Locals at a popular surf spot in Wollongong have publicly announced 'yeah, nah' to all visitors eager to surf for the day.
Homemade signs believed to have been written and hung up by local surfers were spotted at Sandon Point in Bulli — a beach well-known for its right-hand point break.
The signs warned "blow-ins not welcome" and "locals only" after a stream of Sydney surfers travelling down to the hot spot were reportedly not following surf etiquette or showing respect to locals, forcing them to bite back.
One local wrote online he "had a run in with six male youths putting those signs" up on Friday night.
"Removed the sign and reported to the police on where they were going. I see they didn't catch up with them!" he wrote online.
Trend of locals gatekeeping home surf breaks
This isn't the first time locals have attempted to block visitors from using beaches, with similar messages spray painted onto fixtures at North Narrabeen Beach in Sydney several years ago.
Despite the words "Locals only — Go home" being written on a footpath during the COVID-19 pandemic, local surfers were slammed for being aggressively territorial of their waves. The break was named one of the worst places to visit as a surfing outsider long before the pandemic — awarded the top spot by surfing magazine Tracks in 2003.
More extreme examples of protective surf behaviour, known as 'localism', played out in South Australia during the same year when a local surf tourism sign was damaged less than 24 hours after it was erected. Photographer Kane Overall, whose images were used on the sign, shared online he had received death threats for promoting the surf spot.
The most infamous example of Aussie localism comes from surf gang the Bra Boys who imposed unwritten surfing rules to Sydney's beaches throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
The group, originally from Maroubra, renamed Cape Solander in Sydney's south as 'Ours' and used a variety of intimidation tactics to claim the spot as their own, with less skilled surfers and body boarders excluded from joining the surf.
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July 24, 2023 at 01:28PM
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New sign at popular Aussie surf spot proves divisive - Yahoo News Australia
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