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Australia - continued |
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Byron Bay
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Byron Bay - Northern NSW
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Byron Bay's numerous expansive beaches are world renowned among keen surfersand swimmers. Offering long surf breaks and calm protected areas suitable ...
Byron Bay is easily one of the most iconic places in the world to surf. It may not be pumping yearly but its right hand point breaks and winter swell keep it in the top. Many Australians live in Byron Bay to surf and although they may come from top breaks down the coast, the contrasting beauty of Byron Bay is a deciding factor in settling into the surfing lifestyle here rather than elsewhere. I've written this with surfers in mind because Byron Bay's biggest downfall can be the number of inexperienced surfers bobbing up and down and making for very dangerous accidents.
Byron Bay is easily one of the most iconic places in the world to surf. It may not be pumping yearly but its right hand point breaks and winter swell keep it in the top. Many Australians live in Byron Bay to surf and although they may come from top breaks down the coast, the contrasting beauty of Byron Bay is a deciding factor in settling into the surfing lifestyle here rather than elsewhere. I've written this with surfers in mind because Byron Bay's biggest downfall can be the number of inexperienced surfers bobbing up and down and making for very dangerous accidents.
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Belongil BeachStretching from Byron Bay north to Belongil Creek and beyond, Belongil is partly dog-friendly. Belongil Creek harbours a colony of rare Little Terns, and care must be taken not to disturb them in any way. Just north of the rock wall at Byron Bay is the wreck of the SS Wollongbar, a great place to explore with a mask and snorkel when the sea is calm. Parts of Belongil beach are 'clothes optional'.
The WreckMore a surf break created by the wreck of the SS Wollongbar. Located just off the Main Beach car park at the end of Jonson Street. Main BeachThis is the main beach directly in front of the town of Byron Bay, and continuing southward (actually eastward) to Clarkes Beach. Main Beach is dominated by the Surf Club and is patrolled by Surf Lifesavers in summer. Swim between the flags and always wear a hat and sunscreen. From here you can snorkel out to the Tassie II, a wreck off the coast. |
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Clarkes (Clarks) BeachFilling the space between Main Beach and The Pass, Clarkes Beach is north-facing and idyllic most of the year. Only when the northerlies blow does Clarkes become less than perfect. An extra surf-lifesaving team patrols this beach in summer. The Bay here is ideal for windsurfing, body-boarding and paragliding. In winter humpback whales have been known to frolic with their calves on their way back to the Antarctic.
The PassThe Pass is a gap between Fisherman's Lookout and the headland. It is the most popular surf break on the north coast, but also where the dive boats launch, so be careful. Fisherman's Lookout is a wooden platform from where you can check out the surf as well as the fish.
Wategos (Watego's) BeachJust over a small headland from Clarkes, and sometimes accessible by the beach, Watego's is a sheltered north-facing beach very popular all the year round. Free electric barbecues and picnic tables complete the picture. Northerly swells make Watego's Beach ideal for malibus. Access via Lighthouse Road and turn left into Brooke Drive.
Little WategosAt the end of the Cape, Little Wategos is a great rock fishing spot. Inaccessible by car (you have to walk over the path from Wategos or down from the lighthouse precinct) Little Wategos is overlooked by the lighthouse and most easterly point. A lovely sheltered spot for sunbathing and swimming.
Cosy CornerTucked under the south side of Cape Byron, Cosy Corner is a nice sheltered spot when the northerlies are blowing. Now protected by the Arakwal National Park, the beach is accessible down Tallow Beach Road, where you'll have to pay National Parks $6 to park your car. Beware of the surf here, as it is sometimes subject to strong rips. From here you can see the hang-gliders swooping from their launching pad overhead.
Tallow BeachStretching south from Cosy Corner to Broken Head, Tallow Beach is good for beach fishing. The surf here is choppy and erratic, so beware. Tallow Beach is accessible by walking south from Cosy Corner, or from several small car parks off Alcorn Street in Suffolk Park, and is dog-friendly for several kilometres. Access through Suffolk Park, via Clifford Street, off Broken Head Road just south of Byron Bay.
The PassThe Pass is a gap between Fisherman's Lookout and the headland. It is the most popular surf break on the north coast, but also where the dive boats launch, so be careful. Fisherman's Lookout is a wooden platform from where you can check out the surf as well as the fish.
Wategos (Watego's) BeachJust over a small headland from Clarkes, and sometimes accessible by the beach, Watego's is a sheltered north-facing beach very popular all the year round. Free electric barbecues and picnic tables complete the picture. Northerly swells make Watego's Beach ideal for malibus. Access via Lighthouse Road and turn left into Brooke Drive.
Little WategosAt the end of the Cape, Little Wategos is a great rock fishing spot. Inaccessible by car (you have to walk over the path from Wategos or down from the lighthouse precinct) Little Wategos is overlooked by the lighthouse and most easterly point. A lovely sheltered spot for sunbathing and swimming.
Cosy CornerTucked under the south side of Cape Byron, Cosy Corner is a nice sheltered spot when the northerlies are blowing. Now protected by the Arakwal National Park, the beach is accessible down Tallow Beach Road, where you'll have to pay National Parks $6 to park your car. Beware of the surf here, as it is sometimes subject to strong rips. From here you can see the hang-gliders swooping from their launching pad overhead.
Tallow BeachStretching south from Cosy Corner to Broken Head, Tallow Beach is good for beach fishing. The surf here is choppy and erratic, so beware. Tallow Beach is accessible by walking south from Cosy Corner, or from several small car parks off Alcorn Street in Suffolk Park, and is dog-friendly for several kilometres. Access through Suffolk Park, via Clifford Street, off Broken Head Road just south of Byron Bay.
