Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story

Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story

Directed by Max Miller and John Teague
Written by Craig Griffin

On the Edge of the Southern Ocean is the story of the town of Torquay. From it’s indigenous origins to the first white settlement, with a particular focus on the larger than life characters who were critical to the formation of the Torquay surf-lifesaving club, then the seismic boom caused by surfing, surf culture and surf commerce. It’s about how a sleepy small town became a home to professional surfing, and one of the most famous beaches in the world. It’s also the inside roller-coaster story of how some backyard cottage micro-businesses turned into a thriving industry which launched billion-dollar global brands.

“A wonderfully true blue Aussie documentary filled with history and heart.”

Review by Reuben Lazarus

The directors and producers of Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story, Max Miller and John Teague, have created a wonderfully true blue Aussie documentary filled with history and heart. Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story tells the incredible story of Torquay, a quiet coastal community that boomed into the heart and soul of surfing in Australia, eventually becoming home to the iconic brands Rip Curl and Quiksilver.

The story of Torquay starts tens of thousands of years ago with the Wathaurong Aboriginal community who are the original inhabitants of the land, and it was only in the 20th Century that the area turned into the surfing hub it is known for today. Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story tracks this history from its original custodians through the period surrounding the Second World War, and then into the decades that followed. When the beaches began as a popular swimming location, tourists began to flock to Torquay in the summer, eventually becoming popular enough to start a surf club that ultimately became a surf life-saving club. Through the following decades, Torquay exploded in popularity with each decade bringing something new to draw in city dwellers to the glorious beaches. In 1956 a televised Olympic demonstration brought international attention, and only a few short years later, the first surfing contest in the area turned the lifestyle sport into a competitive one, all for the grand prize of 2 pounds. 

Alongside the cultural shifts in Torquay and its surfing scene, business began to creep in as the late 1960s saw the creation of Rip Curl and Quiksilver. Originally starting as small businesses manufacturing wetsuits, surfboards, and later appeal for surfers, Belly of the Beast provides many first-hand accounts of life in this era, such as the local community assisting these fledgling businesses in the creation of their products. As these brands grew, so did the town around them as commercialism took over surfing with sponsorships and the professionalisation of the sport. Belly of the Beast ends with modern-day Torquay and locals expressing their concerns over the area’s rapid expansion, as developers turn this once quiet hub of counter-cultures into an escape for city dwellers and a source of greed for developers. 

I would like to pay special mention to the stories of tragedy that gave real heart and a sense of community to this documentary. Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story shows, through heartbreak, what it truly means to be in a community that is linked by a common agenda and a common interest. With the tragic stories of John Pawson and Shaun Brooks, two local boys come good, Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story explores the impacts these amazing characters had on those they shared their lives with. Touching on issues of addiction and mental health, these tragic stories give us all something to relate to and to consider in our own lives. 

Directors Max Miller and John Teague have come together to tell the wonderful story of Torquay and all its colourful characters that do, or once did, call the coastal area of Victoria, home. These interviews with local characters form the majority of the documentary with minimal narration interweaved only when completely necessary. By doing this they let the locals speak for themselves and it comes across as beautifully authentic and a true retelling of their lives. No filtering or hiding away from the truth, the Australian spirit can be heard in every interviewee’s voice. From the President of the Torquay district Historical Society to early pioneering families and local surfing legends, to the founders of Rip Curl and Quiksilver, Belly of the Beast talks with anyone and everyone the directors seemingly could find. This creates a wonderfully complete narrative of the development of the community at the heart of Torquay. 

While a large amount of screen time is dedicated to the previously mentioned interviews, the other visuals are what really grabs the audience’s visual attention. The use of enormous amounts of archival footage adds necessary legitimacy to the interviews as the directors cut effortlessly between the types of footage. Throughout Belly of the Beast, there are uses of home footage and photographs, official press materials, marketing materials, footage of surfers in the waves from all decades, and footage of the beachfront comparing modern times to how the area once looked. There is even footage of how the development of surfboard production progressed. To further enhance the relationship between the archival footage and the interviews, there is a small soundtrack that subtly enhances the particular scene’s emotions, without being overbearing or taking attention away from what needs to be in focus. 

Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story is a marvellously crafted piece of Australian media, showing an essential story in this country’s colourful history. The expert interweaving of archival footage and interviews creates a complete narrative filled with loveable characters full of endless anecdotes of life in Australia in the 20th century. To anyone fond of Surfing, Australian history, or even views of our beautiful coastline, I’d recommended viewing Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story, showing at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. 

Belly of the Beast: A Torquay Story will screen online at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival from 1 – 31 July. Details here.