The History of Surfing in the Byron Shire Region

If your idea of holiday heaven is surfing from dusk to dawn, then Byron Shire on the NSW Far North Coast is a must-do. And it’s an area that’s played a vital role in the history of surfing in Australia.

History of Surfing in Byron Bay

Surfing (as we know it today) was brought to Australia in the mid 1910s by Hawaiian Duke Khanamoku. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that a distinct subculture developed; one heavily influenced by American surfing trends.

We’re talking the original ‘surfies’, complete with peroxide hair and deep suntans. Their soundtrack was iconic surf music, and their conversations littered with California jargon (e.g. cowabunga!).

And their nomadic lifestyle was all part of the fun. They simply strapped their boards on top of their cars and vans and drove along the NSW coast, keeping an eye out for the best places to surf.

And when they found Byron Bay ... well, it’s little wonder they stopped.

The welcoming hippy lifestyle and beautiful natural environment were the perfect backdrop to those endless surf beaches and the fun, free-spirited lifestyle of the surfie.

Some of the world’s best pros call Byron Bay home. Even legendary surfboard maker (or ‘shaper’) Bob McTavish has been here since the 1960s.

Bob and Nat Young were responsible for the ‘short-board revolution’; cutting down longboards to create new manoeuvrable boards. A way of surfing that completely transformed the industry.

So it was in the 1960s and 70s that Byron Bay became synonymous with surfing. And the surfers have been coming ever since.

Get the low down on the best Byron Bay beaches to surf here