Latest news with #SnapperRocks
The Australian
29-07-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Bells Beach to open expanded 2026 World Surf League season
An expanded 2026 World Surf League season will start at the iconic Bells Beach, with more spots on the women's tour part of drastic changes for its 50th year. The mid-season cut has been ditched and a new finals system is set to crown the world champions. Bells Beach will again host the first of three Australian events, with a rejigged order moving Snapper Rocks after Margaret River, which has been the event where the mid-season cut has been made since its inception. The three Australian events will kick off the 12-event season, with nine regular-season stops and two post-season events before a revitalised Pipe Masters that will close the season with a high-stakes, all-inclusive finale. 'These changes reflect our commitment to honouring surfing's legacy while continuing to shape its future as the sport enters its 50th year,' WSL chief executive Ryan Crosby said. Jack Robinson celebrates bafter winning the final at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Picture: Cait Miers/World Surf League) 'With the updated formats, we'll see higher stakes from day one, with every heat carrying real consequence throughout the season. Combined with iconic locations, the expanded women's field, and Pipeline as the pinnacle, we're building a tour that better serves our athletes and fans and leads the sport into its next chapter.' As well as the schedule changes, with the WSL covering nine countries across nine months, the majority of the season will feature 36 men and 24 women. Then the tour will narrow to 24 men and 16 women after the ninth event at Lower Trestles in the US for two post-season events in Abu Dhabi and Portugal. Each surfer's best seven of nine results from the regular season will count towards their qualification for the post-season, while the final season rankings, and ultimately the world titles, will be determined by a surfer's best nine of 12 results. The cumulative full-season rankings that will determine the world champions will be heightened by the season closer at Pipeline, where the full 2026 men's and women's Championship Tour fields from the start of the season will all compete. That's a major shift from the top five who will contest a single day, winner-take-all event this year at Teahupo'o for the world title. Australian star Molly Picklum is currently the women's world No.1, with Ethan Ewing the highest-ranked Aussie male, at number five. Australia's Molly Picklum is world No.1 Picture: Thiago Diz/World Surf League 2026 Championship Tour schedule Stop No. 1 - Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia: April 1 - 11 Stop No. 2 - Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia: April 17 - 27 Stop No. 3 - Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia: May 2 - 12 Stop No. 4 - Punta Roca, El Salvador: May 28 - June 7 Stop No. 5 - Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: June 12 - 20 Stop No. 6 - Jeffreys Bay, South Africa: July 10 - 20 Stop No. 7 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia: August 8 - 18 Stop No. 8 - Cloudbreak, Fiji: August 25 - September 4 Stop No. 9 - Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Calif., USA: September 11 - 20* Stop No. 10 - Surf Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE: October 14 - 18** Stop No. 11 - Peniche, Portugal: October 22 - November 1 Stop No. 12 - Banzai Pipeline, Hawaiʻi, USA: December 8 - 20*** *Last regular-season event **Start of postseason, reduced field **Full CT fields rejoin postseason surfers to compete for Pipe Masters Titles
ABC News
15-06-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Surfing champions oppose proposed redevelopment of Snapper Rocks foreshore
Draft plans to redevelop land around one of Queensland's southernmost beaches have sparked community outrage and concern from former world champion surfers who cut their teeth at the famous break. The concept images for Gold Coast City Council's proposed 20-year masterplan for the Snapper Rocks to Rainbow Bay Foreshore make the area look modern and clean. They show the removal of a road and a car park on the foreshore, replacing them with green space and accessible walking paths that link with parking spaces further away from the beach. The draft plan also includes refurbishing, redesigning or relocating the aging but much-loved Rainbow Bay Surf Club. The designs were put forward by the council after three weeks of consultation through community surveys, pop-up meetings and stakeholder workshops in late 2024. But some locals have slammed the concept designs as "ludicrous". Steve Boyle grew up about 10 kilometres from Snapper Rocks, on the New South Wales side of the border, in Kingscliff and bought property in nearby Tweed in the 1980s. He has been a Rainbow Bay regular ever since. "The idea of removing car parks … getting everyone further away from where they want to come to is ridiculous," Mr Boyle said. The bay is the gateway to Snapper Rocks, one of Australia's best — and most crowded — waves. On a good day, it's not uncommon to see hundreds of surfers in that small stretch of ocean. Competition for a parking spot near the beach is just as fierce as the competition for a wave in the water. Former world champion surfer and Snapper Rocks Surf Riders Club legend Joel Parkinson admitted the area was "a little bit tired" and could use a "freshen up", but said he was concerned by the council's vision. "I don't know if going for the whole hog that they've put in there