The Aussies brings nation’s best surf lifesavers to Perth beaches
Australia's best surf lifesavers descended on Scarborough and Trigg beaches on Saturday for the start of the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, known as 'The Aussies'.
Over the next 7 days of intense and exhilarating competition, 314 national clubs will compete in more than 480 events at Scarborough and Trigg beaches, showcasing their skills across Youth, Masters and Open categories.
Returning to Western Australia for the first time in 5 years, The Aussies was last held in WA in 2018 with more than 5100 competitors from local and national clubs.
The 2018 event attracted more than 8500 visitors from outside of WA, generating more than $15 million in visitor spend.
More than 5000 competitors have registered to take part in this year's event, plus over 700 entrants for the Aussies Ocean Swim event, which is open to members of the public.
The theme of this year's contest is 'Rescue Ready' — a nod to the origins of the annual competition, which was first held in 1915 to challenge the skills of the nation's surf lifesavers.
Scarborough Beach will also host a festival zone for the duration of the competition, which will include a wide range of activities to add to the event experience including festival markets, live music and alfresco dining.
The Aussies will be broadcast nationally in 2 two-hour packages on SBS in May that will incorporate iconic imagery of some of Western Australia's favourite tourism attractions in Perth and surrounds. It will also be live streamed on Surf Life Saving Australia's Facebook page.