Port Kembla talent Charli Hurst takes out Ocean Queen Classic in Woonona

There was a real local feel about the final with Shell Cove's Oceanna Rogers and Hurst battling it out in the final.

In the end, Hurst got the better of her rival by the finest of margins. Hurst came first with a score of 6.76, whilst Rogers received 6.44 for her efforts.

In third was Summa Longbottom, the daughter of Dapto surfing legend Dylan, (4.36) and in fourth, Billie Melinz (4.10).

Meanwhile in the junior girls category, Kiama's Lucy Darragh was involved in the final event with Lani Cairncross, Pearl Eaton, and Marlie Mosto. In the end, it was Darragh who won out over her rivals.

As a reward for taking out the events, Hirst and Darragh became $3000 and $1000 richer respectively.

See the best photos of the winners below...

The competition is the region's first all-female invitation surf showdown and showcased the best surf talent in the junior and women's divisions.

Most of the women competing in the event were from the Illawarra region, with some coming from other areas such as Cronulla or the far South Coast. In total, there were 44 surfers competing.

The region's best surfers braved the hundred millimetres of rain that drenched the Illawarra over the weekend and got out in the water at Woonona Beach.

The day Sunday, May 5 began bright and early with the open women heats, before the junior girls got their quarter-finals going in the late afternoon.

Despite the weather, organiser Nathan McEwan told the Mercury earlier in the day that nothing could dampen the spirits of the inaugural event.

"We really hoped to have a crowd, and this crowd, even given the weather, is fantastic.

"If it was a sunny day, we could only imagine the effect it would be having for everybody and the validity that it would be giving us putting this on in the first place."

"This is the first year of many. I want to put Woonona and the northern suburbs of the Illawarra on the map. This will be an annual event. I'm confident of that."

Open women - first: Charli Hurst (6.76), second Oceanna Rogers (6.44), third Summa Longbottom (4.36), fourth Billie Melinz (4.10).

Junior girls - first Lucy Darragh (10.00), second Lani Cairncross (6.00), third Pearl Eaton (3.70), fourth Marlie Moston (1.50)