''Tracks'' is a monthly

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n surf magazine, promoting itself as "the surfers' bible." It is published by Nextmedia. ''Tracks'' was established in October 1970 by

Alby Falzon Albert "Alby" Falzon (born 1945) is an Australian filmmaker, photographer and publisher in the surfing sub-culture. Early life Falzon grew up in the beachside suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra in Sydney, Australia. He did not begin ...

John Witzig John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, and

David Elfick David Elfick (born 20 December 1944) is an Australian film and television writer, director, producer and occasional actor. He is known for his association with writer-director Phillip Noyce, with whom he has collaborated on films including ''New ...

, starting as a kind of

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

tabloid, printed on newsprint and produced on

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

's northern beaches. Since then it has grown to be a major surfing publication.

History

''Tracks'' was originally published by the Tracks Publishing Company. ''Tracks'' published a cartoon series,"

Captain Goodvibes Captain Goodvibes, a.k.a. the Pig of Steel, is the creation of Australian cartoonist Tony Edwards and an icon of Australian surfing culture from the 1970s. In 1992 Captain Goodvibes was named by ''Australia's Surfing Life'' magazine as one of "Aus ...

", by Australian cartoonist Tony Edwards. The Captain Goodvibes cartoons were first published in May 1973 and appeared regularly until July 1981. The character became an icon of Australian surfing culture. "Lash Clone" by Australian Author D. C. Greening appeared in the pages of ''Tracks'' during the 1980s, with Greening's later works, "Cosmic Surf Wars," appearing more recently. Some time after 1987 the magazine was acquired by Next Publishing (now known as Nextmedia). In July 1988 the magazine's title was updated from ''tracks'' to ''tRACKS''. In March 2000 the magazine changed format from the original newsprint size down to a tabloid size.

''Tracks'' editors

1970-1975 *

1970-1972 *

1970 * Phil Jarratt 1975-1977''The wave game : an inside look at professional surfing'' / by Phil Jarratt. Broadway, N.S.W. : Soundtracks, 1977. * Paul Holmes 1978-1981 * Kirk Wilcox 1981-1984 * Nick Carroll 1984-1986 * Jon Ellis 1986-1988 * Tim Baker 1989-1991 * Gary Dunne 1991-1994 * Neil Ridgeway 1994-1997 * Wayne Dart 1997-2000 * Sean Doherty 2000-2008 * Luke Kennedy 2008-

Controversy

In 2014, 13-year-old reader and surfer Olive Bowers wrote an open letter to the magazine pointing out sexism in the print and digital editions of the magazine. She pointed to the absence of female surfers and the presence of scantily-clad women not involved in surfing in the magazine.Steger, Jason
"Olive Bowers hits out at surfer sexism,"
''Sydney Morning Herald'' (MARCH 30 2014).

References

External links

* Magazines established in 1970 1970 establishments in Australia Monthly magazines published in Australia Surfing magazines Companies based on the Gold Coast, Queensland Sports magazines published in Australia Mass media on the Gold Coast, Queensland {{sport-mag-stub