Page 44 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

42  INTRODUCING A USTR ALIA

Surfing and Beach Culture

Australia is the quintessential home of beach culture, with the
nation’s beaches ranging from sweeping crescents with rolling
waves to tiny, secluded coves. Almost all Australians live within
a two-hour drive of the coast, and during the hot summers it is
almost second nature to make for the water to cool off. The clichéd
image of the sun-bronzed Australian is no longer the reality it once
was thanks to increased sun protection awareness, but popular
beaches are still packed with tanned bodies basking on golden
sands or frolicking in deep blue waves. Fines levied for inappropriate
behaviour mean that the atmosphere is calm and safe at all
times. Surfing has always been a national sport, with regular The sun-bleached hair
and dangerously deep
carnivals and competitions held on the coastline. There are also tans have gone, but
opportunities for beginners to try their hand at this daring sport. surfing is ever popular.

Surf carnivals attract hundreds of spectators,
who thrill to races, “iron man” competitions,
dummy rescues and spectacular lifeboat displays.
Surfer in Action
Riding the waves is a serious
business. Wetsuit-clad “surfies” study
the surfing reports in the media and
think nothing of travelling vast
distances to reach a beach where
the best waves can be found.

Crouching down into the wave’s
crest increases stability on the board.

Where to Surf
The best surfing to be found in Australia is on the New
South Wales coast (see pp182–3), the southern Queensland
coast, especially the aptly named Surfer’s Paradise and the
Sunshine Coast (pp242–3) and the southern coastline of
Western Australia (pp316–17). Tasmania also has some fine
surfing beaches on its northwestern tip (pp470–71).
Despite superb north Queensland beaches, the Great
Barrier Reef stops the waves well before they reach the
mainland. In summer, deadly marine stingers (box jellyfish)
here make surf swimming impossible in many areas,
unless there is a stinger-proof enclosure.