is the right way to do it," Parkinson said. Fellow surfing legend Mick Fanning, who lives within a stone's throw of Snapper Rocks and regularly surfs the world famous break, said a lot of thought and care was needed ahead of any action. "It's such a beautiful wave but also such an incredible place that we have here on the southern Gold Coast," Fanning said. A big part of the debate about how the entire area will look is the future of the Rainbow Bay Surf Life Saving Club. Opened in 1962, it's one of the oldest original surf club buildings left on the Gold Coast. The club is part of the fabric of the community's vibrant surf scene and the entrance stairway serves as its honour board, bearing the names of past winners of the annual Gold Coast Pro, including Fanning, Parkinson, Steph Gilmore and Kelly Slater. Its now dilapidated north-facing deck is renowned as one of the best places on the Gold Coast to watch the sun set. "It has a spectacular view, it really is lovely, but at the moment there's a sense that when you step on the verandah you're going to fall through it," said Gold Coast architect Philip Follent. An online petition calling for the Rainbow Bay Surf Life Saving Club to be protected with a heritage listing has gathered more than 6,000 signatures in the past two weeks. But Mr Follent said the building, while valued for its history, was unlikely to achieve heritage status. "The building is not in a good condition in terms of its external envelope and it needs significant maintenance and renovation," he said. "I don't believe it has to be modernised or change its aesthetic drastically. "But it could be improved so that it's more sturdy and able to cope with the hostile environment, while still having its verandah with its fantastic view." Gold Coast City Council has repeatedly stressed that no final decisions had been made for the club or the wider area. Last week it extended the community consultation period after receiving more than 1,000 survey responses in the first two weeks. "Due to a strong response to the Snapper Rocks to Rainbow Bay Foreshore Precinct masterplan consultation, the City made the decision to extend the survey from 13 June to 20 June to allow more time for the community to have their say," a council spokesperson said. The surf club itself has welcomed the masterplan and, in a statement, said it supported protecting and strengthening the foreshore. But the concept of changing the area worries James Nixon, who has been holidaying at Rainbow Bay for decades and this year moved permanently to the area. "I wouldn't say I'm resistant to change but if it ain't broke don't fix it," Mr Nixon said. "As they'd say in The Castle, it's about the vibe of the area. It's about the ambience of the area itself, it's quaint and I think [with change] it'll just become overridden."
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Brett Finch's ex Elli Johnston welcomes her first child with former boxer Liam Hillen
Daughter of Hall-of-Famer Wayne Johnston, Elli Johnston, has welcomed her first child with former boxing champ Liam Hillen. The happy couple posted the news in a joint share alongside a gallery of images celebrating their bundle of joy on Wednesday. In one selfie a glowing Elli can be seen cradling her newborn boy on her chest while resting hospital while her beaming Liam poses beside them. 'Hunter Hillen, 9.6.25. Our son is perfect,' they shared in the post. They also included a gorgeous black and white photo of their little one wrapped in a blanket and tucked in with stuffed toy giraffe. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. A third colour photo shows Hunter, who already has a thick growth of dark hair, sleeping peacefully and swaddled in blankets. Elli already shares ones older child, daughter Mackenzie, with ex-husband Brett Finch. It comes after the pair shared they were expecting to Instagram back in February, alongside a gallery of images taken at Snapper Rocks in Queensland. In the hero shot, Elli showed off her tanned and toned physique in a black string bikini as she posed side on to show off her growing bump. The handsome couple stood in the shallows of the ocean, with Liam cradling her stomach and gazing at his partner in adoration. 'We are so so excited to meet you,' she wrote. Elli and Liam went Instagram official in August 2024. She made her relationship known after splitting from her ex-husband, disgraced former NRL star Brett Finch in May 2023. Her first post featuring her new lover showed them enjoying a holiday at the snow, accompanied by the telling caption, 'Water what waters you'. Elli and her NRL star ex-husband Brett Finch married in Melbourne in January 2018 and share daughter Mackenzie. The mum recently celebrated her five-year-old daughter starting primary school. 'And just like that she's in school, time moves so so fast,' Elli wrote alongside a sweet video of Mackenzie's first walk to school. 'I am so proud of you Macky. I can't wait to watch to thrive,' the adoring mum finished the caption. Johnston, the daughter of Australian Football Hall of Famer and Carlton AFL great Wayne Johnston, met Finch in 2013. They split five years in 2023, months after Finch was convicted of sharing child abuse material online. Ellie stood by him throughout his trial before the pair parted ways. Finch narrowly avoided a jail term. The athlete has spoken publicly about his past problems with alcohol and drugs. He had once been in demand as a paid public speaker and had supported multiple charities but had now 'lost everything'. 'I understand why no one wants to come near me,' Finch said.
