Surf Culture
In the 1960's
History And Creation
He made a board with local wood, showing both traditional surfing skills as well as board making techniques. The age of surfing had begun.
In the 1930’s, boards hadn’t changed much since Duke’s visit but come the following decade, the heavy wooden boards were exchanged for hollow boards which were lighter and much more maneuverable.
The 1950s and ‘60s would prove to be significant for Australian’s surfing history. Californian surfer Greg Noll traveled to Australia as part a lifeguard paddle board team. During that trip, he and his team mates rode their loose and fast fiberglass Malibu boards. The Australians immediately grabbed on to the new design of high performance long boards. Noll’s trip is regarded by many as the spark in Australia’s surfing design and performance revolution that is still being felt today.
On May 17th, 1965, before an estimated 65,000 spectators, Manly beach was the site of The World Surfing Championships, the event that most historians agree crowned the first official world champions Bernard “Midget” Farrelly and Phyllis O’Donell.