Perth’s best beaches will host thousands of interstate guests in April next year as the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships bring competition and festival celebration to WA shores.
The event referred to as “the Aussies” will run for 8 days starting on April 2 and will take place at three of Perth’s most well-known beaches Scarborough, Trigg, and Secret Harbour.
Alongside the competition, there will be a designated festival zone, boasting food trucks and activities for spectators.
According to a Department of Tourism spokeswoman, the event is predicted to bring thousands of interstate visitors to WA.
“There are 5000 surf lifesavers that will come across, as well as their coaches and support staff,” the spokeswoman said.
“Then also you get other tourists coming that are interested in surfing and surf lifesaving, so we expect many thousands of visitors to come to Western Australia as a result.”
While COVID is still problematic for interstate travel, the tourism spokeswoman was optimistic that this will not affect the event.
“We can’t predict the future, however, we hope that as more and more people get vaccinated we can begin to welcome people back to Western Australia,” the spokesperson said.
Next year will be the first time in 4 years that the championship has been held in WA and it is expected to provide an economic boost to the areas nearby.
“Scarbro, Trigg, and Secret Harbor beaches all are fantastic locations where locals and visitors can watch the action but they’re also are well known for their surf breaks,” the spokesperson said.
“With extra locals, community members, visitors coming to the area they will be attending restaurants, cafes, and retail outlets, sending money, and contributing to the economic development in the area.”
Recently, the 2021 Aussies were held on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland where Northcliffe took first place with 54 gold medals positioning themselves as the team to beat in 2022.