Surfing in Queensland is probably what you’ve been dreaming of in Oz – a land of turquoise right points that barrel and spin and cruise.
An introduction to surfing in Queensland
There’s one part of the Queensland coast that’s magical surf territory. Just far south enough to escape the sweel shadow cast by the Great Barrier Reef, angled nicely due east into the Tasman Sea to hoover up NE and SE swell directions, crafted by rock-ribbed headlands that look like they’ve been designed by some regular-footed point break enthusiast…it’s no wonder that this is considered the surfing capital of Oz.
There are some standouts here that will always be packed (and we mean like Bali on a good dry season sorta’ packed!) – Kirra, Snappers, North Straddie. They’re the Down Under you’ve probably been dreaming of, with glistening waters that are tinged teal blue that plump up and peel off points into white-sand beaches framed by jungles and onlooking koala bears.
Our advice? Don’t limit yourself to those places. There’s a multitude of equally gorgeous beach breaks and points waiting north of Surfers Paradise et al, although rips, sharks, and navigation issues are the things you’ll need to be willing to navigate to score them!
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in Australia
Surfing in Queensland at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to surfing in Queensland?
Where is Queensland?
Queensland is a whole state, covering the north easternmost part of Australia. It meets its next-door neighbor of New South Wales at a point where the swells and the geology of the land combine to give what’s arguably the world’s most amazing surf territory, around Kirra and Coolangatta. The surf is good for about 350 miles north of that, which is actually just a portion of the state. The rest, though, is protected by the Great Barrier Reef and basically gets zero worthwhile swell.
A guide to the Queensland surf spots
Surf spots mellow and beefy, slabby and slow make up the roster in Queensland. The state boasts some of the finest territory on the planet, churning out right point after right point that’s worthy of a magazine cover. Here, we’ll take a look at all the most famous spots starting in the far south on the NSW border and heading north to where the Great Barrier Reef takes over.
The Gold Coast
Stretching from where Southern Moreton Bay enters the Tasman Sea all the way to the NSW border, the Gold Coast has – quite rightly – achieved a reputation as one of Australia’s surfing havens. The southern points on the state line (like, right on the state line) are really where the action is at, with the Superbank project has created the potential for one of the world’s proper rifling, long right handers to cruise through all the way to Kirra. But there’s surf to be had the whole 30-mile length of this shoreline, much of it up there with the very finest on the East Coast. We’re talking spots like Snapper Rocks, Burleigh Heads, and a whole bunch more.
Check out our complete guide to surfing the Gold Coast
North Stradbrooke Island
North Stradbrooke Island is capped off by a couple of north-facing beaches that really love a strong typhoon swell in the summer. They include the sands of Deadmans and Cyclinders, where you can get shifty peaks with neat and hollow right handers when it’s on. We’d say they are advanced surfers only because it’s rippy as rippy can be. There’s also Main Beach, a patrolled run of sand that has specific areas for swimmers that you’ll need to pay attention to. Big winter swells can be close out bombs there, but smaller days make it a good choice for mid-level rippers and up.
Brisbane
Brisbane lives in a swell shadow that means there’s basically nowhere that’s worth its salt in city limits. However, the city is right there in between the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, with North Straddie and long, swell-magnetizing beaches on the doorstep. You’ll need a car but the sheer range of what’s on offer within just an hour’s drive is mind boggling – we’re talking Noosa, Kirra, the Superbank (some of the best surf in Oz).
Check out our complete guide to Brisbane surf
Bribie Island
If you can catch Bribie Island with a decent typhoon swell in the summer, then it can turn into a fantastic learner location. The waves tend to be smaller and there’s zero interference from the dominant SW winds that blow hard cross shore, thanks to the barrier islands that front Brisbane further south. Good days are with swells in the 4-7 foot range with a touch of NE or direct E in the compass. Generally speaking, the further south you go the smaller the sets will be.
Sunshine Coast
This 30-mile run of shoreline is home to Noosa, where you can hit the heads of Granite Bay, Tea Tree, and Boiling Pots to surf some of the absolute best waves Down Under. They’re fickle beasts, though, needing pretty direct NE typhoon storm systems to get working in the summertime. Thankfully, the whole region is replete with SE-facing beaches that hoover up any swell in the wintertime to offer oodles of peaks to suit all levels. If it wasn’t for the sharks, we’d say it’s the best family and intermediate surf locale in the country.
Check out our in-depth guide to surfing the Sunshine Coast
Noosa
Noosa is hailed as the home of not just one but a whole handful of arguably the best right-hand point breaks Australia can muster. The start is the Tea Tree Bay cruiser that plumps up into neat banks for the hotdoggers. But there’s also First Point for the loggers and Granite for rippers on the hunt for steeper drops. Working in the summer months, this one’s a little different to the rest of Queensland’s premier breaks. There’s surf for all levels. Crowds are the main enemy.
