Surfing New South Wales

Australian Surf Festival

2011 Australian Surf Festival Goes LIVE

Thursday, 11 August 2011

THE Australian Surf Festival website is LIVE, and just in time, with over 350 competitors expected to make waves at Port Macquarie from this weekend.

A dedicated live site will house the festival's five disciplines including; the Australian Longboard Titles (14-20 August), Australian Stand Up Paddleboard Titles (21-24 August,) Australian Surfmasters Titles (21-27 August), Australian Alaia Titles (24-27 August) and the Australian Single Fin Titles (26-27 August).

At www.australiansurffestival.com national and international surfers of all ages and ability levels can access the prestigious festival. Add to that access to up-to-date news, live scores, daily video uploads, results, photo galleries and media contacts all in a simple, easy-to-navigate manner.

Surfing Australia Event Coordinator Beau Brenchley said the festival website is a great addition to the event.

"The website is visual appealing and allows for surfers from across the globe to stay in touch with what is happening in Port Macquarie during the event," he said.

"The site will be updated regularly during the event with fresh content from the surfing component of the festival as well as the music and art activities."

Social media has also been catered for with the prestigious surfing festival utilising a Facebook page - www.facebook.com/surfingaustraliainc/ for real-time updates.

The Australian Longboard Titles will open this year's festival, kicking off on Sunday 14th August with the opening rounds of surfing.

But the approaching festival isn't just about the surfing; it will tickle the taste buds of entertainment buffs with live music, surf art, surfing education courses and the Essential Energy Indigenous Surfing Program confirmed for the two-week event.

One of Australia's leading indigenous artists, Vernon Ah Kee will take centre stage at the Glasshouse Regional Gallery with his Cant Chant Exhibition, which will be open during the festival waiting period.

Ah Kee is known for his incisive critiques of White Australian culture. In the Cant Chant exhibition he takes on the iconic subject of the beach and casts a critical eye on its special role in forming Australian identity.

Cant Chant pushes aside the common sense of the beach as a destination for leisure, relaxation, and fun, and presents it as a cultural battleground.

Cant Chant includes surfboards painted with North Queensland rainforest shield designs as well as a video installation featuring dead boards (waterlogged surfboards) blasted by guns, and Aboriginal surfers.

As an added benefit to this year's festival, an exciting live music program, including six shows, will be staged at the Blue Water Bar and Restaurant.

For more information about the Australian Surf Festival please visit -www.surfingaustralia.com

The 2011 Australian Surf Festival is proudly presented by Surfing Australia and Surfing NSW and proudly supported by Events NSW, Port Macquarie Hastings Council, Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park, Blue Water Bar and Restaurant, Glasshouse Regional Gallery, Suncorp, VB, Australian Sports Commission, Coastalwatch, NBN Television, Port Macquarie News, Star FM, 2MC FM, Surfing World Magazine and Pacific Longboarder Magazine.

The Australian Surf Festival Program:
Australian Longboard Titles - 14-20 August, 2011
Australian Stand Up Paddleboard Titles - 21-24 August, 2011
Australian Surfmasters Titles - 21-27 August, 2011
Australian Alaia Titles - 24-27 August, 2011
Australian Single Fin Titles - 26-27 August, 2011

About Events NSW:
Events NSW, a part of Destination NSW is committed to developing and building a world class NSW Events Calendar. All events on the NSW Events Calendar including the Australian Surf Festival are exclusive to Sydney and NSW and deliver significant economic, marketing and community benefits to the State. Events NSW partners with both the public and private sector to deliver the best event experiences in Australia and the world.
www.eventsnsw.com.au

About Port Macquarie:
The NSW North coast - from the Hunter to the Northern Rivers, attracts over 60 per cent of all overnight trips during which visitors went surfing (source Tourism NSW). Port Macquarie is strategically located in the heart of this popular surf region. With our accessible surfing coastline for all skill levels, and our long established urban beach culture, we are in the perfect position to continue to grow our reputation as a premier surf destination, and securing the Australian Surf Festival for the next three years is testament to this.
www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au