'There are so many incredible beaches in this region, all natural and unspoiled and each with its own character.'

Don’t ask Josh Rudd what ‘Ghanda’ is supposed to mean. It is a name he invented, although he acknowledges that the words Ghana and Gandhi were in his head when he coined it. However, for an increasing number of young people, Ghanda has acquired its own meaning: as the name of a surfwear label fast gaining favour with the fashionable.

“Ghanda is a weird sort of name but it stuck,” Josh muses. “When I started in 2003, Ghanda was never supposed to be a clothing label. It was supposed to be a business doing design and implementation for bands and festivals. But I started doing a lot of merchandising for my brother (musician Xavier Rudd), got a name for the paraphernalia I was producing, then just branched out through word of mouth.”

While his business path might seem haphazard, Josh has charted an unerring course towards a dream lifestyle. He operates Ghanda from beachside Torquay, the town where he has spent all his life. Opportunities for swimming, surfing, jogging or mountain biking abound. It might be the corporate world, but it has gorgeous views and magnificent beaches that conventional office-workers can only dream about.

FAVOURITE DAY TRIP: Melbourne, to go shopping, get the buzz from being around so many people, and then have pasta for dinner at Pellegrini’s. (66 Bourke St,
Melbourne, 03 9662 1885)

FAVOURITE FOOD EXPERIENCE: Flippin’ Fresh does really nice seafood. Their chips are good too! (33 Surfcoast Hwy, Torquay, 03 5261 6146)

FAVOURITE NATURE-BASED EXPERIENCE: Being in the ocean. You can’t beat it.