Patagonia

For the last eleven years the end of autumn has brought mob from all around the country to this special place for a special event, the Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles. Alongside its usual spectacular autumn swells, Djarruk is alive with an energy that can only come from mob being together. For those who come along every year, it’s the opportunity to connect and celebrate the rich culture that runs between us that really makes this weekend so special. Getting to surf Bells in beautiful conditions with a handful of others is an added bonus.

The community spirit thrives at this event. It’s not about winning, it’s about being together and creating a space for everyone to express themselves and their culture through their surfing and their connections to each other. One of the best things to witness is the support that every surfer has for one another, in and out of the water. The vibes are good and the look-out decks and beach are littered with spectators, made up of local community members and the families of those surfing, who have travelled from far and wide to cheer everyone on. One of my favourite parts of the whole weekend is just standing around and yarning with everyone. The conversations are so rich and even if it’s the first time you’ve met the person you’re standing next to, you already know they’re family and you’ve got a place to crash if you ever find yourself on their part of the coast. It’s like a big family gathering. There’s some mob who’ve been around since it began, and some who are there for the first time, but it doesn’t matter because we all belong there.

The 2024 titles provided a variety of conditions for the competitors, ranging from 3-4 foot and offshore, to 5-6 foot and a wobbly Bells bowl. No matter what was on offer, everyone was ripping and having an amazing time. The divisions included junior boys and girls, open men and women, women and men’s longboard, masters and over 50s, with some of the surfers competing across multiple divisions. There was also some friendly sibling rivalry happening between Summer and Bodhi Simon, Kaiden and Landen Smales, and my sister Elly Muir and I.

Finals day was one for the books, with sunny 3-4 foot conditions and a light offshore breeze making for a picture-perfect Djarruk. The surfing on display was that of absolute style and talent, with Landen Smales dropping two ten-point rides across two divisions and taking out the finals of the men’s longboard and junior boys. A buzzer beater wave scored me a first place in the women’s longboard final, though after chairing Mali Legge up the beach, I didn’t realise the final result until the presentation. Otis Carey took out the men’s final with a display of style and strength, and Ocea Curtis delivered a consistent run of beautiful surfing over the weekend to take the win in both the junior girls’ and open women’s final. Last year’s masters’ winner, Lee Winkler, held onto his title with powerhouse surfing through each heat, and Brook Silvester came out on top in the over 50s men’s final. The competitors gave it their all in the cold Victorian waters and put on an absolute show for everyone to enjoy.

The Australian Indigenous Titles wouldn’t be what they are without the hard work and love from Jordie Campbell and the Surfing Victoria team. Every year they go above and beyond to pull this event together, make sure everyone feels like they belong and give all the competitors the opportunity to surf the best conditions throughout the weekend. It’s the love of culture and community that really drives this thing and with people like Jordie investing in the future of Indigenous surfing, you know it’s in good hands.

As always, thanks Djarruk for turning it on for us, again. See you next year.

Learn more about the Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles.