‘The Point’: surfing, geography and a sensual life of men and masculinity on the Gold Coast, Australia

Abstract

The beach has long been a privileged site in Australian culture, and surfers have become icons of it. These men are often referred to as straight as steel, strong as granite, austere and inviolate. Drawing on over three decades worth of surfing I unpack this hegemonic understanding of men who surf, and reveal in its place the importance of feelings and bodies to their lives. Through an analysis of going surfing I articulate the role feelings and bodies play in how men belong, how they bond with their ‘turf’, come to understand themselves as masculine, and how they learn to do masculinity.