To celebrate the festive season Peter Hunt recently got together with his fellow surfing brethren: shortboarders, mals, kneelos, and in a wonderful show of yuletide generosity, even a goatboater was welcomed into the fold. They surfed the waves together, joyously sharing and calling out to one other.

After a dismal December the New Year has started with a bang on the Gold Coast. But there were waves and it wasn't blowing northerly. Nobody was happier than Brad Nielson, who saw in the new year shooting Kernal Klink and Chris Butler.

After all, Queensland and Northern NSW are usually the regions that get delivered the festive joy, while Vicco rests its weary head. Not this time however, Vicco - at least the stretch east of Melbourne - received a pumping post-Christmas swell while everywhere else languished (parts of WA and SA not withstanding...settle down tribesmen). Karl Bromelow took the shots of a summer that has been turned on its head.//STUART NETTLE

It wasn't quite Hollywood material... A rapidly developing low pressure system in the southern Tasman Sea was predicted to deliver meaty five to six foot waves to Sydney and the South Coast yesterday.

It's that time of year again - time for the office Christmas party. The fun never stops... Or you can do what Brad Nilelsen, Ice Pereira-Ryan and Adam Klink - the keenest team of shopfitters on the Goldy - do.

Unexploded ordinance keeps the bushwalkers fleet of foot and an anchor-dragging rip keeping the boaters on guard.

No waves ridden, no bands seen...yet. The Falls Festival is a three day festival held in both Lorne, Victoria, and Marion Bay, Tasmania. Check the swell updates for Victoria and Tasmania. If you're planning to go to either festival here's a heads-up that tickets for Marion Bay will likely sell out by this Thursday, with Lorne tickets going even quicker. Head to www.fallsfestival.com for all the details. If you score waves at either locale then send them to us here at Swellnet.

Ten world titles.Ten point ride.Twenty shot sequence. For Kelly, it's a season of tens and, err, multiples of ten. Sequence by Robbie Warden.//STUART NETTLE

There's 200 guys in the water at Rocky Point today, and there's 300 photographers on the beach shooting them. Yet here's Karl Bromelow walking his local beaches alone, looking at empty line-ups and asking the question: where the bloody hell are you?! That question only works for dippy blondes, Karl.//STUART NETTLE

A protected coastline and a precarious waterway combine to keep all but the largest swells at bay. Better than your standard novelty wave though, in the right conditions this place pumps.  All photos by Michael Tuni.//STUART NETTLE

Victoria got hit by a large swell last week and, during it's peak, keen punters had the opportunity to see the surf in reverse.

My profession as a surf forecaster involves scouring weather maps day after day, keeping abreast of all the swells occurring across the country. Whilst looking at the weather maps last week I saw a pattern evolving over my home state of South Australia and it instantly got me excited.

Garrett McNamara's nearing the end of an interesting pre-European winter project called "The North Canyon Show".

After a surprisingly productive springtime of surf in Southeast Queensland, the kids are geeing up for a big summer of water action. Their equipment's fine-tuned, the banks are stable and the water temperature's enticing all and sundry into the lineup.

Nigel Eberhardt and mates got lost in the wilderness recently, hundreds of clicks from the nearest Post Office and even further to the nearest internet exchange. So isolated were they that a city boy like me finds the photos just a wee bit disturbing.