8: Learn to surf

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It’s fun, it’s a great way to keep fit, it instils a deep and abiding respect for the ocean and the environment, and it might just kindle a lifelong passion. Surfing was first observed by Europeans in Tahiti in 1767 and in the intervening centuries it has gone on to become one of the great Australian sports – and the good news is it’s never too late (or too early) to start wiping out… er, hanging ten, we mean.

Anyone who’s admired the cool, impossibly laidback surfers as they seamlessly slide through barrels and weave across waves could be forgiven for thinking it’s easy – we assure you, it ain’t. That’s where surf schools come in and luckily there are plenty of them across Australia.

A few sessions with the pros will equip you or the kids with the smarts and the skills to start your own love affair with this addictive water sport, which inspires so much passion in so many others. And there’s a bonus for parents: enrolling the kids in a week of surfing lessons frees mum and dad up for some relaxation time. Plus it’s exhausting, guaranteeing sweet dreams after a big day on the waves.

Surfing also teaches resilience – if you fall, there’s always another wave; you’ve just gotta keep getting back up. As a wise surfer once said: “There are a million ways to surf, and as long as you’re smiling you’re doing it right."

Try these

Let’s Go Surfing Bondi, NSW – From $95 a lesson or $350 for a family private lesson. 02 9365 1800.

Surf the Bay South Coast, NSW – From $40 a lesson; special family (four people) surf or stand-up paddleboard deal for $120 (until end Feb 2014).0432 144 220.

Coastrider Surf Academy, Clifton Beach, Tas – From $50 a lesson or $70 one-on-one. 0419 324 921.

Get Wet Surf The Spit, Surfers Paradise, Qld – Learn at the beach or in the wave pool. From age five and up. From $45 a lesson. Family lesson (includes two adults and two children) for $180. 1800 438 938.

School of Surfing Trigg, Mullaloo, Leighton and Rottnest Island, WA – From $40 a lesson, or $70 for a private one-on-one lesson. 08 9448 0004.

Torquay Surf Academy Urquhart’s Bluff, Lorne, Cosy Corner, White’s Beach and Bancoora River, Vic – From $60 a lesson. 03 5261 2022.

Kingo Surf School Goolwa Beach and Port Lincoln, SA – From $40 a lesson.0427 842 085.

 

 

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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

    Michael Turtle Michael Turtle
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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves. Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

    Caves House
    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

    A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves 

    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.