Noosa, Queensland, Australia
Long sandy point waves, the ever present sunshine and a natural setting make Noosa one of the most picturesque surfing locations in Australia. Famous longboard shaper Bob Mctavish said surfing at Tee Tree, one of Noosa’s outer bays, “is like having a cup of tea with god”.
The first 2 bays at Noosa, First Point and Little Cove, are classic longboard waves. The long peeling sliders rarely get too big and have seen the world’s best toes hanging over the nose, since the 60s.
Next along and at the beginning of the Noosa National Park is the aptly named Nationals. This is where the real classic Queensland point breaks start. A steep take-off with boils off the rocks lead into the occasional tube, but mostly a long wall that on big days can link into Little Cove.
A ten minute walk into the national park is Tee Tree Bay, a boulder and sandy point that can be fast and tubey on low tide and incredibly long. Walk ten more minutes through the park and come to Granites, more exposed to the swells, Granites is bigger not generally as groomed.
Having the Noosa National Park as a backdrop to all that classic point wave action is what makes Noosa special. Jogging along the dirt track through typical Aussie bushland, seeing Koalas, Goannas and long turquoise tubes through the trees is the sublime pleasure of surfing Noosa and that is just the interlude between waves.
Noosa can be maddeningly inconsistent. It faces slightly north away from the dominant south swell direction. It relies on tropical cyclones generated in the north Pacific for swell. These weather systems appear from December to early March, which is summer. Sometimes a huge southeast swell will make the waves fire up out of season. The crowds can be hectic at Noosa and walking around the national park before dawn is the way to go.
Noosa is part of the Sunshine Coast. Often seen as a mellower version of the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast has numerous, more consistent, surfing options and a low key vibe with plenty of accommodation, eating and nightlife options.
(Image by Flickr user leebailey)
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