Tracks magazine: Surf Australia best beaches with all expenses paid, working just two weeks a month in dream job
The search for the perfect wave on sacred breaks is the lifeblood of Australian surfing culture. Now young grommets have a chance to get paid for it.
Australian surf magazine Tracks is offering Gen Zs a part-time job to appear on a reality TV show and surf the country’s best spots for $50,000 a year.
Three Aussies aged 18 to 25 will feature on the show, traveling around the country in a converted bus to promote Australia as a ‘tourist surfing mecca’.
Successful applicants will join the Wanderlust crew when filming begins in September.
The show is part of Tracks’ expansion into video production, which started as a magazine in 1970 and played a role in shaping Australia’s rich surf culture.
The program will share the same counterculture dream that the magazine has maintained for decades.
A new reality TV show is giving young Aussies the chance to travel around the country to surf the country’s best spots for $50,000. The photo shows candidates Bronte Gooch and Ethan Eshuys
“We foot the bill for virtually everything as you travel the coast to attend major surfing events and music festivals, eat and drink in the best pubs and great local restaurants and capture everything in between,” said Tracks editor. Chief Luke Kennedy.
Generation Z is questioning their place in society and looking for a way out of the typical 9-5 work routine, according to publisher Peter Strain.
“Questioning societal norms is as relevant to Gen Z youth today as it was to surfers living on the fringes of society in October 1970, when Tracks first appeared in newsagents,” Strain said.
‘That is the DNA of our magazine.
‘The Vietnam War polarized society and leaving society and surfing was seen as the ultimate ‘F You’ to Australia’s mainstream.
“Today, kids don’t want to listen to boomer bosses telling them how to live their lives – they want to surf, and our new motion graphics platform and content filmed on the Tracks Wanderlust Bus will show just that.”
Tracks is the world’s most published surf magazine and Australia’s second longest published magazine after Australian Women’s Weekly.
Australian surfing icon and Tracks ambassador, Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew, said the opportunity looked like landing on the cover of the illustrious magazine.
“Landing a Tracks cover was the ultimate dream for any professional surfer, so I’m thrilled that three young sailors will get the chance to experience that same feeling with the magazine’s revival,” he said.
The programme, run by Australian surfing magazine Tracks, will film for two weeks each month on the Wanderlust Bus (pictured) to promote Australia as a ‘surfing mecca’.
Two 21-year-olds from Bondi, where Tracks is based, have already thrown their hats into the ring for the chance to be on the show.
Bronte Gooch, who teaches amateurs to surf at Bondi Beach, said she would love the opportunity to do what she loves for a living.
“This incredible opportunity to travel around Australia, surf the best waves and share my journey on social media and a reality TV show would be sick,” Ms Gooch said.
‘Not only will I discover hidden gems and surf spots, but I also hope to inspire more people to fall in love with surfing.
“The chance to live freely, document everything and promote Australia’s great surf culture would be super cool.”
Musician Ethan Eshuys was also thrilled to have the opportunity to potentially combine his “two greatest passions.”
“Surfing during the day and performing in local pubs at night is a great combination,” he said.
‘This job would allow me to connect with fellow surfers, enjoy the best waves and further my music career by visiting new locations.
‘Plus, promoting Australia as a top surfing destination on a reality TV show is a great bonus!’
The magazine is looking for Aussies between the ages of 18 and 25 who are not afraid of the camera and are adept with social media. It is open to surfers of all levels
However, the pair will face stiff competition for the gig as a flock of Gen Zers are already putting their hands up to start filming in September.
Tracks assesses a candidate’s ability in front of a camera and their skills with social media, but is open to surfers of all levels – even amateurs.
The reality show will be a game changer for Tracks as they look to focus on video production.
Award-winning producer and CEO of Perpetual Entertainment, Greg Quail, has joined forces with the magazine to create its own production studio.
The studio will help generate content for Tracks to fill out a dedicated 24/7 streaming channel.
It will be available on all devices and will offer “non-stop surfing, skating, music and lifestyle… all for free,” Mr Quail said.
The company will also give fans the opportunity to become an investor in Tracks Media for just $250 through a crowdfunding campaign to help fund the brand’s expansion.
Visit the Tracks website to apply.
Fanatic surfers Ethan Eshuys (left) and Bronte Gooch (right) have already rolled up their sleeves for the unique role