Surfing in Australia

Surfing in Australia!

In this section, I'll run through a few of the surf spots that I have personally been to in Australia; giving some advice on how to handle each spot and tips and tricks to get the most out of your surf in each area.

I will only go through spots I have been to as these are the ones I can give advice on!

QUEENSLAND (North to South)

1770/Agnes Water

The furthest north in Australia you can realistically surf. On the main beach, a right hand break wraps around the point giving long mellow rides.Fairly consistent and gets nice and hollow in the summer cyclonic swells. A little sharky. Not too crowded.

Noosa

Plenty of spots here, starting at Noosa main beach on the south end. A right hand point, very gentle, usually small at the start of the walking track to the national park. Shallow and rocky at the takeoff zone when the tide is out, Can have strong currents. As you venture into the national park, you come across more points, each getting slightly bigger the further you go. Tea Tree Bay, about 10 mins walk from the car park, is the most picturesque and can give beautiful long runs on good days. Noosa is very much a longboarders spot with fat, mellow waves most of the time. Further up the national park there are more points that are a little more aggressive with more challenging access and close to the rocks. Granite's, 400m further than Tea Tree Bay, is fast, steep and hollow and better for the shortboarders. Super busy, but gets progressively less busy the further you go along the national park track. Be aware of the old-boys club of longboarders who will try to get every wave.

Maroochydore/Alex Headland

Maroochydore is a long beach with peaky breaks lining the shore. Up at Cotton Tree, by the rivermouth, is a secluded and high quality break that is a little sharky. Further down at the south end of the beach is Alex Headland; a thick, mellow wave that gives cruisy long runs at high tide, but gets shallow, hollow and tends to close out at mid-low tide. A short paddle south is The Bluff, a reliable right hand point break that is also quite thick and on big days can pack a decent amount of power. Gets very shallow at low tide and on big days at high tide has a challenging, rocky entry with a strong rip that you have to paddle through or you'll get taken down to the beach. Alex Headland and the Bluff can get super crowded, with plenty of mals and beginners. For a bit more isolation, hunt further up the beach.

Mooloolaba

Generally better for bodyboarders and then only on a big day. Can produce extremely hollow, barreling waves that require a lighting fast popup and tuck into a tiny barrel. When these waves do occur there's generally a very strong rip. On days like this, Alex Headland would be better. Very much a heavy closeout wave.

Point Cartwright

On a good day, a fast and powerful right hand point break that screams down past the rock wall by the rivermouth. Entry is via the large rocks to the side or a quick jump off the rock wall. On a small day, can give decent mellow rides that fade out before the rock wall but on a big swell at mid-low tide will create one of the best barrels on the Sunshine Coast - just make sure you pull out before you hit the rock wall! 

Kawana Beach

Plenty of peaky breaks up and down this large beach. At the northern end you can get some nice left handers next to the rocks underneath the car park. Down past Kawana shopping centre is a reliable, peaky break that gives long lefts and rights in super clear water. Definitely a place to go for good rides and a break from the crowds. Super exposed if windy and can have some very strong currents. Waves generally break close to shore so not too much of a paddle and there's usually a lift you can get from the currents either side of the breaks.

Kirra

Legendary on a good day, frustrating on a bad. On a good day, Kirra fires perfect right hand barrels just off the rock groyne and entry is a jump off the rock wall. Will be very crowded when working so make sure you have some advanced barrel skills otherwise you will annoy the fairly hardcore locals. On a small day, some long clean rides off the groyne and further north down Kirra Beach. Can have some ridiculously strong currents going north away from the groyne.

Snapper Rocks/Greenmount

Arguably the longest and fastest wave in the world at the moment, an absolute racetrack of a break that is very consistent. Entry is either a wade and paddle at the far top corner of rainbow bay, in front of the Surf Lifesaving club, or a jump off the rocks into a channel on the bigger days. Gets dangerously crowded even on mediocre days so keep paddling, place yourself in the peak and hope everyone else knows the fundamental rules of surfing (they won't). A charging left hand barrel forms over the long sandbank and the wave can carry you down to Greenmount via a few more barrels if you're lucky. More likely, you'll get dropped in on on every wave several times before you get your wave of the day as people position themselves right the way around the point. On a smaller day it can give chilled, mellow and super long rides. Persistence, patience, positioning and a little tempered aggression is required here. Surprisingly easy to find parking close to the point either on the hill or directly in front of the beach.

NEW SOUTH WALES (North to South)

Duranbah (D'Bah)

A heavy beach break that picks up the most swell in the area. A powerful right hand barrel can form along the rock wall. Heavily local and usually very busy, it's not a large beach. Some left handers can form by the car park. At lower tides can close out unexpectedly and with alot of power - I snapped a board on a wave of little consequence here. The right hand break off the wall is a screamer on a good day; try and get one off the locals and you'll have a blast!

The Pass (Byron Bay)

Do you like dolphins? Everyone likes dolphins and you're almost  guaranteed to find them here if you surf for a few days down at the far south end of the main beach at Byron Bay. This break wraps around the headland and follows the beach as it curves around to the North. On a good day, this can be perfectly lined up right handers. Usually quite a mellow break, even at low tide, and will be packed with beginners in the shallows. If you can, wade out by large rock at the end of the beach and hug the rock line as you paddle in, as a large current forms just off the rocks that is very hard to paddle against. Line yourself up with the crowd; there's usually a consistency to where these waves break and the crowd will almost certainly be lined up along where the wave breaks.

Tallows (Byron Bay)

On the other side of the headland is Tallows. I love this break. This is one for the goofy-footers as a powerful, barrelling left hander forms on the eastern end of the beach under the lighthouse. Can have some aggressive locals trying to avoid the overcrowding at The Pass so behave yourself. The car park is right next to the break in a really lovely area of woodland and you can occasionally find enormous monitor lizards prowling around. Definitely not a break for the mals; most of the time you need to throw the board under your feet in a second otherwise you'll end up with a sand enema.