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Square Head. Photo: Maurice van Creij, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Square Head

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

40Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 5 ft swell at 6 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 31 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
34kJ
Wind
N 6 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 47 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
39kJ
Wind
SW 10 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 25 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
118kJ
Wind
SE 8 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 54 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
171kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
22kJ
Wind
WNW 4 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 21 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
170kJ
Wind
S 12 kn
Temp
15°C

Mon 9 · 51 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
114kJ
Wind
ESE 6 kn
Temp
17°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 234, too small
  2. Tue 331, too small
  3. Wed 447, fair
  4. Thu 525, poor
  5. Fri 654, fair
  6. Sat 713, too small
  7. Sun 821, poor
  8. Mon 951, fair
  9. Tue 1041, poor
  10. Wed 1134, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Apr–May3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

Square Head does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Square Head, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov34, too small3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)80kJwind from the north-north-east, 8 knots23°C
Tue 3Nov31, too small3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)34kJwind from the north, 6 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov47, fair3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the south-west, 10 knots21°C
Thu 5Nov25, poor5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)118kJwind from the south-east, 8 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov54, fair5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)171kJwind from the east, 4 knots21°C
Sat 7Nov13, too small2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore24°C
Sun 8Nov21, poor5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)170kJwind from the south, 12 knots15°C
Mon 9Nov51, fair4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)114kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots17°C
Tue 10Nov41, poor3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)79kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots23°C
Wed 11Nov34, poor4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)150kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots20°C
Thu 12Nov26, poor5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)163kJwind from the south-south-west, 13 knots17°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

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 03:09 +0.3 mLow 08:33 −0.3 mHigh 15:01 +0.7 mLow 22:00 −0.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:18 +0.3 mLow 09:54 −0.3 mHigh 16:10 +0.6 mLow 22:59 −0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:18 +0.4 mLow 11:08 −0.4 mHigh 17:14 +0.6 mLow 23:50 −0.6 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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Square Head

View from Burgh Ridge Track of Burning Palms Beach
Near Square Head. Photo: Acalycine, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Royal National Park - Burning Palms Beach
Near Square Head. Photo: Andi Winata T, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Square Head

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SE (129°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (309°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 53). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April and May, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Stanwell Park, 7.8 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 20°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,830–US$3,480 each

about US$1,830–US$3,480 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$926–US$1,920
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$81–US$134
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$356–US$597
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$597
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$235
Totalabout US$1,830–US$3,480

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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Stanwell Park

about 15 min by car · 10 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 10 places to stay in Stanwell Park · Booking.com

About Stanwell Park its beds, food and every spot near it

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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 27h 50m

About 27h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 55 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.