The Girls, The Wave, The Comp
It’s a National Surfing Reserve, a famous Australian surfing destination and attracts longboarders from wide and far. This is because when an east to south-east swell and southerly winds blows into town, surfers at Crescent can tuck into what is considered one of Australia’s best and most consistent longboarding rides.
Most south swells push straight past the point, so Crescent is best in straighter swells, anything around from the nor-east around to the south-east.
With a small-town population of 1180, Crescent is 446km north of Sydney and right on the coast, just past Port Macquarie, and a right turn from Kempsey. It’s right next door to Hat Head National Park, home to one of NSW’s largest dune systems.
Local, Robyn Harvey is the mastermind behind womens surf brand “Gidget” and community organisation Women in the Waves, among many other projects. Robyn’s contribution to womens surfing in Australia has been relentless throughout her time surfing, which began as a grom in her home town of Crescent Head.
Coastalwatch’s Kristy Theissling met Robyn Harvey at the Country Club at Crescent for fish and chips and the weekly community red-meat raffle.
Robyn told stories about growing up in Crescent Head, about living across from the water, paddling out every morning as a grom, and her mum hanging out a beach towel on the balcony to let her know when it was time to come in to school.
Robyn is also one of the Crescent Head locals behind the Crescent Head Malibu Classic. This annual comp has run every year since 1989. The comp encourages women to compete, and is looking for more women for this years comp.
This year the comp is in its 21st year, the comp will be held May 27-30, entry fee is $55, and they are currently on the hunt for more female competitors. You can find the Crescent Head Malibu Classic entry form here
As well as its year round residents, Crescent accomodates many thousands of tourists into its campground and holiday homes – mostly there for the same thing – the surfing.
Tourist Jan Dunton, 1999 Bells Beach Australian Longboard Womens Champion, makes the trek from Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula with her two sons every year to Crescent Head. Why?
“A pure surfing indulgence holiday. We surf ourselves silly all day and don’t stop except for food and water … It’s a family affair.
Crescent Head is attractive to tourists for its unspoiled surroundings and its warm, welcoming community. “It hasn’t altered. Crescent is a down to earth town, not spoiled by big buildings. It’s a very peaceful environment to escape the cold winter. 5 surfboards on the roof of the car, fins up, a Mal each … There’s a fantastic country golf course, that you go around 6 times to equal one game of golf. Tennis courts, skate parks – if there’s not much of a wave on the point, you can always go around to the back beaches, like Plomer.”
And the male to female ratio: “If there are 40 guys out surfing, there might be 6 or 7 girls.”
Crescent Head conditions
Surfing World Extract, December, 1963
Probably one of the greatest surfing discoveries so far made along NSW coast is Crescent Head.
Considered by many who have surfed here the top wave shape on the east coast.
Crescent Head, a sleepy town, its high grassy headland offers good protection from the south winds. At the base of the headland the shore line if formed by large cobblestones which curb around to the entrance of the river mouth and continues on to form a semi-circular shaped beach some 10 miles long.
The area from the point at Crescent to the river mouth is entirely rock bottom which forms the basis for a really consistent wave shape.
Crescent operates on a good east to south-east swell and when the wind blows from the south, the surf is transformed into a series of beautiful offshore lines which build up on the point.
The take-off area on the point produces a fast tubing wave which drops onto the shallow reef.
The wave then follows the curvature of the shore-line pealing off in walling-up hot-dog shape until you reach the final build-hp into an exhilarating shore ride. Such a ride ends up in the mouth of the river, a distance of some 300 yards from the point.
On a good day, four to five seconds have been counted here each holding good shape. To my mind, Crescent holds best shape with a three to seven foot wave and it ride-able over 10 feet when conditions are good.
Without a doubt, Crescent Head and surrounding beaches hold the most surf potential so far discovered.
I cannot think of a better way of enjoying a holiday than camping on the shore at Crescent under a cloudless sky and watching the swells wrap around the point and move into what is truly the “Rincon of the North.”
Story by John Penning, December, 1963
