 cash prize pool across the Under 18 and Open divisions.

Demonstrating international talent and regional collaboration, a visiting team of four young female surfers from Vanuatu claimed the Under 18 Tag Team title. Concurrently, the festival highlighted grassroots inclusion, hosting dedicated ocean surf lessons for more than 30 students from Worawa Aboriginal Girls College.

Highlighting the rapid growth of the festival and the value of elite athlete mentorship for emerging surfers across the region, Surfing Victoria Talent UNLSHD lead, Ange King, said: “It was fantastic to bring our Victorian and Tasmanian female surfers together for such a valuable experience.”

“India and Ellie sharing their knowledge, experiences, and insights with the girls was incredibly inspiring.

“The energy from the Tag Team was infectious, and seeing how much this festival has grown over the past three years highlights just how strong the community for women’s surfing is right now,” King said. 

High-Performance Pathways and National Development Initiatives

The festival served as a regional hub for national high-performance talent development and coaching pathways:

• Talent UNLSHD Integration: Surfing Australia’s Talent UNLSHD program ran throughout the weekend, bringing together high-performance surfers, including World Tour competitor India Robinson and Challenger Series surfer Ellie Harrison, to mentor emerging talent and strengthen female coaching structures.
• Interstate & International Pathways: Eight junior surfers from Surfing Tasmania flew into Victoria to participate alongside the visiting Vanuatu squad, engaging in high-performance training modules and joint development sessions.
• Athlete Mentorship: Robinson, Harrison, and World Tour longboarder Bea Conroy delivered an athlete panel and Q&A session addressing career progression, mental performance, and international tour demands for aspiring athletes.
• Commercial Support Portfolio: The 2026 festival was supported by a roster of regional and corporate partners, including Torquay Dental, Honu Honi Surf Camps, Great Ocean Road Holidays, Surfcoast Women’s Boardriders, Southcoast Surfboards, Surf Coast Events, Surf Her Way, Ocean Grind Coffee, and H.A.H Lorne.

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