Check out our complete guide to Noosa surf
Cooloola Beach
Cooloola National Park is a tempting prospect for those with a car and looking to escape the beasty crowds elsewhere on the Sunshine Coast. But we’d urge caution. This is a shark territory extraordinaire and the peaks can be defiantly shifty. When they work, what you get is endless sandbar setups that barrel and peel neatly onto eucalyptus-fringed shores. It’s the sort of stuff you came to Oz for, but bulls never seem far away.
Snapper Rocks
Snapper Rocks is the first of the trio of spots that now connect together on the best E-swell days to form the mighty Superbank, arguably eastern Oz’s best right hander – nay, arguably one of the world’s best right handers over sand. Big dredging projects to loosen the banks on the edges of the Tweed River and stack the banks further north have given this one extra kick in the last decade. It’s now a bit of a barrel machine on NE swells but still breaks smaller than prevailing conditions because of the protection offered by Danger Point. You need speed to navigate these lines, and the cojones to deal with slappy backwash that’ll cause double ups and wonky faces and all sorts. It’s a real maestro’s wave but also gets mellow on the smallest of days.
Check out our complete guide to Snapper Rocks surf
Fraser Island
There’s surf on offshore Fraser Island but, again, this would be called Shark Central were it a train station if you catch the drift. The best break on offer on the isalnd is probably Waddy Point, an ultra-consistent right point that works in both storm summer swells and SW winter swells. You rarely get crowds, too, which is a bonus.
Where to stay when surfing in Queensland?
We’ve picked out some of the top hotels for surfing in Queensland below. They’re the ones that we think stand out from the crowd, getting you closer to the epic rights of Noosa than others or offering a bit of rare seclusion and waves in this much-surfed region of eastern Oz.
Tea Trees
Bed down in a hotel that bears the very name of arguably the most iconic right-hand point on the whole Noosa Heads string. Cue Tea Trees, a stay with some serious charm. Located right on the cusp of the Noosa National Park, this one’s clean, contemporary, and – above all – as close as you can get to perhaps the superlative breaks of all QLD. You also get a garden pool nestled in a grove of jungles.
Bluey’s Beach House – 5 Bedroom
We’d recommend Bluey’s Beach House to any large group of surfers or family of surfers looking to hit the beaches of Queensland. The location is perfect, for both scouting up to Noosa on those coveted swell days and hopping over the dunes to Sunrise Beach to catch the more reliable peelers in the winter and fall months. The property is large enough to host up to eight people, has its own pool, and comes with a sprawling communal living-dining space.
Coolangatta YHA Backpackers
Look, it ain’t going to be the Ritz, but Coolangatta YHA Backpackers is one of the very few true budget choices remaning on the Gold Coast’s most famous run of surf shoreline. It’s a good place to be if you’re eager to meet up with other, likeminded surf travelers. There’s a common space and a shared kitchen, not to mention a lovely outdoor garden and pool space.
Step-by-step guide to planning your surfing in Queensland trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the surfing in Queensland…Lately, we like Omio for searching flights. It’s a nice interface and has lots of airline options. We also use Skyscanner because that sometimes offers deals that even beat going direct to the carrier!
Step two: Book your surf camp Book Surf Camps is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages on the internet right now. Then there’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check EXACTLY how close your hotel is to a surf break.
Step three: Get insuranceThis is kinda’ important. Not just for surf trips but for any trips. SafetyWing is great for nomad travelers. They offer rolling contracts that cover amateur surfing.
Step four (optional): Rent a car If you’re surf camping then you might not need wheels. If you’re not then we’ll just say this: We’ve never been on a surf trip that wasn’t improved by having our own car. Use RentalCars – they’re the best.
Step five: Enjoy!
For paying for stuff when you’re traveling – Get a Wise borderless card/account. They charge NOTHING for POS payments in any country and have some of the best FX rates around in our humble opinion.
When to surf in Queensland?
Queensland is one of the most swell-blessed parts of Australia. That is to say that there’s virtually surf here all year round. Winter (June to August) is the most consistent time, brinign regular SE swells up from the deep south to give all the east-facing beaches of the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast heavy and big sets, but also some point breaks the wrap-arounds they need to turn truly epic (Coolangatta-Kirra, we’re looking at you!). There’s one place that bucks this trend: Noosa. The heads here rely on summertime typhoon swells in the NE channel, which only happen now and then but are epic when they align with an offshore southerly.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
