Australia is arguably the country with the best waves in the world. The sheer size of the country and the fact that it is an island that gets bombarded with swell from every direction contributes to its consistency. We decided to sample the most famous stretch of this coast by living in a RV and driving up and down the Sunshine, Gold and New South Wales Coasts in pursuit of waves. While we knew that there were going to be solid setups, we didn’t really comprehend the perfection that these primarily right point breaks offered. Because of the perfection, the lineups were jam packed. In California, you have about 10% of the surfers who can surf well, but the Gold Coast is packed with absolute rippers. Despite the high level of surfing, we got plenty of waves. The bonus to traveling in a RV was that we were able to be flexible based on wind, holidays and weekends and if we went somewhere that we didn’t like, we didn’t have to stay, we could just leave. We covered the coast between Noosa Heads and Angourie Point. Just about every right point break we surfed was classic: Noosa, Snappers, Kirra, Burleigh Head, Lennox Head and Angourie were all amazing waves. We got a couple beach breaks in along the way to finally surf on our frontside. The beach breaks over shallow sand with crystal clear water made for beautiful and peaceful scenery. The RV was perfect for our family of 5. It was our first time doing an RV trip and the team at Lets Go Motorhomes helped walk us through every detail of the RV making sure we felt totally comfortable with the set up. We usually stayed in RV parks for water and electricity and showers, but we also freedom camped as well. This is the way that we would recommend visiting Australia on a surf trip. Not only is it a cheaper option, the ease and flexibility was the added bonus for our traveling style.
Favorite Towns:
Angourie Point– This was the most isolated region we stayed and freedom camped in. We had incredible, uncrowded waves here!
Lennox Head– Just 15 minutes from Byron Bay but with 10% of the amount of people. Beautiful town with a legendary point break. Uncrowded surf and beaches! We loved this place WAY more than Byron Bay!
Coolangatta – Epic waves, tons of restaurants and beautiful turquoise water. You get the quintessential Australian surfing vibe here! Just be ready to share those epic waves with hundreds of your mates!
Noosa Heads– The Noosa National Park has both incredible coastal and rainforest hiking along with amazing waves. Head to Tea Tree surf break for some of the longest rides of your life with a tropical national park as a back drop.
Campervan/Motorhome:
If you are looking to do a van trip around Australia be sure to check out Lets Go Motorhomes. They have depots all over the country and you can do one way trips easily if you need. We stayed in a 6 Berth, which felt really comfortable as a family of 5. You can find more info on their selection on their website below.
