Yallingup surf takes you to the wonderful Margaret River region, where there are basically endless breaks for all levels. Seriously – that’s good.
An introduction to Yallingup surf
They say Yallingup is where surfing in Margaret River and WA as whole began. The story goes that a few lone longboarders scouted the spot and set up camp in the eucalyptus forests here. If true, the waves they scored must have been epic because they are still epic today. Yallingup Main Break sums them up – a factory of wedges that spurt out strong rights and cruisy lefts into a classic West Oz white-sand beach. And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg.
Yallingup surf is often seen as a part of the greater Margaret River surfing area. That’s a good way to look at it, because all of the waves here get their fabled consistency and style from the same SW pulses and the same easterly offshores that come when high pressure grazes the bum of Australia.
As far as the town goes, Yallingup is really just a stack of chic homes that wouldn’t look out of place in Malibu. They rise above the Main Break with their Bauhaus exteriors, the perfect pads of many a pro surfer.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guides to surfing in Margaret River and surfing Western Australia
Yallingup surf at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to Yallingup surf?
Where is Yallingup?
Yallingup is located within the famous surf territory of Margaret River. That means it’s in Western Australia, the largest and remotest corner of Down Under. The nearest major city is Perth, which is just over three hours’ drive to the north.
A guide to the Yallingup surf spots
We’ve only cast the net a few spots to the north and south of Yallingup here. That’s mainly because we already have a guide to the greater Margaret River region and that contains all the spots within a 30-minute striking distance.
Three Bears
One of the top spots on offer in the northern Margaret River region, Three Bears consists of – you guessed it – three peaks. The biggest is Papa or Daddy Bear, which sits on the outside and draws in all those heavy SW swells. It will be a mush in the winter on the biggest days but is the only chance to score XL wedges going right. Mama is the middle break and it’s a real scorcher of a wave when it’s on, starting off hollow and then sectioning into rippable parts where you can hotdog and air on smaller swells. The final run is Baby Bear but it’s not child’s play. There’s a very nice left hander there that will be fast on direct W swell conditions, plus some bowly rights for the shortboard scholars.
Rabbits
As beach breaks go, Rabbits is just about as hellacious as they come. Sucking like a strong Indo reefy off the low-lying sandbar that filters off the white beach, it’s a fizzing tube on any strong or moderately strong winter swell from the SW. When it gets overhead and starts barreling, this one’s a slab like no other. Make sure you know how to drop in right because get one angle wrong here and you’ll be in the washing machine and pounded until there’s a break in the swell, which there rarely is.
Yallingup
All hail the geography gods who placed Yallingup Reef just in front of this buzzy surf town in northern Margaret River. Angled beautifully northwest into the Indian Ocean, it’s a tailored point that catches SW swells and easterly offshores to provide long, shouldery lefts that cruise across the rocks into the main beach. It’s one of the more manageable reef lefts in Oz, so middle-skill surfers eat your heart out (just be sure you know when to lip out because there’s rocks at the end, too).
The rights are harder and faster. They tend to tube faster and then open into rip-worthy banks of water. There’s one section here called Super Tubes which is the hardest of the bunch, giving empty pits over waters that run no deeper than a puddle.
Interestingly, Yallingup is the place where surfing is said to have started in WA way back in the 50s. You’re in hallowed ground here.
Supertubes/Super Tubes
We’ve only cast the net a few spots to the north and south of Yallingup here. That’s mainly because we already have a guide to the greater Margaret River region and that contains all the spots within a 30-minute striking distance.
Smith’s Beach
Stunning Smiths Beach is a talcum powder stretch that has about three or four main spots. The famous one is the reef on the outside: Super Tubes. That sucks up on a shallow bottom on a high tide to give hollowed-out barrels that fizz right into a sandy channel. It’s one of the most versatile spots in MR as a whole, capable of handling pretty much anything the roaring 40s can throw its way. Intermediate surfers will love the cruisy left and right point breaks that form on the headlands at either end of the bay.
Indjidup
Indjidup is officially a part of the Yallingup area and it’s got a handful of top breaks up its sleeve. We’d say the finest is that lovely right at Pea Break. It’s a tubey right close to the shore that’s heaven on good SW or W swells on a summer morning before the cross shores set in. The other option of note is The Point, where crowds will gather for the cruisier goofy wave and the fast-dropping rights towards the reef.
Margaret River
Truth be told, Yallingup is a part of the Margaret River surf region. However, the Margaret River that most people think about when they hear the name is the part around Surfers Point. That’s about 35 minutes’ drive south from Yallingup itself and is nothing short of legendary. It’s got two waves that really put it on the map. The first is The Box, a gnarly barrel that forms suddenly over a deep trench on the north side of the rivermouth. The second is Mainbreak, which is where thousands assemble every year to watch John John Florence and Toledo rip it up in the Margaret River Pro.
Check out our complete guide to surfing the Margaret River area
Where to stay when surfing in Yallingup?
Yallinup isn’t huge but there are some good options to bed down at if you want to be within walking distance of the main spots. That’s especially true if you’re looking for private pads with fitted kitchens for a group surf trip.
Surfside Yallingup Beach
The name says it all here – you’re literally steps off the main breaks of downtown Yallingup. A peak out the window and you can check the status of Super Tubes and the Main Break. It’s that easy. The pad is nice, too, mind, what with contemporary interiors and a modern fitted kitchen. It’s perfect for those group trips since there are three doubles within.
160 Steps… from Yallingup Beach
Another stunner of a property that’s – you guessed it – only 160 paces from Yallingup Beach. Uber-stylish and modern, it’s a two-bedroom house with uber-cool design features. We especially love the minimalist kitchen and the boho bathroom with those walls of metro tiles.
Tasman Holiday Parks – Yallingup Beach
A good budget option with caravans just a stone’s throw off the main beach. Again, you can walk from here to the paddle out point for the most famous waves. Choose between Sunset Cabins that have lush lawns out front and boutique bell tents tucked into the eucalyptus groves.
Step-by-step guide to planning your yallingup surf trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the yallingup surf…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 Yallingup?
Spring and autumn are the key times to hit the Yallingup surf. They’re both blessed with ceaseless SW swells out of the southern quadrant but aren’t as plagued by huge storm swells as winter and not as flat as summer. The winds are also important here. A lot of the Yallingup surf breaks and the greater Margaret River surf spots like good easterly winds to hold those famous hollow shapes. That’s more likely with high-pressure systems in the vicinity, although we’d still counsel dawn patrols to avoid the shifting, so-called Doctor Winds out of Perth direction.
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!
