Surf Research

Surf research.com.au was selected for preservation by the National Library of Australia, and archived annually in their online collection. The first edition was presented online about 1998, originally titled pods for primates: a catalogue of surfboards in Australia since 1900. The website appeared under the URL www.surfresearch.com.au. As its scope and content has somewhat exceeded the original parameters, from June 2013 the page headers are being adjusted to the URL. The URL was similarly derived from another prestigious source, Surf Research was a Californian company producing a range of products from the mid-1960s, including their coloured and scented surf wax, Waxmate. The principals were Garth Murphy, Mike Doyle, and Rusty Miller. Doyle and Miller were outstanding surfers, with substantial competitive careers and regularly appearing in magazines. At the end of 1960s the Californian company was sold and Mike Doyle relocated to Mexico, Rusty to Kauai, and Garth Murphy emigrated to Australia where he marketed Waxmate from a post box in Byron Bay, circa 1970. Rusty Miller also relocated to Australia and he currently resides in Byron Bay. Rusty contributed to Witzig's groundbreaking Tracks and featured in the Bali sequences of Albert Falzon's The Morning of the Earth. Many thanks to Rusty, Tricia, and Simon.