They’re one of Australia’s great institutions and most clubs welcome visitors. Many have bars and restaurants. That’s one of the ways they make money for their main activity – lifesaving.
Those bronzed young people patrolling our beaches are volunteers. They joined their clubs at an early age and received instruction from older members. It is no coincidence that many lifesavers on Asian beaches are Australian trained.
So, if you want an introduction to the Aussie way of life, you could hardly do better than wine and dine at the local surf club. A lot of the staff will be volunteers. You’ll be served by lifesavers and surfers.
Despite its name, Surfers Paradise is not the main hot spot. That honour goes to Coolangatta where the incoming waves run along the beach. On a good day, you can stand on the shore and get a clear view of the surfers as they travel down the tubes created by the breaking waves.
Major international surfing competitions are held at Coolangatta and news teams gather from all around the globe.
The bottom photograph was taken at a Quicksilver surfing event and illustrates what I mean by waves running along the beach as opposed to coming straight in.
Like all good sports, surfing provides opportunities for advancing your love life. But there are rules. If you want to know what happened to one young guy who forgot them, go to surf club etiquette.
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