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Church Bay, Australia

Stay in Arthur River: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Arthur River

All 10 on Arthur River's map

Watch this spot We email you when Church Bay is worth the trip.

Arthur River mouth
Arthur River, the nearest town. Photo: Tirin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Church Bay

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (238°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (58°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 33). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For expert surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and June, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Arthur River, 0.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 33 h 25 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to BWT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Melbourne Airport (MEL).

    See flights MDW → BWT · Skyscanner from about £860 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 50 from the airport to Church Bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Arthur RiverAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Arthur River · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Arthur River · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Church Bay on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Church Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct253 ft10 scrumbling182kJ21°C
Mon 19Oct616 ft11 scrumbling888kJ21°C
Tue 20Oct566 ft10 scrumbling698kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct497 ft11 scrumbling1,048kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct7611 ft12 scrumbling2,940kJ23°C
Fri 23Oct6710 ft12 scrumbling2,602kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct4810 ft11 ssoft2,146kJ16°C
Sun 25Oct609 ft10 ssoft1,422kJ14°C
Mon 26Oct189 ft10 smushy1,531kJ10°C
Tue 27Oct549 ft10 smushy1,624kJ12°C
Wed 28Oct0––––

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to BWT, changing at LAX and MEL, then 1h 50 by road. About 33h 25 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Church Bay

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 6 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Church Bay

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 7 ft at 11 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Church Bay

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 11 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Church Bay

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 10 ft at 12 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Church Bay

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 10 ft at 11 s, wind 5 kn (8 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to BWT, changing at LAX and MEL, then 1h 50 by road. About 33h 25 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Arthur River each day: Arthur River, Bluff Reef, Church Bay.

The trip from Arthur River, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,595–£3,055 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to BWT, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and MEL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£860–£1,785
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£110–£180
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£240–£395
Food7 days eating out£245–£455
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£105–£175
Total£1,595–£3,055

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.