Founded in 1973 on the Gold Coast of Australia, Billabong has grown to be one of the biggest companies in the world of Surfing. Billabong is a clothing brand and public company traded on the Australian Securities Exchange (as Billabong International) since August 11 2000. Billabong was founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant. The name came from the same word billabong, which is a stagnant body of water attached to a waterway.