‘Jingi Walla’ and ‘Welcome’ to Bogangar/Cabarita Beach, home of Australia’s first regional Surf Reserve.
Now let’s be honest here… ‘Fat-old Caba’ cannot always live up to the pure wave class of some of its proximate, noisier neighbours. It does, however, have notable points of difference. It’s highly consistent and when the rest are flat, there’ll be a wave here. It’s not The Pass at Byron Bay, neither is it the Gold Coast points…but on its day, when the banks have been groomed, the swell is from the right angle and the wind goes offshore, it can match all its glitzier cousins in both ferocity, length, beauty and quality.
Bogangar/Cabarita Beach, is a thriving, tight little community that has fought to keep the ravages of over-development at bay. Plans for high rise and a caravan park extending almost to Hastings Point, have been thwarted at various points in time. The locals are both proud
and protective of this slice of paradise. They champion the village’s character and its natural attributes with vigour – the aim is to keep Caba Special- to share, respect and preserve this place for future generations.
And special it is. Crowned by a magnificent headland and cove, a crystalline back beach and a golden main beach stretching north towards Kingscliff, it is these characteristics that have been the catalyst to acquire its ‘Reserve’ status. The community Facebook page was christened Bogangardians (a deliberate spelling error), and the name reflects the desire of locals and visitors alike to hug this place like your favourite child, hoping they will never turn into a lairy teenager.
BACK BEACH SOUTH SIDE
Is famous for its white sands and crystal-clear water, is situated to the south of Norries Headland. Facing ESE, it runs south for approximately 2.5km towards Hastings Point. Open and exposed, strong rips and currents abound – great for surfers paddling out, but swimmers need to show caution. The northern corner provides some protection from NE winds whilst offshores will create ‘A frames’ the length of the beach. Goanna Track provides a magical walk and a consistent, heavy bank.
BACKWASH THE INLET
is, well…backwash from Grommets. Its particularly popular with the young, local body boarders who head out to sea on the backwash and turn towards land on the incoming wave whilst getting airborne on the next outgoing wave. The crash of the ocean punctuated by the excited chatter and squeals of delight from kids having way too much fun, is the accompanying soundtrack to a ‘sesh at Backies’.
NORRIES HEAD
Was in fact, once an island, as waves swept between the coast and the mainland in rough storms. Nowadays, when the big swells arrive, and caves at its base boom as breakers explode inside them, jet ski tow-ins become the vogue, along with the few, brave, paddle-in surfers. The headland provides a lofty amphitheatre to witness standup barrels at close quarters, whilst feeling the power of the Pacific vibrating the earth as it smashes into Norries. It’s a great place to spot Southern Right and Humpback whales on their annual migration in between sets.
THE COVE
Is a popular surfing beach known for consistent surf and long rides. A right-hander grinds down the pint off the headland and is a swell magnet even on flat days. Best in medium to large E-SE swells, the wave breaks around 100m off the beach making for a long paddle across the bar or via the rip in the southern corner.
GROMMETS POINT
Breaks just north of the Cove and on Caba’s best days will link up the Cove and fly you through Main Beach. On smaller days, it’s a shorter, fun, punchy little wave which gets even more fun as it hits the backwash from the rocks.
SOFT ROCK MAIN
Is a patrolled swimming beach in front of the Surf Club, which arcs gently towards Kingscliff, via Casuarina and Salt beaches. Soft Rock at the southern end of the main beach (which isn’t actually that soft if you land on it), offers a consistent slash-able right hander which can link up to Main Beach on bigger days. ‘Two tits’ (named after a house with a pair of pointy rooves, now demolished) signals the northern limit of Bogangar/Cabarita Beach Surfing Reserve. The banks are forever changing and a desire to explore can be rewarded with an empty, punchy peak.
Sitting on your board ‘out the back’ at The Cove, is not a priviledge everyone gets to experience. As surfers, we are literally and figuratively immersed in the environment.
An ocean that covers 1/3 of the planet’s surface, stretches unimaginable distances beyond the horizon; the cliff face to your right is an ancient remnant of a shield volcano, millions of years in the making; below is a complex food chain that we, and a host of other species rely on for sustenance.
As you take off and bottom turn right, aboe and before you, on top of the cliff, lives a littoral rainforest – a small, unique and critically endangered coastal rainforest community – one that is likely to become extinct unless the factors that threaten its survival are carefully managed.
A number of endangered species make their home including Glossy black Coskatoos, the Wompoo Fruit Dove and Ospreys.
The Bogangar/Cabarita Beach locale has a number of groups which cherish and nurture its ecology, including Dune Care, Friends of Cudgen Lake and Friends of the Koala.
Cabarita Beach Surf Life Saving Club – est. 1961
CBSLSC is a family orientated club, educating parents and children about healthy lifestyles, water safety and community service. With a new clubhouse and an active membership of around 700 members if provides voluntary lifesaving services to our beaches and is a real hub of the community.
Cabarita Beach Boardriders – est. 1985/1991
The first attempt to get a club off the ground was led by Ross and Ros Marshall. Ross was a Pro-Am surfer, but the club folded after 12 months through lack of senior helpers. The second attempt, in 1992 elected Paul Ricketts, Craig Lanston and Jeff Johnson as committee members and the club still thrives today.
Cabarita Longboarders Club – est. 1995
Longboard royalty and Cabarita resident, Joe Larkin was patron for many years until his passing. It’s a thriving club that attracts members from around the area and holds a friendly competition on the 4th Sunday of every month.
‘Growing up, I surfed Caba, pretty well non-stop, with a great posse of girlfriends, we knew just about everyone in the water. I learnt water skills with the Surf Club and then joined the Boardriders. Hanging and competing with the likes of Chippa and Dan Sinclair have given me some lifetime highlights. We need to look after this place for the next batch of groms.’
Jacinta Greenup
‘Caba was always friendly. Coming from Sydney in the early nineties, it was great to come to a place where you were accepted as just another surfer. People were glad to have someone to surf with and I was glad to oblige.’
Toni Sawyer