Dixon Park Surf Life Saving Club

DIXON PARK BUDGY SMUGGLERS ARE HERE 🩲

They're loud, they're 90s inspired, they'll make you want to go rewatch Seinfeld

Meet the new Dixon Park budgies. Bold, bright and built to be spotted from the far end of the beach

Men's are $70. Women's are $110 (the Thin Strap Racer cut)

And they're for everyone, not just members. Grab a pair whether you swim with us, past us, or just like the look. Every pair sold goes straight back into supporting Dixon Park SLSC community activities

Quick honesty note: these are AI mockups from real Budgy Smuggler photos, so the finished pair will look even sharper than what you're seeing

Here's the deal. We're putting one order in, and orders close 31 July. No sales gimmicks, no fake countdown, it's just the ordering logistics. We need the numbers by then to place it, and we can't promise we'll run these again

Importantly before you order: double-check your size. We're placing a single order and we can't do returns or swaps if they don’t fit, so the size you pick is the size you get. Need to double check? Visit the store at Westfield Kotara to try some on

Want a pair? Three steps:
1. Fill in the Jotform with your name, contact details and size. https://form.jotform.com/261900784258059
2. Pay by bank transfer using "BUDGY SURNAME" as the description. (Not literally “SURNAME” hopefully obviously).
3. Email your receipt to [email protected]

Yes, it's a bit of a faff. We know. But sadly it’s the best system we've got right now, so bear with us and it'll be worth it.

Getting your pair: pick up from the club once they arrive. We can also do limited local delivery if you can't make it in — just let us know in the Jotform.

Get your order in before the 31st 🩲🦜

🌊 Nippers Registration Day — Sunday 13 September

There's a bunch of kids down at Dixon Park most Sunday mornings during summer, getting knocked around by the surf and grinning the whole way through it.

That's Nippers. And on Sunday 13 September, we're opening the doors so your family can come and have a look.

It's how a lot of Newcastle kids grow up confident in the ocean. They learn to spot a rip, catch a wave, look out for their mates, and keep their heads when the surf's up. Proper skills that stick for life, dressed up as a morning of fun with new mates their own age.

You don't need to be a keen swimmer or come from a surf club family. Just bring the kids down, have a gander, and see if it might be your thing.

While you're here you can:

• Sign the kids up for the 2026/27 season
• Meet the Age Managers who'll look after them
• See how it all works and ask us anything
• Grab a coffee and settle in

📍 Dixon Park Surf Life Saving Club
📅 Sunday 13 September, 9am–1pm

Come down, bring the family, and drag along a mate who's been meaning to sign their kids up too.

Questions? Send us a message or email John at [email protected]

🏕️ Annual Nippers Camp 2026

Our annual Dixon Park SLSC Nippers Camp is on from Friday 9 October to Sunday 11 October 2026 at Fingal Bay Holiday Park.

It’s a great weekend for Nipper families to get together, build friendships, practise surf lifesaving skills and enjoy some time away by the beach.

Weekend outline:

Friday 9 October: Arrive, settle in and join us for a relaxed social afternoon with other families.

Saturday 10 October: A full day of Nippers activities at Fingal Beach, including beach and water activities, board paddling, rescue scenarios, beach games and more.

Dixon Park SLSC will provide a BBQ lunch, followed by a relaxed social gathering in the afternoon.

Sunday 11 October: Enjoy some time with friends and family before heading home.

We’ve reserved 15 sites at Fingal Bay Holiday Park under booking reference 161489. These will be held until the end of July, so please book early if you’d like to camp.

Can’t make the full weekend? No problem. Families are still very welcome to join us on Saturday at Fingal Beach for the activities and beach day.

More details, including the program, packing list, location and accommodation info, are available here: https://bit.ly/3TiiQXk

Questions? Please contact John at [email protected]

What a day yesterday! 🏓

Huge thanks to everyone who turned up and got around it. The courts were buzzing all day and King of the Court delivered exactly the kind of chaos we hoped for 🤴🫅

Two people walked away never having lost a single match, and they got there in completely opposite ways. Tim started up on King court and simply refused to leave, holding the crown from the first game to the last. Sarah started so far back she wasn't even on a court yet, waiting in the wings, then won every match and worked her way all the way up. Same undefeated record, wildly different journeys to a Budgy voucher each. Fitting too, because you will not find a bigger Budgy stan than Sarah 😂

None of yesterday happens without a few very generous people:

came through in style. We emailed Cooper to ask if they'd be up for donating a prize, and within the hour we had two $100 vouchers in the inbox. They're a genuinely great company who back a lot of the things we care about as a club, and we've got some custom Dixon Park Budgies being designed right now. More on how to get your hands on a pair soon.

on King Street in town were just as quick. One message and we had a voucher ready to go, which went to a very grateful and very deserving runner-up.

