Mount Maunganui surf lifesaver Hamish Miller is making a golden mark across the Tasman taking out the Under 15 boys 2km beach run at the 2014 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships.

Hamish Miller (middle) after winning the Under 15 boys 2km beach run at the 2014 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships. Photo: Supplied.

Commonly referred to as 'The Aussies”, the seven-day event has 5000 surf lifesavers competing in 382 events on the golden sands of Western Australia's Scarborough Beach.

Amongst the throngs of competitors is a small contingent of Bay of Plenty teams - 10 from Mount Maunganui, four from Omanu and one from Papamoa.

And Miller is putting a shiny gloss on the team's showing, winning the gruelling soft sand beach run ahead with Dylan Foster from Alexandra Headland claiming the Australian gold followed by Callen Goldsmith from Mount Martha and Northcliffe's Toby Redler.

So far, all Bay competitors have progressed through the opening rounds in most of their disciplines.

The Mount Open Women's ski relay team picked up sixth in their final, and have also made the final of the Open Women's taplin – a three person swim, board, ski event.

Tourism Minister Kim Hames said the week-long championships were expected to attract more than 11,000 inter-state visitors to Western Australia.

'The Aussies are on the same scale as the Commonwealth Games in terms of numbers of competitors. It is a massive event, and getting it back on the west coast in 2014 is a coup for Scarborough, Perth and the State as a whole,” says Kim.

'When the Aussies were last held at Scarborough in 2009, an estimated 81,000 spectators and competitors descended on the beach during the six days of competition.

The 2014 Aussies are being held from March 31 - April 6.