	{"id":115323,"date":"2026-01-25T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/?p=115323"},"modified":"2026-01-21T20:45:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T09:45:45","slug":"first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/","title":{"rendered":"First Nations surf gathering date set"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>SURFING AUSTRALIA has confirmed the Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles will again be held at Bells Beach\/Djarrak in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The May 29 to May 31 event will bring together more than 100 of the nation&#8217;s best First Nations surfers for a weekend of community connection and celebration.<\/p>\n<p>Now in its 13th year, the surfing classic continues to be one of the most anticipated and celebrated competitions on both the state and national surfing calendar.<\/p>\n<p>Surfing Victoria chief executive officer Adam Robertson said the state surfing body was thrilled to be hosting the titles.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re excited to welcome the best Indigenous surfing talent from across the country to take on the Bowl at Djarrak and wish all competitors the very best as they showcase their skill, culture, and passion for the sport.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles will be stop four on Surfing Australia&#8217;s National Titles schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Surfing Australia&#8217;s chief of sport \u2013 events and partnerships, Luke Madden, said the 2026 calendar reflected the strength and diversity of Australian surfing.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The 2026 national calendar showcases the best of Australian surfing \u2013 iconic locations, stand-alone national championships for each discipline, and clear pathways from grassroots through to international representation,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Each event has been purposefully placed to suit the discipline, the athletes and the community, while continuing to strengthen partnerships with host regions and event partners across the country.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SURFING AUSTRALIA has confirmed the Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles will again be held at Bells Beach\/Djarrak in 2026. The May 29 to May 31 event will bring together more than 100 of the nation&#8217;s best First Nations surfers for a weekend of community connection and celebration. Now in its 13th year, the surfing classic continues [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":115324,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-115323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>First Nations surf gathering date set - Bellarine Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Indigenous Surfing Titles return to Bells Beach in May 2026, uniting First Nations surfers for elite competition and cultural celebration.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First Nations surf gathering date set - Bellarine Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Indigenous Surfing Titles return to Bells Beach in May 2026, uniting First Nations surfers for elite competition and cultural celebration.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bellarine Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-24T17:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Untitled-design-40-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nathan Rivalland\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nathan Rivalland\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nathan Rivalland\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf7cb8dfe63a187785b4e65994914833\"},\"headline\":\"First Nations surf gathering date set\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-24T17:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":230,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Untitled-design-40-2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/\",\"name\":\"First Nations surf gathering date set - Bellarine Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Untitled-design-40-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-24T17:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Indigenous Surfing Titles return to Bells Beach in May 2026, uniting First Nations surfers for elite competition and cultural celebration.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Untitled-design-40-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Untitled-design-40-2.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"More than 100 of the countries best First Nations surfers will take to the water in May this year. Photo: ELLEY HARRISON\\\/SURFING VICTORIA\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/sport\\\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"First Nations surf gathering date set\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Bellarine Times\",\"description\":\"Free local news\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Bellarine Times\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/cropped-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/cropped-logo.png\",\"width\":291,\"height\":38,\"caption\":\"Bellarine Times\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf7cb8dfe63a187785b4e65994914833\",\"name\":\"Nathan Rivalland\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1e39c50fc5abf17687f11be47ad63e3eaf3f82c331506cffb88c36513c02a6b1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1e39c50fc5abf17687f11be47ad63e3eaf3f82c331506cffb88c36513c02a6b1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1e39c50fc5abf17687f11be47ad63e3eaf3f82c331506cffb88c36513c02a6b1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nathan Rivalland\"},\"description\":\"Nathan Rivalland is a journalist with the Times News Group. He covers community news, lifestyle and sport across the Surf Coast, Bellarine and Geelong.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/bellarinetimes\\\/author\\\/nathanrivalland\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"First Nations surf gathering date set - Bellarine Times","description":"Indigenous Surfing Titles return to Bells Beach in May 2026, uniting First Nations surfers for elite competition and cultural celebration.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"First Nations surf gathering date set - Bellarine Times","og_description":"Indigenous Surfing Titles return to Bells Beach in May 2026, uniting First Nations surfers for elite competition and cultural celebration.","og_url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/","og_site_name":"Bellarine Times","article_published_time":"2026-01-24T17:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Untitled-design-40-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Nathan Rivalland","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nathan Rivalland","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/"},"author":{"name":"Nathan Rivalland","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/bf7cb8dfe63a187785b4e65994914833"},"headline":"First Nations surf gathering date set","datePublished":"2026-01-24T17:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/"},"wordCount":230,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Untitled-design-40-2.jpg","articleSection":["Sport"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/","name":"First Nations surf gathering date set - Bellarine Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Untitled-design-40-2.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-24T17:00:00+00:00","description":"Indigenous Surfing Titles return to Bells Beach in May 2026, uniting First Nations surfers for elite competition and cultural celebration.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Untitled-design-40-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Untitled-design-40-2.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"More than 100 of the countries best First Nations surfers will take to the water in May this year. Photo: ELLEY HARRISON\/SURFING VICTORIA"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/sport\/first-nations-surf-gathering-date-set\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"First Nations surf gathering date set"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/","name":"Bellarine Times","description":"Free local news","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/#organization","name":"Bellarine Times","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/cropped-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/cropped-logo.png","width":291,"height":38,"caption":"Bellarine Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/bf7cb8dfe63a187785b4e65994914833","name":"Nathan Rivalland","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1e39c50fc5abf17687f11be47ad63e3eaf3f82c331506cffb88c36513c02a6b1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1e39c50fc5abf17687f11be47ad63e3eaf3f82c331506cffb88c36513c02a6b1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1e39c50fc5abf17687f11be47ad63e3eaf3f82c331506cffb88c36513c02a6b1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Nathan Rivalland"},"description":"Nathan Rivalland is a journalist with the Times News Group. He covers community news, lifestyle and sport across the Surf Coast, Bellarine and Geelong.","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/author\/nathanrivalland\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115323"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=115323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}