Surf magazine Tracks hunt for grommets to launch Airb’n’b-style platform for surfers

    Surf magazine Tracks hunt for grommets to launch Airb’n’b-style platform for surfers
    Edited by Travel Weekly


      Iconic Australian surf magazine, Tracks, is on the hunt for three keen surfers to fill the ‘best job in the world’, travelling on their own Wanderlust Bus, staying beachside at the title’s own Airb’n’b-style accommodation then capturing their rookie surfing adventures for social media.

      “We’ll foot the bill for pretty much everything as you travel up and down the coast attending major surfing events and music festivals, eat and drink at the best pubs and great local restaurants and capture everything in between,” Tracks editor in chief Luke Kennedy said.

      “The content you film will be shared across all social media platforms as well as creating travel guides of the best places to surf, stay, eat and drink.

      A mock-up of a bus that the Tracks surfers could be taking on tour.

      “And when you’re not sleeping on the Tracks Wanderlust Bus, you’ll be staying at some of the best coastal beach shacks thanks to a new Airbnb-styled travel platform the magazine will be officially launching later the year. Called Tracks Shacks, the accommodation will be curated for surfers, by surfers.”

      Tracks magazine is set to reinvigorate itself for a 2024 audience by going back to its 1970 counterculture roots and they want the grommets to document what it’s like living every surfer’s dream.

      Not only is the magazine pivoting into a multi-faceted media, entertainment and accommodation brand, but it is also offering investors the opportunity to buy shares in the company for the first time through a Birchal equity crowdfunding raise.

      Since its 1970 launch, Tracks has become the world’s most prolifically published surf magazine, surpassing US title Surfer Magazine with well over 600 issues. It’s also Australia’s second-longest published magazine (Australian Women’s Weekly is No.1).

      Legendary film-marker Alby Falzon was co-founder and publisher of Tracks with David Elfick and John Witzig. Photo: joliphotos.com

      It played a pivotal role in shaping global surf culture by pioneering brands like Rip Curl, Billabong, and Quiksilver, putting them firmly on the map. Now it is pivoting to remain influential and relevant in a changing media landscape.

      “Questioning societal norms is as relevant today for Gen Z youth as it was for surfers living on the fringes of society back in October 1970 when Tracks first appeared in newsagents,” said Tracks publisher, Peter Strain.

      “That’s our magazine’s DNA. The Vietnam War polarised society and dropping out of society and surfing was seen as the ultimate ‘F-you’ to mainstream Australia. Today, kids don’t want to listen to boomer bosses telling them how to live their lives – they want to surf, and our new moving pictures platform and the content filmed on the Tracks Wanderlust Bus will show exactly that.”

      Australian surfing-veteran and Tracks Brand Ambassador Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew said: “For over 50 years, Tracks Magazine has been the undisputed voice of surfing across the world. Landing a Tracks cover was the ultimate dream for any pro surfer, so I’m excited three young grommets will have the chance to experience that same feeling with the reinvigoration of the magazine.”

      The Tracks Wanderlust Bus will showcase Australia’s most spectacular beaches and beach shacks thanks to the magazine’s accommodation platform Tracks Shacks. The new Airbnb-style platform, tailored for surfers, has partnered up with Australian accommodation company, Alloggio, which is in the process of acquiring holiday home management companies in ideal surf regions across the country. It expects to have acquired 15,000 ‘surfing relevant’ managed homes by 2029.

      Tracks has also partnered up with Greg Quail’s Perpetual Entertainment, to establish a Tracks production studio to produce their own content.

      “We will be creating a unique 24/7 channel which will be available on all your devices consisting of non-stop surf, snow, skate, music and lifestyle,” says Quail. “And all for free!”

      Tracks has also teamed up with the new innovative travel company Exceptional Alien to create an immersive experience for readers called Exceptional Tracks.

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