An enthusiastic crowd cheered loudly as the Encounter Coast Surfing Reserve formally became recognised as an ‘iconic place of value to the nation’.

National Surfing Reserves co-founder and chair Professor Andrew Short OAM flew from Sydney to speak at the dedication ceremony on the foreshore at Middleton on Sunday 27 April.

Professor Short acknowledged the long and rich surfing culture of the south coast. 

“There is plenty of evidence of surfing being enjoyed as far back as the early 1920s in this region. It really flourished in the ‘60s and ‘70s and continues to rightly claim to be a reliable ‘go-to’ for waves to cater for all levels.”

The Reserve will take in twenty-two well-known surfing spots that lie along the Encounter Coast from west to east and include Parsons Point, Parsons Beach, Waitpinga, Kings Head, Petrel Cove, The Pines, Shark Alley, The Dump, Boomer, Bullies, Knights, Chicken Run, Frenchmans, Middleton Bay, Middleton Point, Middleton Beach, Day St, Cliffs and Goolwa Beach. 

MP for Finniss David Basham was at the ceremony and said the recognition and establishment of the Encounter Coast Surfing Reserve will not only protect the regions surf breaks, reef areas, cliff faces, sand dunes, but will also contribute to positive economic benefits for the local business community. ​

“I fully supported the call for the area from Parsons Beach to Goolwa to be established as a National Surfing Reserve back in 2018, when first approached by the steering committee. 

“I know there were moves around creating the reserve at least a year or two earlier, so it has been a long process requiring dedication and resilience by the committee and its many supporters.

“Declaring these areas a National Surfing Reserve will enhance public enjoyment for many years to come, whether it is surfing, swimming, fishing of just walking along one of our many spectacular beaches in the region.”

The ceremony coincided with the 2025 Southern Surf Festival, a two-day celebration of South Australian surfing at Middleton Point, featuring over 200 competitors across shortboard, longboard, single-fin, twin-fin, para, and mid-length events, and drawing huge crowds across the weekend.   

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