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Nielsen's Beach
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
7Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (2 ft swell at 4 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tue 3 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- NNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- NW 16 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- SE 10 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 18, too small
- Mon 26, too small
- Tue 32, too small
- Wed 45, too small
- Thu 513, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 72, too small
- Sun 88, too small
- Mon 92, too small
- Tue 1012, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 25 °Cno wetsuit
- Best May–Aug1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-west, 10 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the north-west, 16 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | under 1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south-east, 10 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the north-west, 10 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 16 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 12 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 23°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 00:34 +0.4 mLow 06:31 −0.8 mHigh 13:25 +1.1 mLow 20:21 −0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:01 +0.4 mLow 07:57 −0.7 mHigh 14:39 +1.1 mLow 21:33 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:24 +0.5 mLow 09:21 −0.8 mHigh 15:47 +1.1 mLow 22:31 −0.9 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best May–Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Nielsen's Beach on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Nielsen's Beach
More surf near here
3 places
- Bundaberg 2.7 km away
- Archies 5 km away
- Elliott Heads 12.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Nielsen's Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (50°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (230°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.0 km out (1 in 102). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 20°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best months are usually May, June, July and August, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Bargara, 1.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 25°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,850–US$3,510 each
about US$1,850–US$3,510 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to HVB, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$884–US$1,840 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$355–US$596 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$234 |
| Total | about US$1,850–US$3,510 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
2 min by car · 30 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Bargara its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Innes Park on Booking.com
13 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in Moore Park on Booking.com
38 min by car · 5 places to stay
About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 31h 20m
About 31h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → HVB, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 1h 35m by road
Flights MDW → HVB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.