Ask anyone carrying a surf board and they'll tell you - surfing isn't a hobby, it's a way of life.Flanked by glorious coastline, the Illawarra beckons and breeds some of the nation's best surfers, but clouds are gathering on the horizon.Killalea State Park has long been an iconic surfing destination, known particularly for The Farm, a beach isolated by towering cliffs.Stretching 8km between Shellharbour and Kiama, the 250ha reserve is a slice of seclusion located just a stone's throw from civilisation.The problem is civilisation keeps getting closer.Surfing Illawarra president Paul Oysten is concerned about the changing face of the coastline and says surfing as we know it is under threat."To have an environment like The Farm where you can be surrounded by nature in its entirety, and walk down to the beach on a traditional little dirt track and surf perfect little waves, you just don't get that anywhere much anymore," he said"There needs to be some better processes in place to protect the coast, (but) it is very hard to do in a politically driven climate where everyone has a vested interest in the coastline."It's really important for kids to be able to experience going down to the beach and having a surf. The thought that they may not be able to do that is really sad."When not catching waves, Oysten is helping junior surfers reach their potential.Despite periodically hanging up his board, Oysten said surfing was in his blood and he could not imagine life without it. "I go through phases where I'll have a break for a while but I always find myself coming back," he said."I get this feeling when I get my wetsuit on and get in the water, every stress and every worry just leaves me."I don't consider it a sport, it's more of a lifestyle."The rough seas aren't restricted to Killalea, with heavy industry creeping closer to another of the Illawarra's treasured surfing haunts.Brendan Leo is campaigning to prevent the construction of a security gate outside the Wollongong Sewage Treatment Plant on Port Kembla Rd, which would effectively cut vehicular access to Oilies Beach, a site popular with experienced surfers.Leo and two friends, Steen Barnes and Michael Lawler, created a website www.save-oilies.org, to raise awareness of the plight of their favourite beach.They say blocking the road will be detrimental to the community, who will only have access to the beach through an alternative route via Wollongong Golf Course."The number of young people going there and surfing has increased, but people around the country have known of it as a world class surf spot for many years. In the Illawarra it's second only to Sandon Point," he said."In terms of fishermen, some of them are the fourth generation of their family to fish there. There are surfers who used to come here with their fathers when they were kids and they want to be able to bring their own kids. Basically surfers have been using this area for 30 or more years." Talented Gerroa surfer Sally Fitzgibbon is one young Illawarra surfer with the world at her feet.The 17-year-old ASP World Junior Champion qualified for the 2009 Women's World Tour well before the halfway point of the 2008 season - a feat no other surfer has achieved.Next year Sally will square up against the best female surfers in the world, but she said she would never have reached this pinnacle without the support of her family and access to some of the best beaches in Australia. "I got into surfing because Dad and my three older brothers did it and the whole community and everyone around me were into surfing," she said."It's my passion, the fact that every wave's different. I love the challenge and just working on my surfing and being out in the water."Sally has surfed the length and breadth of the Illawarra's coastline. She said the quality of the region's beaches had contributed greatly to her success."It's hard to pick my favourite beach," she said."I love to surf Gerroa and the beaches near my house and I've got Werri Beach just five minutes up the road. I love coming up to Sandon Point and North Gong's got some good waves." Like all surfers, "Super" Sally hopes she'll be blessed for choice for a long time to come.