AUSSIES’ love affair with the surf is more than evident in its beachside artefacts.
Historic postcards through to boards and videos, attest to the nation’s fascination with all things saltwater, spume and sand, as evidenced in the National Wool Museum’s
recent Waves and Water exhibition.
Some of the country’s best photographers — such as Max Dupain, Ray Leighton, Anne Zahalka, Narelle Autio, Jeff Carter, Roger Scott and Ian Lever — make up the weight of the travelling showcase but the sound of crashing white horses, footage of surfers carving the waves and other surfing imagery round out the exhibition neatly.
Surfing safaris from the 1940s, lifeguards, surfboats, competitions, surf racks, beachside hamburger shops, swimmers, sunlovers and beach games constitute much of the photo subject matter.
Cottonwool seas, courtesy long exposures, and brooding skies over heaving swells, clifftop houses standing watch over the tides, sea-pool lap swimmers and a raft of 1940s Torquay and Bell Beach surf aficionadoes offer a compelling cache of curios.
