About Tracks

Tracks

Tracks is Australia's iconic surf magazine — "the surfers' bible" — founded in October 1970 in a beach shack at Whale Beach on Sydney's northern beaches by Alby Falzon, John Witzig and David Elfick. Launched to capture the counter-culture movement sweeping through surfing, it began as a newsprint tabloid and grew into the defining Australian surf publication: more than 600 editions and close to 10 million magazines printed, "more than any other magazine on earth." After four decades of corporate ownership, it returned to surfer hands in February 2021, when a co-operative of five surfers bought it from nextmedia.

Overview

Tracks is published quarterly in a newsprint-magazine format, covering professional surfing, surf travel, board culture, photography and the irreverent humour that has been its signature since the 1970s. Editor Luke Kennedy leads the editorial team with Ben Bugden; Damian Martin heads advertising. The brand is expanding beyond print under its independent owners: Tracks TV (a planned 24/7 streaming channel for surf, skate, snow, music and lifestyle) and Tracks Shacks (an accommodation platform for surfers, skaters and snow enthusiasts) are part of the "Tracks 2.0" vision.

History

The magazine was a product of the counter-culture: Falzon's zeitgeist film Morning of the Earth had captured surfing's soul-searching moment, and Tracks was its newsprint counterpart — produced on Sydney's northern beaches, smart, funny and anti-establishment. The tone shifted in 1974 with the hiring of Phil Jarratt, "one of surfing's finest and funniest writers": Tracks paid close attention to the rise of professional surfing while keeping its snide wit. Jarratt wrote a kneeboard column titled "Cripple's Corner"; Queensland's soon-to-be world champion Wayne Bartholomew surfed nude for a 1976 cover story; and the hugely popular Captain Goodvibes — a boorish cartoon surf-pig superhero drawn by Tony Edwards (staff cartoonist 1973–1981) — became a national cult figure. By mid-decade circulation reached 40,000, "larger by far than any previous Australian surf publication."

The reputation held under editors Paul Holmes and Nick Carroll — both of whom went on to edit American surf magazines — with articles continuing "in the Jarratt style: smart, funny, and more often than not snide." As Carroll later put it, Tracks "truly defined the Australian surf mag." Tim Baker edited from 1989 to 1991 before leaving for Australia's Surfing Life, as the younger rival — founded 1985 — and the 1987-founded Waves challenged Tracks with a raunchier, more sophomoric humour that caught on.

Corporate ownership followed: MasonStewart bought the title in 1997, Britain's emap in 2007, and nextmedia after that. In February 2021 — with the 50th-anniversary issue fresh off the press — editor Luke Kennedy joined Peter Strain, David Mulham, Greg Cooper and Damian Martin to buy the magazine back. "I've been a keen surfer and dedicated Tracks reader for decades," said Strain. "Tracks is more than just a magazine, it's a part of our history, and it has played an important role in shaping our cultural identity, not only as surfers but as Australians." The first issue under the new owners was released in April 2021; nextmedia's managing director said the company was "delighted that Tracks has found the right home for its next chapter."

In 2024 the independent owners opened the business to public investment — "own a piece of surfing history" — raising funds to keep the publication going and to build the digital projects of Tracks 2.0.

The Jarratt years

Phil Jarratt's 1974 arrival as editor defined the magazine's golden age. Tracks "paid close attention to the rise of professional surfing, and jettisoned much of its nonsurfing editorial platform" — the counter-culture tabloid grew up into a surf magazine, without losing its wit. Jarratt wrote the kneeboard column "Cripple's Corner"; Queensland's Wayne Bartholomew, soon to be world champion, surfed nude for a 1976 cover story; and the magazine's circulation hit 40,000 by mid-decade, "larger by far than any previous Australian surf publication." The editorial line held through Paul Holmes and Nick Carroll, both of whom later edited American surf magazines, with articles continuing "in the Jarratt style: smart, funny, and more often than not snide." Carroll's verdict — Tracks "truly defined the Australian surf mag" — is the title's epitaph for its first quarter-century.

Captain Goodvibes

No symbol captures Tracks' cultural reach like Captain Goodvibes, the boorish cartoon surf-pig superhero drawn by staff cartoonist Tony Edwards (1973–1981). A national cult figure, the Captain embodied the magazine's larrikin anti-authoritarianism — the id of Australian surfing in the 1970s, as recognisable as any surfer on the tour. Edwards' seven-year run gave the newsprint tabloid a visual identity as distinctive as its prose.

Tracks 2.0

The independent owners' plan for the brand's second half-century is "Tracks 2.0": evolving "from a print magazine to a multifaceted surf lifestyle brand." The pillars are Tracks TV — a 24/7 streaming channel for surf, skate, snow, music and lifestyle content — and Tracks Shacks, an accommodation platform for surfers, skaters and snow enthusiasts. To fund it, the owners opened a public investment offer in 2024: "own a piece of surfing history," raising money "to ensure they can keep delivering this awesome publication to the community, and also to take on some super exciting digital projects." The offer — which closed on 20 June 2024 — drew hundreds of investors, including Adventure Entertainment founder Toby Ryston-Pratt: "Growing up Tracks was always on my family's coffee table at home and we still have boxes of the magazines in the garage."

Content and Features

The quarterly magazine carries long-form surf journalism, photography, travel, board-culture features and the humour the title is famous for. The planned Tracks TV streaming channel and Tracks Shacks accommodation platform extend the brand into video and travel services.

The co-op's first years

The first issue under the surfer co-operative was released in April 2021, with the editorial team continuing under Luke Kennedy and Ben Bugden and Damian Martin staying on in advertising. Peter Strain spoke of "re-invigorating" the brand: "So many of us have significant memories associated with Tracks… It's an exciting time for surf culture. Everyone's back in the water and there's never been so much curiosity about surfboards and different surfing experiences." The quarterly, newsprint-inflected format honours the 1970 origins — the counter-culture tabloid, grown up but not grown corporate — while Tracks 2.0 builds the digital future the 2024 investment offer funded.

Coverage and Audience

Tracks is distributed nationally through newsagents and subscriptions. Its audience is the Australian surfing community across generations — the readers who grew up with the magazine on the family coffee table and the new readers discovering it under independent ownership — plus the global audience for Australian surf culture.

From a Whale Beach shack in 1970 to a surfer-owned multimedia brand, Tracks' arc mirrors Australian surfing itself — counter-culture to corporate and back to the beach.

Ownership

Tracks is owned by Tracks Media Pty Ltd, the surfer co-operative of Luke Kennedy, Peter Strain, David Mulham, Greg Cooper and Damian Martin, who bought it from nextmedia in February 2021. Previous owners include MasonStewart (1997–2007), emap (2007–~2010s) and nextmedia. The magazine is based in Sydney, New South Wales.

Digital Presence

The brand's website, tracksmag.com, carries news and features between quarterly issues, with active social media channels. Tracks TV — the planned 24/7 streaming channel — and the public investment offer signal the independent owners' digital ambitions for the brand's next half-century.