While many of the top-ranked female surfers won't be at Surfest next week, present and future stars will be on show at the Doyle Partners Women's Pro at Merewether.
Inspirational shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton and fellow Hawaiian and former championship tour surfer Alana Blanchard will be among the 96-strong field for the 5000-point qualifying series contest.
Hamilton, who last competed at Surfest in 2013, is back in Australia promoting her movie Unstoppable. The 30-year-old, now a mother of two, has competed on the CT as a wildcard as recently as 2018.
Blanchard, also a mother, has been a regular at Surfest despite competing sparingly in recent years and she made the last 16 in 2017.
The pair will provide star power, along with CT competitors Brisa Hennessy, Bronte Macaulay, Keely Andrew, Macy Callaghan and Isabella Nichols. Silvana Lima, two-time Surfest champion Coco Ho and Paige Hareb are Surfest regulars back looking to return to the tour in 2021.
However, the draw is packed mainly with young talent keen to earn their first shot at the dream tour.
Central Coast teenager Molly Picklum is among the brightest young stars chasing points at Merewether.
The 17-year-old is fresh from winning the Layne Beachley Medal as the best female surfer at the Australian Boardriders Battle final at Newcastle two weeks ago. Picklum helped North Shelley finish second to North Shore in a drama-packed finale. Beachley, the seven-time world champion, was on hand to present the award, which had special meaning for Picklum.
"To get that from Layne was so epic," Picklum said.
"I won her [Rising Star] award at the HPC [High Performance Centre] three years ago and that was before I got sponsored and stuff, so then I got that award and she sort of sent me on my path.
"I took it from there and here I am getting another award from Layne."
Picklum was equal ninth at the women's junior world title last year, and was first on the Australia tour with five wins from seven events, including victory at Surfest's Lake Mac City Pro.
She also rose to attention last year with footage of her producing a 360-degree backside air at the Waco wave pool in Texas.
"That year was pretty dreamy for me with all the opportunities that I took," she said. "But I just try to take each opportunity as it comes and the pro juniors were one thing, but then going away to Waco and all that stuff was right up there with the achievements of the pro juniors.
"Hopefully I can do some more cool things like that this year.
"Surfest is so well known to have good waves and a lot of people go in it. It's good for me because I don't have to go too far from home to be able to verse the world's best."
Leading the local charge again will be 2009 champion Philippa Anderson. Sarah Baum, a winner and runner-up already in QS events this year, is another Hunter hope, along with Corlette's Elle Clayton-Brown.
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