A stunning collection of vintage surfboards on display at Bang Bang Bar and Food in Cape Woolamai is capturing the history of Victorian and Phillip Island surfing.

The brainchild of local surfer Lindsay Becker who runs Tattoo’s by Lindsay and founded Phillip Island Surfboard Display and Bang Bang’s owner Pat O’Garey, this is a museum with a twist.

The boards have been mounted on the roof and walls of the popular bar and restaurant. There’s no entry fee and surfing enthusiasts are welcome to wander in, enjoy a beer and take in the surfing history.

Anyone dining in the restaurant will also get to enjoy the display which reflects the pair’s passion for surfing and for the history of board making.

“We have a real appreciation of the history and craftsmanship of board making, both in Victoria and nationally,” Pat explained.

“It is an amazing array of surfboards and there are some special ones that are really historically significant.”

The boards date from the 60s through to the 1990s, with a focus on the 70s and 80s.

Board makers such as Klemm Bell and Russell Francis, as well as shapers from Island and Islantis eras are included in the showcase. It also features many shapers from Victoria’s west coast, such as Pat Morgan, Wayne Lynch, Greg Brown and Don Allcroft.

“We picked what we thought was relevant for the display or for the history of surfing around Victoria,” Pat said.

While many of the boards have been ridden, Pat said some are “old school boards and you wouldn’t want to ride and damage them”. He said the craftmanship of the old boards is what is most appealing.

Pat believes the display is unique in Victoria, with the only other major surfboard display in the Australian National Surfing Museum in Torquay.

A way to showcase the rich surfing history of the area, he said it was another way of supporting the surfing community – “a bit of giving back”.

“We live on a surfing island and people love and are passionate about surfing.”

And there’s plenty more to come.

“It will be an evolving display, so we might hang up some more, or change the boards.

“We’ve got a plethora of boards still to run through the display. We could have had two Bang Bang’s and it still wouldn’t have fitted.”

Coming soon is a QR code system for each board, so people can scan and get some background and history of the board and shaper.

Get a taste of surfing history with a visit to Bang Bang at 13/18 Phillip Island Road, Cape Woolamai. Open from 2pm every day over summer except Wednesday.

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