And Michael at , who let us book extra courts and paddles about ten minutes after we were meant to start, without so much as a raised eyebrow. If you fancy a social hit or you're keen to learn the game, check their Instagram for session times. We couldn't recommend them more.

The real reason we run days like this, though: keeping the beach safe is the job, but being a community of people who come out and try fun things together is the heart of it. Be social, be healthy, have a laugh. So over the next few weeks we'll be opening up a few more ways to come down to our little neck of the woods and build your running, swimming and movement together. More on that soon.

To everyone who played, cheered, or just came for the beer after: thank you. Days like this only work because you show up.

Same time next year? 👀

🏓 Pickleball Social Day – this Saturday, 3pm!

We've changed the format to make it even easier to come along. No need to find a partner – just rock up on your own. It's still doubles, but you'll swap partners every match, so you'll get to play with (and against) everyone.

The details:
📍 Bar Beach All Sports, Empire Park
🕒 3pm, 90 minutes of play
💵 $20 entry (pay cash on the day)
🍻 Drinks at Bar Beach Bowling Club after

There's a prize for King of the Court, plus some great prizes up for grabs thanks to the generous support from Budgy Smuggler and Napoli restaurant on King St. A huge thank you to both for getting behind the club 🙌

Never played? No paddle? No worries. It's purely fun and social – paddles provided, no experience needed. Just bring $20 and yourself.

See you Saturday!

Some locals put on a show for Pete and Ross on their lunchtime paddle yesterday 🐬😃

Dixon Park SLSC is looking for a Finance Director

Not a bookkeeper — we've got that covered. This is a board-level role for someone who can help us think strategically about money: budgets, financial reporting, cashflow, grants, and keeping the board well-informed

If you've got a finance or accounting background and want to put it to work for something that matters, we'd love to hear from you. It's a volunteer position, and the time commitment is real but manageable — around 6–8 hours a month, with a bit more at budget time and year-end

You'd be joining a club that's genuinely on the move, with a great team already in place to support you

Know someone who might be a fit? Tag them or send them our way

👉 Reach out to Geoff at [email protected] or drop a comment below

Flag will now be up & Life Guards on patrol at Dixon Park this Winter! See details below 👀👇🏼

We're making a change to our winter beach patrol locations to keep everyone safer in the water 💙

From today, our Merewether Beach patrol will relocate to Dixon Park Beach where winter water conditions are safer and more consistent.

Why aren’t all beaches patrolled year-round?

Winter conditions can make some beaches, like Merewether, far more hazardous, with stronger rips, larger surf and unpredictable shore breaks. Concentrating patrols at safer locations allows our lifeguards to maintain the highest level of surveillance and emergency response capability, and our community to have a more enjoyable swim in calmer, safer conditions.

While Dixon Park Beach will be our primary winter patrol location in that area, our lifeguards will continue to monitor Merewether Beach through regular roving patrols. The Department of Primary Industries drone based at Dixon Park Beach will also assist with safety monitoring across our beaches.

What beaches will be patrolled over winter?

🌊Nobbys Beach
🌊Bar Beach
🌊Dixon Park Beach
🌊Newcastle and Merewether Ocean Baths

We strongly encourage swimmers to swim at patrolled beaches only, always swim between the red and yellow flags and take extra care in the water this winter.

Year round, water safety - it starts with you!

Last night we wrapped up another great season at Dixon Park SLSC with our 2025–26 Presentation Night, and what a night it was! Over 70 members, including a strong showing from our Life Members, came together to celebrate the people who make this club what it is.

🏆 Major award winners:
Lifesaver of the Year — Mark Vergot (Patrol 10)
Volunteer of the Year — Ross Wood (Patrol 1)
Patrol of the Year — Patrol 4 (Ross Burgess, Patrol Captain)

A special acknowledgement to two members whose commitment to this club is genuinely humbling:
Earl Rennie — 50 years patrol service
Peter Wilkinson — 55 years patrol service

55 years! Let that sink in.

Congratulations to all award winners, and a huge thank you to everyone who helped make the night happen. See you on the beach next season 🤙

❤️💛💙

Round two. More action shots from the Hunter Branch Championships earlier this year— because one batch wasn't enough 🙌