Curated by Andy Mac
Surf Hotel
35 The Esplanade Torquay
April 2026 - Permanent

The Surf Hotel Collection brings together surf artists, photographers, filmmakers, writers, designers, shapers and surfers whose work reflects the history and culture of the Surf Coast. Curated by Andy Mac of Amac HQ, the collection features more than 90 artworks and surfcraft displayed throughout Surf Hotel, including commissioned works and archival material connected to the Surf Coast community and Wadawurrung Country.

Peter Crawford’s 19 photographs in the Surf Hotel Collection, taken between 1978 and 1987, document people, places and events associated with Bells Beach and Victoria’s Surf Coast. Fourteen works are installed in the guest suites, while the remaining photographs are displayed in the reception, restaurant, penthouse and Expression Session spaces. Together, these works form the core of this catalogue, which presents the full collection.

The selection was developed through collaboration between curator Andy Mac and Justin Crawford (Peter’s son and curator of the Peter Crawford Archive). Together, they reviewed thousands of transparencies from the archive and worked with Derek Hynd to identify subjects, locations and the stories behind the images. A professional surfer, writer and board-design innovator, Hynd was a close friend of Crawford and attended many of the events depicted. He competed in the semi-finals of the 1981 Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach and appears in one of Crawford’s photographs alongside Simon Anderson, celebrating in the car park.

The Peter Crawford Collection at Surf Hotel documents a period of significant change in Australian surfing. Through Crawford’s photographs of Bells Beach, Torquay and the wider Surf Coast, the collection traces the development of professional competition, surf culture and board design.
Amac 2026