Air Bags at Airlie - North Queensland - Australia - Confusion Magazine: International Skateboarding Magazine

A backyard vert ramp in the warm tropics of Queensland? Bring it on!

Words and photos: Luke Brown (@vagabondedit)

Sure sounded appealing given the icy mornings elsewhere in Australia! Located in North Eastern Australia, Airlie Beach is a prime tourism destination and the step off point for the Whitsundays Islands and Australia’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t go swimming in the local river though, or you might get eaten by a Croc!

01_BZ32871_Freddie_Hazelton_Method_Air_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Freddie Hazelton tweaks a proper method on his own backyard vert ramp

02_IMG_0636_Richie_Ramp_Wood — Photo supplied by Richie of the ramp’s initial wooden surface

For the first stop, I flew into Mackay where a sesh was already happening on Richie Norton’s steel ramp on a farm surrounded by cane fields. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed, so I arrived in the dark, but was saved by local Kai who gave me a lift out.

03_IMG_8644_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Now it’s replaced with a steel surface and he’s even installed lights

If you look closely, you can see he’s ready to pour a kidney bowl next to it!

Despite skating all arvo and already well into a BBQ and beers, a few of the crew got back into it until it was too dewy to skate.

04_4pic_Richies_Ramp_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Clockwise from top left: Local Tom snaps a Back D on the bit with no platform.
Eddie Acres floats a frontside ollie. Brent Muscat steams through a Smithgrind Tailgrab. Lachie Abbot doesn’t do drop ins, FS Boneless in off the bench on top

05_BZ31349_Airlie_Accommodation_View_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Not a bad view to wake up to in Airlie Beach

06_4_pic_Boat_party_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — The opening party was aboard a catamaran! What a way to start the weekend!

>>Weekend at Timmy’s.<<

When I chatted to Tim Hazelton about how he managed to get a slice of paradise with a vert ramp on it, he said that he’d discovered the ramp at Greys online. He purchased it and got a crane driver mate to pick it up and drop it off onto this plot of land he had in Airlie Beach.

Turns out the ramp was initially constructed back in the 90’s as an event ramp for a Pro BMXer, a classic 10 foot of tranny with 2 foot of vert. During its life it also resided at Beenleigh Skatepark in QLD, which funnily enough turns out to be one of the first vert ramps I personally skated back in the day. It had been chopped up pretty ruggedly to sell, so by the time it made itself to Timmy’s, it was pretty haggard.

It took a bit of work to clear the land and find a spot for it, and then some work welding the ramp back together so it was suitable to be resurfaced. There isn’t even a house on the property, they live in a bus and Tim’s two sons Sammy (14-yrs-old) and Freddie
(16-yrs-old) have their own vert ramp to shred!

Game day. This year was the second time they’d had this event.
Throw in some bands, dogs, goats, motos and a bunch of skaters and you’re in for wild time!

07_2Z65254_Swellbows_Shan_MIC_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Swellbows hypes up the crowd

08_2Z65254_Swellbows_Crailjar_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Then drops a crailjar

09_2Z65375_Josh_Matwijiw_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Josh Matwijiw goes upside down for the audience with bands, booze and good times!

10_2Z65784_Gleezus_Band_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Several musical events kept us charged throughout the day. Gleezus band from the Big
Mango belted out a sick rendition of “Killing in the Name of”

11_BZ33051_Crowd_shot_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Check out the setup! The crowd was pumped!

12_BZ32743_Wknd_Timmy_Terminator_VagabondPhoto_2025

13_Shan_Clint_Bubbler_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — L to R: Clint killed it behind the scenes and Shannon Farrugia wowed us as the MC.
There was a bubbler (not performance enhancing). Richie made sure this fella had a
decent go!

14_BZ31943_Matt_Beer_FrigidAir_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Our favourite UK import, Matt Beer, throws the leg out on a BS Frigid air.

15_BZ32020_Brent_Muscat_Backsmith_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Brent Muscat locks into a clean backsmith

16_BZ32901_Taj_Wolfenden_Kickflip_Indy_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Taj Wolfenden busted a kickflip 540, but this is a Kicky Indy

17_BZ32932_Ethan_Stalefish_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Ethan Copeland stylish Stalefish

18_BZ32975_Sammy_Freddie_Doubles_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Sammy and Freddie Hazelton – doubles

19_BZ32909_Freddie_Hazelton_Invert_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — It helps when this is your own ramp, Freddie inverts.

20_BZ31873_Harvey_Campbell_BSTailgrab_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Harvey Campbell. Tailgrab

21_BZ32924_Eddie_FSA_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Eddie Acres went high, lofty FS ollie.

22_BZ31965_Eddie_Wide_Shot_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Backside melon

23_BZ33085_Danno_Woolley_Backsmith_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Danno Woolley backsmith over.

24_2Z66153_Swellbows_in_Limo_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Swellbows lurking

25_2Z65841_Redman_Walks_the_bar_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Redman walks the bar

26_BZ33101_Ethan_Copeland_Lein_Over_Limo_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Ethan Copeland liens over

27_4_pic_Motos_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — First run of the moto’s and Corey Creed’s bike malfunctioned resulting in a trip to emergency.
The remaining two riders mixed it up, jumping over the skaters, these guys are gnarly!
There’s rumours of Bull riding next year, we’ll have to wait and see!

28_BnW_Danno_Ethan_Motos_over_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Moto backflips over Danno and Ethan double’s run.

29_BZ33170_ilaan_syme_Kicky_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Ilaan Syme kickflipped the hip as the sun dipped.

Back to the vert ramp for the best trick on the extension.

30_2pic_JoshMatwijiw_MattBeer_Extension_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — L: Josh Matwijiw eggplants. R: Matt Beer BS Boneless.

31_BZ33262_Nick_Kris_Nosepick_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Nick Kris from Adelaide took it out with this Nosepick

32_Taj_Eddie_High_Airs_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — As the sun set, it was time for the High Air. Freddie, Taj and Eddie all were up there.

33_Lachie_Bomb_Drop_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Lachie Abbot climbed the scaffold and bomb dropped from the crows nest, and then on the other side of ramp he wobbled on this fence railing scaring everyone, before regaining his balance and jumping in.

34_BZ33350_Lachie_High_Air_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Lachie floated, before slingshotting and knocking himself out for a moment.
Don’t worry, he came to straight away, and was okay!

35_BZ33288_Josh_Matwijiw_HIGH_AIR_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — It was a hard one to pick, but in the end Josh Matwijiw was awarded the highest.

36_BZ33427_Fireworks_Wknd_Timmy_VagabondPhoto_2025 — Sent off with fireworks on the Limo! Done and dusted.

Can’t wait for next year! Thanks Timmy!

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