Australian SurfTours

South of Wollongong, where the Illawarra escarpment crowds close to the coast, this Thirroul-based school runs multi-day surf camps rather than one-off lessons — seven and fourteen days that take total beginners through a structured progression on the area's beach breaks, with a satellite weekend camp further south at Bendalong. Days combine surf coaching with the wider run of the South Coast: rock-pool swims, kangaroo-spotting, and campfire evenings alongside a rotating group of housemates who arrived as strangers. Longer development courses, running four, eight or twelve weeks, go further, aimed at surfers chasing real technical progress or a foothold in coaching or the surf industry. Thirroul itself is a short train ride from Sydney, which keeps the camps accessible without the crowds of Byron. It's a fit for travellers who want surfing to be the spine of a trip rather than an afternoon add-on — arrive knowing nothing, leave having actually learned to read a wave.