A long-time member of local surf clubs, firstly Shellharbour before switching to Warilla-Barrack Point, the Warilla High School student, who turned 18 last week, said her success in the event may mean she will turn her attention to triathlon.

"Competing in the 'Gold has been on my bucket list and I probably surprised myself a bit as it was my first major event of this type, so to come third was a real thrill," Murray said.

"I normally concentrate on water events with the surf club, in particular the board, but I wanted to push myself and see what I could do and it was a really good experience. I trained hard with my surf coach Craig Burke, paddling coach Terry Prosser and swim coach Phil McIlwraith, and I couldn't be happier with the result.

"I am doing year 12 this year and next as part of the Pathways program, and was lucky enough to have my three exams out of the way before the competition, which allowed me to put all my efforts into the race."

The short course featured an exhausting 14.6-kilometre ski leg, a 2.1-kilometre run, 2.5-kilometre swim, 6.1-kilometre board leg and a 7.1-kilometre run to the finish line, with her time of 4:10.24 an impressive effort for a first attempt.

"I suppose the fact that I am probably better in endurance events in the surf, like board and ski events, held me in good stead, having made the finals at Country, NSW and National titles in the past, including winning the under-17s at Country last year and coming third in an event at Manly."

As for the future, Murray will continue to compete in the upcoming representative season with Warilla-Barrack Point, complete her HSC next year and work on learning her craft in triathlon. "My first experience has been very positive," she said.