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Beautiful Surfing At Byron Bay
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Crescent Heads
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Crescent Head, New South Wales: The coastline beginning just north of Port Macquarie through to Crescent Head is accessed via Point Plomer Road, which ribbons the coast for 25kms. Along this route are four perfect right-hand point-breaks, tailor-made for long-board riders, grommets and beginners and capable of generating miracle rides of 200 metres. The point break at Crescent Head itself is revered by long-boarders the world over, and some of the sport’s best have been filmed here “Hanging Ten” or cross-stepping the length of their 10-foot planks. Halfway between Crescent Head and Point Plomer is the brilliantly named Delicate Nobby, a wedge-shaped rock formation that starts just off the beach and spears out into the Pacific, creating beach breaks on either side.
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Seal Rocks & Pacific Palms
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Seal Rocks and Pacific Palms, New South Wales: Lighthouse Beach and Treachery Beach at Seal Rocks are south-facing and known for generating epic waves when a south swell rolls in. Just 22km up the road at Pacific Palms, Boomerang Beach and Bluey’s Beach are blessed with their own postcard waves shaped by prominent headlands, and often visited by cheeky dolphins that love showing the rest of us how surfing should really be done. This part of the NSW coast has remained miraculously undeveloped too; there’s nary a high-rise, nightclub or casino in sight, making it the perfect place for a true ‘soul surfer’ experience.
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Northern Beaches, New South Wales: Beginning at Manly Beach and running 20km north to Palm Beach, Sydney’s northern peninsula offers a succession of surf beaches unmatched by a city environment anywhere else on earth. Manly itself has playful beach breaks and punchy barrels, plus the offshore Queenscliff “Bommie” (bombora), joy for big wave riders. Neighbouring Freshwater Beach is much loved by bodysurfers and youngsters on body-boards; this is also where surfboard-riding was first introduced to Australia by Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku, on 15 January 1915. Continuing north, the 6km coastal corridor between Dee Why Beach and North Narrabeen is widely considered Sydney’s blue-ribbon surfing belt, with the legendary Long Reef bombora (known locally as “Butter-box”) situated smack in the middle. The surfing tribes of Mona Vale Beach, Newport Beach, Whale Beach and Avalon Beach can all make a good case for choosing their own local breaks over their neighbours’, or you could try all four beaches in a lazy half-day. Finally, the distinctive burnt-orange sands of Palm Beach mark the end of the peninsula, its 1.5km procession of beach breaks offering thrills and spills for surfers, body-boarders and wave-ski paddlers.
Torquay – Bells Beach, Victoria: Historically and spiritually, Bells Beach is the home of Australian surfing and today is still the site of the country’s oldest and most prestigious professional surfing event; nowadays named the Rip Curl Pro, the winner still receives the traditional clanging bell trophy. Swells from the Southern Ocean slow down and steepen over the shallow reefs to produce outstanding surf that can rise to five metres or more, so when it gets big, most of us are best advised to think of surfing Bells as a spectator sport.
Margaret River – Yallingup and Prevelly Park, Western Australia: 260km south of Perth, the tiny resort village of Yallingup marks the beginning of the famed Margaret River winery region, where wine enthusiasts and ‘waxheads’ (board-riders) have long converged in equal numbers. With several breaks that range from mild to monstrous depending on the swell, Yallingup is considered the best all-round surfing destination on Australia’s west coast. Further south, Prevelly Park is the heart of serious Margaret River surfing territory, where swells up to six metres get spun into perfect barrels across the treacherous offshore reef. No place for beginners or the faint-of-heart, “Surfers Point” at Prevelly even attracts the big-name big-wave lunatics from the US and Hawaii, and it’s one of the few places in Australia where board-riders wear helmets and nobody laughs at them.
Bells
Manly
Margaret River
Angourie
Yamba
Phillip Island
Cyclops
Australia’s surf beaches, where first-class waves for all surfing abilities crash, are born from the Pacific Ocean in the east, the Indian Ocean in the west and the Southern Ocean in the south . Visit iconic Bells Beach, near Torquay, the gateway to Victoria’s Surf Coast on the Great Ocean Road. In New South Wales, Byron Bay, Newcastle, Sydney and its south coast offer a superior swell. Hang out in Burleigh Heads or coast along one of the world’s longest waves at Snapper Rocks on Queensland’s Gold Coast. In South Australia, great surf beaches dot the Fleurieu, Yorke and Eyre peninsulas as well as the Limestone Coast. In Western Australia, Perth, Margaret River and Esperance are home to an abundance of surf beaches. Brave Tasmania’s Southern Ocean swells in Hobart, Bruny Island, Launceston, Devonport and Marrawah. You’ll find a wave to yourself on our uncrowded and pristine coastal beaches.
Manly
Margaret River
Angourie
Yamba
Phillip Island
Cyclops
Australia’s surf beaches, where first-class waves for all surfing abilities crash, are born from the Pacific Ocean in the east, the Indian Ocean in the west and the Southern Ocean in the south . Visit iconic Bells Beach, near Torquay, the gateway to Victoria’s Surf Coast on the Great Ocean Road. In New South Wales, Byron Bay, Newcastle, Sydney and its south coast offer a superior swell. Hang out in Burleigh Heads or coast along one of the world’s longest waves at Snapper Rocks on Queensland’s Gold Coast. In South Australia, great surf beaches dot the Fleurieu, Yorke and Eyre peninsulas as well as the Limestone Coast. In Western Australia, Perth, Margaret River and Esperance are home to an abundance of surf beaches. Brave Tasmania’s Southern Ocean swells in Hobart, Bruny Island, Launceston, Devonport and Marrawah. You’ll find a wave to yourself on our uncrowded and pristine coastal beaches.
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