Staying Home Sucks, home
Aerial perspective of Torquay Bowls . March 2019
Torquay, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Bob Tan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Torquay Front Beach

Surf spot · Australia

Is it worth the trip?

35Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: too small (4 ft swell at 10 s), onshore wind, 15 kn (28 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 28 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 smushy
Energy
187kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
14°C

Wed 4 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
75kJ
Wind
WNW 16 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 32 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
56kJ
Wind
WSW 7 kn
Temp
16°C

Fri 6 · 55 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
294kJ
Wind
WNW 15 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 18 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 smushy
Energy
362kJ
Wind
SSW 18 kn
Temp
12°C

Sun 8 · 41 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 smushy
Energy
306kJ
Wind
SSE 8 kn
Temp
12°C

Mon 9 · 28 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
148kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
14°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 243, too small
  2. Tue 328, too small
  3. Wed 418, too small
  4. Thu 532, too small
  5. Fri 655, fair
  6. Sat 718, poor
  7. Sun 841, poor
  8. Mon 928, too small
  9. Tue 1023, too small
  10. Wed 1132, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–17 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Torquay Front Beach, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov43, too small4 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)323kJwind from the south, 4 knots16°C
Tue 3Nov28, too small3 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.)187kJwind from the south, 7 knots14°C
Wed 4Nov18, too small2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the west-north-west, 16 knots, offshore17°C
Thu 5Nov32, too small4 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)56kJwind from the west-south-west, 7 knots16°C
Fri 6Nov55, fair4 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)294kJwind from the west-north-west, 15 knots, offshore17°C
Sat 7Nov18, poor5 ft10 smushy3 ft at break (est.)362kJwind from the south-south-west, 18 knots12°C
Sun 8Nov41, poor5 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.)306kJwind from the south-south-east, 8 knots12°C
Mon 9Nov28, too small3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)148kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots14°C
Tue 10Nov23, too small3 ft11 smushy3 ft at break (est.)214kJwind from the south-south-east, 9 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov32, too small3 ft11 smushy3 ft at break (est.)245kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots15°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 05:27 +1.2 mLow 11:09 −0.6 mHigh 17:14 +0.8 mLow 23:14 −1.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:13 +1.0 mLow 11:57 −0.6 mHigh 18:12 +0.7 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:05 −0.9 mHigh 07:04 +0.9 mLow 12:50 −0.6 mHigh 19:21 +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 and its town

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.

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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Torquay Front Beach

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

The spot faces SE (140°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (320°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 92). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Torquay, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,920–US$3,660 each

about US$1,920–US$3,660 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$958–US$2,000
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$241
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$355–US$596
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$234
Totalabout US$1,920–US$3,660

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

Closest

Torquay

about 5 min by car · 37 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 37 places to stay in Torquay · Booking.com

About Torquay 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 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 29h 35m

About 29h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 50m by road

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