The fauna along the western Victorian coast tells a tale of the Victorian surfing experience. Atop all the exposed cliffs and headlands hardy heath and low shrubs cling tenaciously to the ground. In chorus, they bend toward the land, away from the ocean and the prevailing onshore wind that shapes them.

It is this south-westerly flow that is the bane of Victorian surfers. Weeks can pass without reprieve as the persistent wind buffets the coast. Each swell ruined by the wind blowing over it's back.

Of course there are times when the wind blows off the land giving shape to the waves and not the fauna. Ben Differding sent us this selection of photos to remind us of those times. // STUART NETTLE