More than 200 surfers have converged on the Port Macquarie Hastings district to compete in the annual the Australian Skin Cancer Clinics NSW Longboard State Titles this week.
The week-long competition got underway on Monday and will see more than 13 divisions compete, from cadets to over 60s.
Council’s Sports and Events Manager Amanda Hatton said the Council had developed a strong working relationship with event hosts Surfing NSW and was proud to be a major sponsor of the event again this year.
“The mobile event will see competition stretch from our beaches in Port Macquarie all the way down to North Haven and is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our beautiful coastline to the competitors and their personnel visiting our region,” Ms Hatton said
“People from all over the state are travelling to compete in the competition, providing a huge boost for our tourism industry in a usual visitation shoulder period.”
Next week’s titles will also be the qualification event to proceed and represent NSW at the Australian Surf Festival which will also be staged in Port Macquarie in August later this year.
With the titles a free event for spectators, Council is encouraging locals to visit the beaches to check out the competition.
The NSW Longboard Titles continue until Saturday, 23 June.
The event format has changed to accommodate competitor work and school commitments, so check out the event information at www.surfingnsw.com.au and the events tab.
An over 65’s division has been added for the Sea Dogs who continue to charge their way through the waves and the Under 16 Cadets division is filling up as Longboarding continues to grow in popularity.
The Town Green Port Macquarie will host a competitor function on Thursday 21st June from 6:30pm onwards
For more information on times and daily locations of the event visit Surfing NSW’s facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/surfingnsw