Help save Bastion Point

We recently made a very special retro board of limited appeal to older surfers who are collectors of high quality craftsmanship.  It is the Gary Burden Classic 9'8'' stringerless and we put our "Tsunami" silk art on it. This model is a classic because it was the final evolution of longboard design in Australia immediately before boards went short and it's "slingshot" feature of flexing board and fin in bottom turns was forgotten in the rush to adapt shapes to the shorter boards. 

I am looking for people who might be interested in this board, it has stayed true to the construction of the period and is AU$1,550 with the Tsunami artwork on it at Byron Bay, shipping is extra. The other artworks in our range are AU$220 less on this board.  

      

The marketing angle of In Depth Creations Surfboards is that they are functional art, designed to be ridden and then put back up on the living room wall after a surf instead being left in a bag or in the garage. 

Interested collectors should drop a line to Brian at www.indepthcreations.com.au with their details.

Brian Delaney

In Depth Creations Surfboards

Byron Bay

Destroy an iconic Victorian surf break just to build a boat ramp?
Surfrider Foundation and the Mallacoota surfing community have called on East Gippsland Shire Council to reject a proposal for the development of a boat ramp at Bastion Point, Mallacoota, on environmental, economic and public safety grounds.

The proposal will destroy the excellent wave at Bastion Point, and includes the construction a groyne 130m long straight through the break. An Environmental Effects Statement is currently being prepared for submission to the Victorian government.

The importance of Bastion Point
The right-hander known as “Broken Board” at Bastion Point is recognised around the world and is used regularly by more than 60 local surfers and many hundreds more who visit each year. The reef and associated sand banks are located in an increasingly rare unmodified estuary mouth environment. Surfers have been using the area as a primary surfing location for well over 40
years.

Bastion Point is unique in that it is one of a handful of consistent surf-breaks on Victoria's Gippsland coast, and one of Victoria’s few waves that are sheltered in the frequent southerly winds experienced along Australia’s southern coast. It provides a safe environment with a variety of surfable waves that cater for beginners through to expert surfers that will be lost if the proposed
development goes ahead. A monstrous and unnecessary groyne straight through the break will completely alter sand movement and threaten surfer safety.

Impact on industry
Mallacoota supports two surfing shops and a strong local and tourist surfing community. No studies on fishing effort have been undertaken to justify the development of a boat ramp as being more important than surfing. Information gathered locally and supported by Surfrider Foundation indicates that annual average expenditure by surfers in this region is higher than that of recreational fishers. We believe the surfing industry has much more to lose if this wave is lost than the fishermen will gain.

How you can help save this wave
The support of the surf industry is critical to the success of saving Broken Board. Local surfers are shaping a surfboard to be presented to the Victorian Government on the steps of Parliament House to protest this development. The board will have surfers’ signatures on the deck and industry logos on the bottom as a show of support.

Getting behind this campaign is easy - simply send one of your decals (max. 6 inches for insertion under the glass job) urgently to:
Gary Proctor, PO Box 444 Mallacoota Vic 3893.

For more information:
Surfrider’s submissions on this proposal are available for download at www.surfrider.org.au.
Or call Neil Lazarow (Surfrider Foundation) 0416 022 742
Gary Proctor (Mallacoota Surfriders) 0427 580 556
We cannot afford to lose precious waves. Any support you can give is greatly appreciated.

For Check out the Surfrider website if you want more info on our activities to date. At this stage, all we are asking is for decals to use on our surfboard petition. Please let me know if you are able to help out in any other way (eg writing letters, distributing the flyer within industry and to the surfing community etc).

E: projects@surfrider.org.au
W: www.surfrider.org.au
Surfrider Foundation Australia is a not for profit organisation dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the Australian coast for all people through conservation, activism, research and education.

Here is a link to some pics and an interview with Shane about his experience with a killer wave at Tahiti in September this year.

www.surfline.com/surfnews/2005_09_13_tahiti_dorian

Note: if you only have dial up it will be very slow to load each picture as the sound file (Shane describing what went through his mind at that point) comes with it.

Pretty awesome stuff. A real legend!

Thanks to Surfline