Focal Point is Flotsam’s signature outdoor exhibition: an unmissable, open-air journey through the Gold Coast’s most iconic breaks, where legendary moments are returned to their original vantage points. Think world champs, cyclone swells, heaving tubes and history-making rides framed and placed right in view of where they went down.

Curated by surf author and historian Tim Baker, this immersive photo trail stretches across two stunning coastal walks: from Coolangatta through Greenmount, Rainbow Bay, Snapper Rocks and Point Danger, and a northern stretch at Burleigh Headland. Along the way, you’ll encounter powerful works from surf photography greats like Ted Grambeau, Simon Williams, John Witzig, Sean Scott and more, each image paired with stories, insights, and AR accessible by scannable QR codes that unlock deeper multimedia content.

Walk it at your own pace or join a guided tour to dive deeper into the moments that shaped surf culture as we know it.

Experience a living, breathing timeline of one of the world’s most iconic surfing coastlines. Free, unforgettable, and only here for a limited time.

About Focal Point: Flotsam’s signature outdoor photo exhibition makes a return, with fresh inclusions to be unveiled. Focal Point captures peak moments by top surf photographers and places them back in the vantage points they were taken from.

Coolangatta (May 1-15) spanning the beachfront, Greenmount, Rainbow Bay, Snapper Rocks and Point Danger lookout, and featuring images from Simon Williams, Marty Tullemans, Andrew Shield, Fran Miller, Joli, Mal Sutherland, Ted Grambeau, Albe Falzon, Tony Harrington, and more to be unveiled.

Burleigh headland (May 8-15), spanning the point down to the parklands adjacent to the SLSC, and featuring images from Sean Scott, John Witzig, Peter Crawford, Richard Harvey, Andrew Shield and Shayne Neinaber

The Gold Coast is one of the most storied strips of coast in the surfing world. Cyclone swells, world champs, pro contests, outrageous tube rides, underground rippers – the GC has seen it all. Focal Point celebrates this extraordinary surfing wonderland with an outdoor photo exhibition that captures peak moments from our surfing heritage by some of our region’s top surf photographers. Stroll along the Coolangatta beachfront, traversing Greenmount headland and on to Rainbow Bay, Snapper Rocks and Point Danger, taking in a series of spectacular photo installations along the way. Informative captions tell the stories behind the images, and you can scan QR codes for extra content. Do your own self guided walk, or book a guided tour to provide additional commentary and context to truly appreciate this great, natural wonder of the surfing world. Coolangatta has produced more world surfing champions, more world class photographers and more great surfing moments than anywhere else on earth. Focal Point is our homage to this legendary surfing playground and the talented photographers who have documented it.

Focal Point Coolangatta will run for the duration of the Flotsam Festival, May 1-15, with a reduced volume of installations week 7-14 to make way for Flotsam Burleigh.

Flotsam Focal Point Burleigh will pop up the second week of the festival, May 8-15.

Mon – Sun 6.30am-6pm

Click on the below links to see more detail about each installation:

Back again this year, Focal Point is stretching its legs — with the event expanding to include installations across Burleigh Heads. It’s the same iconic celebration of surf culture, now with even more coastline and stories to discover.

Flotsam Focal Point Burleigh will pop up the second week of the festival, May 8-15.

Flotsam Focal Point Burleigh is supported by The Arts Development Fund.

The Arts Development Fund is a City of Gold Coast Council fund that supports the Gold Coast’s creative community by fostering professional pathways and skills development, contributing to our city’s vibrant lifestyle.