Hi, my name is Madhu (Ross Anderson) I am now 53 and when I was 14, a 17 year old friend brought me down south, I thought he was so old laughs, we got on well, I wonder what he is doing now? My eyes were wide open and we had this surf at Smiths beach that made my hair stand on end, perfect, clean and beautiful and on our own. I came back to Yallingup (Surfside) from the excitement of the adventure, as I drove down Yallingup Hill I can only describe what happened next as mystical. I now realise I was coming out of a depression I had been in since I was sent to college away from my friends in grade 6. The waves were roaring in my ears, the suns rays were flooding over the land, the cliffs were dark and ancient, mist rose over them, I knew this was my home. The next three years breaking away from my fathers plans for me and re-visiting by hitch hiking down south on every weekend possible. I'd ask my mum for two dollars, grab my board, sleeping bag and wetsuit, walk down to west coast highway and arrive at Yallingup 5 hours later, approximately 10pm. It's amazing that my parents let me go. I'd sleep under Burnies, he was the guy who owned the shop back then in 1968 and the gang would all arrive around 12, the same blokes every weekend in panel vans and beetles. The next morning we would all go to the same surf break which was either Gallows or Injinup, south point, Smiths or a few others in a convoy. Glen, Lance, George, Simpson, Ronnie and Alby, Gooffe, Culmsee, Ralf, Redman were here already living in old cars at the beach or in farm houses. Burnies tomato mince and toast was the cheapest, so thats what I ate along with a pint of milk in a milk shake container. That was food for Saturday and Sunday, I would hitch home starving. At 17 my Dad bought me a Mini Minor and that was my big escape, it was all planned out. Go down for a holiday and not return.

MY LIFE HAD BEGUN....... The first day I arrived the Farm (surf) was going off at 4 to 6 feet, best I have ever seen it to this day. Tom Hoye was the only person me and my friends saw all day, life couldn't be better back then. I got this great job with two older friends carting hay for $20/day, this was good money, I was stoked. Peter and I found this old farm house at Cowaramup swept the chooks out painted it and claimed a bedroom each and started to live a morning of the earth life style, it was Heaven. Left handers was just discovered and Ricky Lobe told us about it, then the winter onslaught hit us and a friend Chris and I went surfing over east.

We met Robert Connelly and his wife Dai at Cactus in South Australia. His friends Mark Moore, Geoff and Harry they were heading to Margaret's to live. This was the beginning of a community farming at Margaret River, it was a pretty fun time surfing great big uncrowded waves, good food in town at the vegi restaurant , dance gatherings at the Cowaramup hall watching Tony Hardy who surf Margrets better than anybody ever has. A favourite of Tony is getting barrelled on the peak consistently. Brownie, Billy, Martin from Torquay in Victoria all moved in with me and we got up in the dark and surfed Margets everyday for months, when the swell got too big we would head to Pea Break which is this surfer barrel at Injidup, it crumbles a little on the left side you take off there by paddling down the wave, jump up real fast and race into this surfer barrel. There is often a bend you go around inside the tube, so you can't see the entrance until you go around, then there is the entrance. It's uncanny, then the entrance gets bigger and out you pop or get cannon balled out with an explosion of spray. That was our life. An 18 year old gromme surfer thats how I classified who I was and feeling proud of myself really for the first time in my life!

Randall Owens, who surfed Margrets a lot, was writing a surf column in the Sunday Times, he was promoting me as the next WA champ. Board companies had been giving me free boards for quite a while. Cordingley, Hoye and Energy. There is a story before I go on I want to share about Randall . We pulled up the morning and the swell was huge, really big 14' 15'. 15'Margrets is massive and there was Randall way way out the back by himself, no one in the carpark, so we paddled way out to him and finally got there out past the 2nd bubble and Randall turns around and says to us 'hey guys there is a huge shark out here'. That was it, we caught the next massive wave in. The next day was 10' and small compared to the day before. I was going in my first contest and the defending state champion must have felt threatened and intimidated me by sitting beside me in the line up and bumping his surfboard against me. This reminded me of what I had left behind, the way my father provoked me to win countless state swimming events etc. for him as a boy. In my anger and confusion, I paddled in and left the contest area for good, so I went on my own way of self discovery.

