The City of Newcastle, with Surfest organisers and local surfing talent, celebrated the start of the six-week Surfest festival at a launch at The Station last Friday.
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Ryan Callinan, Philippa Anderson and Jackson Baker were among local talent at the launch of the event, which the city has been a supporter of since it began more than 30 years ago.
Surfest is now regarded as the largest surfing tournament in the southern hemisphere. It brings close to 700 participants from more than two-dozen countries to the shores of Port Stephens and Newcastle to compete for the ultimate prize – the week-long Burton Automotive Pro WSL QS6000 at Merewether Beach from March 11-17.
This year's later scheduling will make the event better than ever, with more offshore conditions during the March contests, meaning more incredible exposure for the city on the global stage.
The iconic beachside location is becoming a popular destination, not just for major events but also for popular TV. Earlier this month, no.1 morning television program Sunrise beamed images of Merewether Beach into the loungerooms of hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Hundreds of locals, including Supercars driver Charlotte Poynting, braved an early start to help sell our city in several live weather crosses. Feedback from the program’s producers and film crew was exceptional. Thank you to those who made their visit worthwhile.
