Quick Intro: History of Pro-Surfing in Austrailia

It is said that the history of pro-surfing in Australia began when way back in 1915, when a Hawaiian-born man calling himself Duke Kahanamoku offered a crowd a surfing exhibition on Freshwater Beach. On that summer day, a young girl was pulled from the crowd to learn the sport. The girl, Isabel Letham, was to become the first Australian-born person to ride the ocean waves on a wooden crafted board. 

Reports of persons riding on the waves along the shores of the island nation go back as far as the late 1700s are actually recorded in Captian Cook's recount of his trip to the area. The sport had died out over the years. The exhibition in 1915 is said to have revived interest and started the craze that continues today. Camps including Boomerang and Mojosurf began popping up all along the shores and the history of pro-surfing in Australia continued.

From these humble beginnings, the history of pro-surfing in Austrialia grew to include world class surfers. Taj Burrow finished second in the Pro Creds in 1999 and in 2002. Fellow Australian Mick Fanning finished third in 2005 and 2006. Hayden Clark is the 3 time winner of the coastal watch sunshine coast tour.

Possibly the biggest part of the history of pro-surfing in Australia is the recognition of the beaches along the the island nation's south end. Gold Coast has been rated as one of the best places to surf since the 1960s. Each year, major sponsors from the surfing genre hold tournaments and events at the location. Bell's Beach was made famous in the Hollywood movie "Point Break".

Reference: 

http://www.mountainman.com.au/the_duke.html