Surfing in Australia

CountryAustralia
Governing bodySurfing Australia
National team(s)Australia
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions
Bells Beach, Victoria surfers
Mick Corbett riding Cowaramup Bombora, Western Australia, 2014

Australia is renowned as one of the world's premier surfing destinations.[1] Surfing underpins an important part of the Australian coastal fabric. It forms part of a lifestyle in which millions participate and which millions more have an interest.[2] Australian surfboard-makers have driven innovation in surfboard design and production since the mid-1960s. The country has launched corporate giants such as Billabong, Rip Curl and Quiksilver.[3]

Bondi Beach surfers, 2000

No surfing is possible in many parts of northern Australia due to coral reefs subduing waves. Modern surfboard design has been shaped by both Australian and Californian developments.[4] For many years the sport was closely associated with the surf life saving movement in Australia.

  1. ^ "Australian Geographic". Australian Geographic. 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-02-03.
  2. ^ "About Surfing Australia". Surfing Australia. 2015.
  3. ^ Warren, Andrew (2013). "Making things in a high-dollar Australia: The case of the surfboard industry". Journal of Australian Political Economy. 71: 26–50.
  4. ^ Ford, Nick; David Brown (2006). Surfing and Social Theory: Experience, Embodiment and Narrative of the Dream Glide. Taylor & Francis. p. 52. ISBN 978-0415334334. Retrieved 16 January 2016.