Aussies in cossies

They turn up on the Gold Coast dusty and bedraggled, an annual pilgrimage on an epic scale from far-flung corners of Australia.
Take the Albany boat crew. To compete in the Australian surf lifesaving championships - affectionately known as "The Aussies" - they need to cross 4399km of scorched red earth, dodging emus and kangaroos, blowing tyres on the Nullabor Plains and quenching a thirst only boaties could brew up.
A non-stop driving effort from the southern corner of Western Australia to the heart of Queensland would take three whole days, but with enough pubs en route, retired volunteer drivers can stretch it out over an entire week.
Clubs like Arafura, Burning Palms, Coochiemudlo and Crowdy Head descend on Kurrawa Beach for the week-long festival at the end of each summer, with 8000 competitors lining up on the warm golden sands.
From 305 surf lifesaving clubs in Australia, from the Northern Territory to Tasmania, from South Dalyellup, Gunnamatta, Mollymook and Tacking Point, they disembark, ready to compete in one of the biggest sporting events in the land.
Luckily for the big Kiwi contingent, the championships are a short flight from Auckland in the comfort of an Air New Zealand 747.
A record number of New Zealanders crossed the ditch this year, with more than 90 Kiwis racing in the carnival which was tragically cut short when a young ironman competitor died in large, cyclone-fed swells.
It means next year's Aussies from April 2-10 will be strong on unfinished business, and the New Zealand athletes will also look to cap a historic season.
Surf lifesaving in New Zealand celebrates 100 years this summer, with big-ticket sports events like the Lion Foundation Surf League, the DHL International Challenge and our own NZCT national championships in Christchurch in March.
But for sheer size and significance, it's hard to go past the Aussies. With a series of arenas stretching more than 2km along the prime beach of Kurrawa, the scale of the event could fit only amid the enormous bustle of the Gold Coast.
It's also the spiritual home of the surf lifesaving movement in Australia, where surf clubs speckle the vast line of coast, from the gigantic superclubs at Kurrawa and Northcliffe to the spectacular location of Currumbin, perched precariously on the side of a rock in the middle of a bay.
In recent years, New Zealand's best have started infiltrating the Australian clubs, like five-time NZ ironman champion Daniel Moodie, who has been at Northcliffe for three years.
"I like the environment over here," Moodie says. "The guys are the best in the sport and they have a different mentality, and when it comes to racing, there can be 50 guys good enough to win the ironman - you pretty much have to race the perfect race and then some."
With adventure parks, resorts, beaches, balmy weather and the glitz of the Gold Coast, it's no surprise the lifeguards and their supporters usually tack on generous portions of annual leave to their competition.
Weeks later, you can still spot dusty trucks and utes brandishing the names of faraway coasts in South Australia and Victoria creeping around the city, delaying as long as possible the long trip back to reality.
Jamie Troughton flew to the Gold Coast courtesy of Air New Zealand. Air New Zealand operates up to five direct flights per week from Auckland and two direct flights per week from Christchurch to the Gold Coast, with connections available from around New Zealand. Fares start from $189 ex-Auckland. For the best airfares, visit www.airnewzealand.co.nz or ph 0800 737 000.