Angourie National Surfing Reserve, the world’s first gazetted National Surfing Reserve, was dedicated on January 12, 2007, following several years of work by a steering committee of locals.

Steering committee foundation member Helen Tyas-Tunggal said 21 years ago there were some serious conversations going on in the community regarding whether or not to nominate Angourie to become the first gazetted surfing reserve in the world.

“The gazettal in NSW parliament recognises the prime activity as recreational surfing,” she said.

To establish Angourie as a National Surfing Reserve, the committee were advised by National Surfing Reserves the process had to be driven by the community.

“The community had to nominate their place on the criteria of the quality and consistency of the waves, the demonstrated importance of the place in Australian surfing history,” Ms Tyas-Tunggal said.

“It was pretty easy for Angourie when you’ve got world surfing champions like Joey Cabell, and Mark Richards saying it’s if not the best, it’s one of the best right-hand breaks in the world.

“Angourie is held in such high regard, it’s described as being the sacred site of surfing.”

Ms Tyas-Tunggal said unlike many other locations, a surfing contest has never been held at Angourie and part of the guiding principles developed, along with establishing the reserve was to keep commercial activity out of the reserve, as well as no contests.

Angourie Community Coastcare was instrumental in the push for Angourie to become a National Surfing Reserve as it had been involved in 40 years of regeneration and recovery after sand mining in the area.

“Some concerns were that it would publicise Angourie too much to the rest of the world, but the realisation 20 years ago that the internet was already showing Angourie, so we couldn’t really keep it secret, and this was an opportunity, if the community wanted it, to help protect it,” Ms Tyas-Tunggal said.

“Once the local surfing community debated it, then it had to go through Council and all of the stakeholders who had an interest were involved in meetings.”

At the November 21, 2006, Clarence Valley Council meeting it was recommended that Council support the dedication of Angourie as a National Surfing Reserve and provide a dedication plaque, a recommendation that Council supported.

“Following the Angourie residents and ratepayers AGM on December 3, 2006, there was a public meeting to discuss the dedication of the surf breaks at Angourie as part of the National Surfing Reserve and there were three motions that were passed by the community,” Ms Tyas-Tunggal said.

“That the community endorses the creation and dedication of the National Surfing Reserve, the community endorses the wording on the dedication plaque and agrees to the location of the plaque, and that the community endorses the Angourie Surfing Reserve steering committee to continue representing the community in this project.”

In attendance at the dedication ceremony on January 12, 2007, were Yaegl elder Ken ‘Fox’ Laurie, then Local Government Minister Tony Kelly, Cr Mark Kingsley, Surfing Reserves Australia Chairman Brad Farmer, Colin Creighton, and Angourie Surfing Reserve committee member David McPherson, along with surfers Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo, and Luke Egan.

Over the past two decades the Angourie NSR committee has responded to Tourism NSW to remove a large promotional Angourie National Surfing Reserve sign erected on the highway as part of its tourism Surfing Trail, raised concerns about sewage entering the river, and communicated very adamantly with various authorities on how to better prevent vessels being wrecked in the surfing reserve and causing preventable damage and pollution debris.

Fast forward 19 years; the Angourie National Surfing Reserve Community Advisory Committee had been established for more than 20 years and fresh blood was needed.

“We needed to pass on the baton if there was going to be some understanding of what the significance of the Angourie Surfing Reserve is, and if it was to be protected for the future,” Ms Tyas-Tunggal said.

“It was an opportunity to raise awareness in the community of what it meant and what needed to be done if it is to be the same for future generations, that this special place would stay like it is and not end up like some of the other iconic surfing locations that are struggling with oversubscription and commercialisation.

“It’s about share, respect, and preserve, it’s about keeping it like this for everybody, whether they live here or whether they visit here.

“If everyone abides by the same guiding principles there won’t be any problems.”

The response from the local surfing community was incredible, and the next generation of the Angourie National Surfing Reserve Community Advisory Committee was formed.

“Every volunteer committee is looking for new blood, but I think our community became very aware that the current committee really needed some younger support,” Ms Tyas-Tunggal said.

“It was done in a really lovely way and we’ve got fantastic new members on the committee.”

The World Surfing Conservation Conference on the Gold Coast at Southern Cross University last week was hosted by the Gold Coast World Surfing Reserve committee.

22 people from countries including Peru, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, USA, Bali, and Australia who attended the conference came to Angourie last Friday for the celebration of the Angourie National Surfing Reserve.

With them they brought a reed woven Peruvian surf craft, based on a 500-year-old design, that they used in the surf at Angourie back beach on Saturday.

“On their East Coast Activation Tour surfari, the 22 people were calling into all of the National Surfing Reserves between the Gold Coast and Sydney,” Ms Tyas-Tunggal said.

“Their tour was all about connecting community, culture, and conservation.”

Destinations included National Surfing Reserves at Lennox Head, Angourie, Crescent Head, Port Macquarie, Merewether, Norah Head, and Sydney.

“They are presenting the traditional surf craft which is going on display at Bondi,” Ms Tyas-Tunggal said.

When Ms Tyas-Tunggal was asked to find accommodation for the people on their East Coast Activation Tour, the community celebration concept was born.

“It just seemed like a great idea that we’d invite the whole community to meet them, rather than make it exclusive, we made it inclusive and invited everyone to have a celebration of the Angourie National Surfing Reserve and raise awareness about what went into establishing it 20 years ago,” she said.

Ms Tyas-Tunggal said the event was an opportunity for the community to celebrate and be reminded why it is so important to continue to protect this special place for future generations to experience in its natural state.

In front of more than 300 people, Yagel elder Ken ‘Fox’ Laurie performed the same Welcome to Country he did when the Angourie National Surfing Reserve was dedicated in 2007, which is published in this week’s Clarence Valley Independent.

A free community barbeque with meat from Locke’s butchery cooked by Angourie Boardriders was devoured by those who attended.

There were 16 very happy winners from the mega raffle draw with more than $3000 in prizes, with generous donations from Rod Dahlberg surfboards, Patagonia wetsuits, needessentials wetsuits, Surfing World magazine, Stab Magazine, Country Style and Yamba Surf, Aloha sushi, Yum Yum cafe, Pacific Hotel, Lower Clarence Office and Stationery, plus Bay Street local, Truewater Australia and Kanes Sports.

On the lawns around the Wooloweyah hall were people of all ages dancing to young local band Soul Tones which were followed by DJs Michael and Zoe Lokic on the decks.

“It was a fantastic community event,” Ms Tyas-Tunggal said.

This article appeared in Clarence Valley Independent, 27 February 2026.