I moved to Torquay and surfed Bells for a time, then to Phillip Island, then up the coast to Angourie, Lennox, Noosa and at Cactus in a caravan for months with good friends, then back to Yallingup and bought a block of land in Dawson Drive (the house is well known). This was an exciting time, I lived with a group of architects at Yallingup and we were all inspired to build alternative houses out of natural material. Rob Malcome was friends with this group. This influence in the area was transforming the whole housing industry. Asbestos that led the day up to now was receeding and our new radical natural approach was winning the day, all the local surfers started building their own houses and helping each other. The natural earthy houses spread like wild fire and the area was being transformed. I had my own small surf ware house and surfboard labels and design crafted by Ken McKenzie.

I moved from Yallingup to Injidup away from the tourism to a naturally quiet place, I have always loved the forest here. It has a peacefully rich diversity of trees and the wildflowers in spring are wonderful. I am nestled in just off the coast as to enjoy the coolness in summer of a deep forest yet only two minutes from the coast and in winter I love it here as it is very protected and the sound of the ocean is always heard. At carpark, there is waves all the time. As soon as the west winds turn south, I check it out and 'bang' and the waves are going off. Carpark in these conditions often become world class and only a few guys are there until word gets out.

Carpark is best when the storm just receeds, the winds swing to the south and subsides. I check it from the hill 2 minutes from home and low tide ~ WHOA! Performance surfing is best on a medium tide with a slight onshore. Tube riding is best when a slight offshore has been blowing all night. Inji point works best in spring when the big swells curve around the point, hit the bubble and rattle off a long way. Pea Break is medium to large swell and clean offshore conditions. The beach breaks crank up in early spring and last until late November, they are reliable and every year I surf here a lot. The back of Injidup has a lot of quite good waves but be careful of Mufflers. It has claimed some radical back injuries including a wheelchair tragedy. There is a classy waterfall also at the beach at the end of the track. Moses rack is a summer beach just 14 minutes away and GOANNAS a good left that can get good. So many waves here with such diversity.

Heading south, Wilyaburup in the winter/spring has good beach breaks. Gallows and Guillotine. Gallows is a big peak on a high tide medium swell, beautiful looking peaks marching in and Guilotine often holds big lefts, sometimes like Margarets. Then onto Cowaramup Bay and North point which can have barrels as big as a truck. South point has a left hand point protected from the south westerlies. When I first came down, I surfed Huzzalooies and looking at South point was like looking at Hawaii to a 14 year old. Around the back of Gracetown is another world. Really great waves one after the other, so many really good waves from tiny to medium to large swells. What a surf mecka, no wonder the local groms all get good then become hot surfers. Margarets is now a legend surf culture on the world tour. Main break is the epi-centre and the waves around fill in all the holes. Bombie, boat ramps, even the beach breaks at the river mouth is consistently happening and sometimes really goes off. .

North of Injidup is Smith's with surfer tubes and beaches, the winds from the SW hits Inji point, then shelters the waves as they HOP into Smith's, especially in the later afternoon when all the waves become more offshore, even in a SW sea breeze. Yallingup in the winter is a great big right hander and a left in the summer. Basically it is variable to the swell direction but that is the general rule, the bubble to the left that breaks in the middle. The gromme surf culture has a special way of beginning here, the children learn to swim and play in the unique lagoon, then they challenge themselves at the Granny pool with little waves, then they move down the beach to the dumpers and begin with boogie boards, then up the beach to Shallows at Yallingup and then they paddle out to the cove just outside the lagoon and then venture out to Yalls. All the 20 year old Gladiator surfers try themselves out at Rabbit Hill surfer barrel and often close out thumping beachy. A few swimmers have ended up in wheelchairs here so be careful!

Up along the cliffs between Yallingup is the Three sisters and Bomie and the Three bears. I like big baby bears personally and further up along the cliffs are some beach breaks. Then Windmills are really great summer beach breaks and to look at Sugar Loaf Rock while you surf is classic. Lighthouse just past Windmills, are also great beachies, then around the point to Bunkers Bay and then to Eagle Bay and reliable Rocky Point. Short and very pretty to walk there. A classic walk trail to a very picturesque spot. The whole coast is crowded with unique and wonderful beaches, all beautiful with aqua water and great never ending surf that rolls in endlessly in Winter.

In 35 years of surfing I have never seen a dead flat day - there is always waves to surf somewhere on this coast.