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Rock to Rock Swims

Be warned: online entries only to this swim this season, due to Covid requirements. This is similar to most swims this year.

Easter Sundee on one of those glorious NSW phenomena: a north-facing beach. There are a string of these things as you go up the coast -- Terrigal, Forster, South West Rocks, Byron Bay, Pacific Palms (known officially as Elizabeth Beach)... Are there more?

The northerly aspect protects these beaches from the worst of conditions. Swimming at Pacific Palms on a typical Easter Sunday is like swimming on a Pacific island, so clear is the water, so benign, yet assertive is the swell. Look above: that's a typical Easter Sunday.

Terrific that this swim is back to a noon start for the main event. That means it's easily doable from Sydney for a day trip. Driving to the Lower North Coast from Sydney and Newcastle is easy on Easter Sunday. Everyone who's going away is already away, and not yet coming home. Traffic is light. It's a good run on expressway almost all the way. Take the Lakes Way turn-off from the Pacific Highway just north of Buladelah. For variety, run up to Forster afterwards, have a cuppa at Beach Bums, head over the bridge through Tuncurry, and come back to the highway at Nabiac. If you have some time, cross the highway, and come home through Gloucester, Dungog/Stroud/Clarencetown (say hi to Clarence on the way through, as Rotten ol' Herbie used to do), and rejoin the expressway at its start between Maitland and Hexham. Or, take the Booral Road from Buladelah across to Bucketts Way, then across through Clarence Town, Morpeth or Hinton (stop for a break), and on through Thornton to the expressway sarth. Our normal stop these days is Morpeth: it's pretty well right about half way and Morpeth is a pretty, heritage town which, believe it or not, was once a river port. There's a boutique brewery in the Commercial Hotel and lots of cafes for a cuppa and snack. It's a lovely drive and a beautiful day out.

Lots of punters are on the Myall/Great Lakes Coast over Easter. This swim pulls a regular Sydney/Novacastellian crowd.

There are usually markets on Easter Sundee on the lake side of Lakes Way at Pacific Palms, too, adding more colour to the day out. But that means you'll need to leave home earlier. Have a look at Blueys Beach and Boomerang Beach on the way through, and if you feel like a skinny dip, walk through the bush to Shelly Beach, around the point from Elizabeth Beach.

Like most events this season, entries are online only, ie no new entries will be accepted on race day. Do not be caught out by this.

What you need to know...

• Event - Rock to Rock Swim, Elizabeth Beach (Pacific Palms)
• Organiser - Pacific Palms SLSC
• Distance - 1.5km, 600m - Do either or both swims
• Venue - Elizabeth Beach, Lower North Coast (just south of Forster), from Sydney, take Great Lakes Way turnoff just north of Buladelah.
• Time/Date - Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021, 11am start (600m) and noon (1.5km)
• Registration - Online only (through this page). Warning to 600m swimmers: get to the beach by 10:30am to alllow time to collect your timing band and cap. 1.5KM swimmers should arrive by 11:30am.
• Back of the Pack - This season, there will be a Back of the Pack category for more relaxed swimming and for using swim aids, eg fins, wetsuits, snorkels. This division will be timed but will not be eligible for prizes or places. To become a Back of the Pack swimmer, simply select this option on the entry portal as you enter online.
• Entry fee - 1.5km - $35, 600m - $20, Both swims - $50 (Entries are online only. No new entries will be accepted on race day.)
• Online entries close - 3pm, Easter Saturday, April 3, 2021
• Under 18 swimmers - Parents/guardians of swimmers aged under 18 must complete the online entry form, not the swimmers themselves. They must include their consent to the entry with full name and  phone contact, in the Emergency Contact field. Just a phone number, a first name, or a number and first name will not do. Entries of U18 swimmers are not complete without this complete parental/guardian consent and will not be accepted. Entries of Under 18 swimmers must use the parent's email address, not that of the Under 18 entrant.
• Conditions - Elizabeth Beach is a member of an exclusive club: it's a glorious north-facing beach on the NSW North Coast. As such, it's protected from the worst of the weather and from most swell. It's a beach break, and as the tide drops it can become a little dumpy. But it's a relatively calm, safe beach, popular with holiday-makers.
• Minimum age - 10
• More info - Email... Click here
• Entry form - For more info, download Pacific Palms entry form... Click here
• Progress online entries - To check progress entries online... Click here
  

In case of cancellation...

Pacific Palms becomes one of the first swim awgies to decide and announce their policy in case conditions on race day force cancellation of their swims. In such an event, awgies will give all entrants already registered a 50% discount on next season's swim entry. Please remember that surf life saving clubs, which are charities, have significant costs to bear just to get to swim day. This policy will help them to meet those costs, but also to recognise the commitment that swimmers make in entering their event. They appreciate your support.

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Please read this: Any problems you encounter in entering this event online are likely to be caused by browser conflicts. If you run into problems, please try using a different browser, or a later version of your browser, or try from a different PC. Do not enter or pay for this swim twice. If you run into problems that you can't resolve with this advice, first check the progress online entries list (link above) to see whether your entry got through, then check your credit card statement online to see whether your card has been debited for the entry. If there's still a problem, email us and we'll sort it out. Refunds are available only prior to close of online entries, and are subject to an admin fee of $10. After you've entered, check the progress online entries list (link above or under swims/progress entries) to make sure your entry has been recorded correctly. If your confirmation email doesn't turn up, check your Spam and Trash folders. A service fee of $2.50 attaches to all online entries at check-out.

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