Table of Contents
Since Newcastle’s Poppy Starr-Olsen made history by becoming the first Australian to compete in Olympic skateboarding, the Hunter region has become a hub for up-and-coming skaters.
But you may not know that one of the key influences on Australian skateboarding came from a 3 meter high wooden ramp built by 20-year-olds in a suburban backyard in Merewether.
Charging…
A DIY Approach to a World Class Ramp
In the early 1980s, Sean Mussett, also known as Gravel Burns, was eager to vert skate, going down a skate ramp or some type of vertical slope to perform skate tricks.
“All the guys like Tony Hawk skated vertically and we didn’t have anything like that,” he said.
The problem was that there was nothing like it in Newcastle: just an old blue fiberglass ramp leading down next to Bar Beach.
But that wasn’t going to stop a motley group of skating fans.
“My friend’s dad had a concreting business and we had access to tools, so we started building this monster ramp on Ridge Street in late ’85 and early ’86,” Sean said.
Fueled by sheer devotion to skating and using plywood and borrowed lumber, Sean and his companions spent three months building a 3m high and 6m wide skate ramp, almost the size of a singles tennis court, but much higher.
Newcastle skate historian Jim Turvey considers the Ridge Street ramp a unique DIY approach.
“It was a world-class vert ramp for skating when there was nothing like it around here and it was something that wasn’t a facility provided by any kind of government agency,” he said.
“People were literally saying, ‘Hey, we want one of these, so we’re going to do it no matter what.’
Putting Newcastle on the map
The ramp ended up on Ridge Street in Merewether because one of Sean’s friends’ parents had bravely said they could build it in their backyard.
They may not have realized how big the finished ramp would be.
“Every person that walked into that backyard just looked at it and their jaw dropped,” Sean said.
“It would have been the most serious vertical terrain on the east coast of Australia at the time.”
From above, skaters could see the treetops and neighboring houses.
People would come from all over Australia and as far away as New Zealand to try it.
“It was so good that the Sydney team would drive down the highway back then, you know, two and a half hours, three hours and skate all weekend… week after week,” Sean said.
The Ridge Street ramp only lasted 10 months before being dismantled due to planning issues, but it had a lasting impact on the skate culture in Newcastle.
Sean, along with Al Tindall, would develop one of Australia’s first skate magazines, Skateboard Australia, which featured skateboarding competitions on the Ridge Street ramp.
The best skateboarding is happening now
Local governments in the Hunter region are more pro-skateboarding than they were in the 1980s.
Lake Macquarie City Council has invested more than $3 million since 2021 in the construction of three new skate facilities in Windale, Morisset and Croudace Bay, with plans to contribute to the development of the new Watagans skate park.
Local skaters like Marley Rae, 21, are taking notice.
“Councils are being very generous to us skaters, whether they’re building new skate parks or creating friendly areas for street skaters,” he said.
“They love what we do and it’s really amazing to see.”
But the memory remains of a backyard pirate skate ramp towering over the palm trees.
“It’s always been very intriguing to me,” Marley said.
“Some of those guys have a big influence on my skating to this day.”
Is there a local story, colorful character or important topic you would like to tell us about?
Charging…
If you are unable to load the form, click here.