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Crescent Head, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Crescent Head

Watch this spot We email you when Crescent Head is worth the trip.

Crescent Head ^06 taken on the Monday, 19th October 2009 at 12-09pm. - panoramio
Crescent Head, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: Christopher Wood, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Crescent Head

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

The spot faces E (105°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (285°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 800 m out (1 in 78). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually May, with about 3 good days in 7; in December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Crescent Head, 1.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 30 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to PQQ, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE).

    See flights MDW → PQQ · Skyscanner from about £810 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 50 min from the airport to Crescent Head.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Crescent HeadAd

    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 Crescent Head · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Crescent Head · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Crescent Head on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct395 ft7 smushy211kJ20°C
Mon 19Oct373 ft7 smushy95kJ18°C
Tue 20Oct373 ft6 smushy74kJ19°C
Wed 21Oct313 ft6 smushy65kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct143 ft6 smushy50kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct163 ft6 smushy59kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct194 ft6 smushy118kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct264 ft6 smushy99kJ23°C
Mon 26Oct185 ft6 smushy201kJ21°C
Tue 27Oct414 ft7 smushy144kJ20°C
Wed 28Oct272 ft6 smushy23kJ17°C

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 intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to PQQ, changing at LAX and BNE, then 50 min by road. About 30h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Back Plommer

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Back Plommer

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 31 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 32 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 33 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to PQQ, changing at LAX and BNE, then 50 min by road. About 30h 55 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Crescent Head each day: Back Beach ( Crescent Head ), Back Plommer, Crescent Head, Cresent Head, Delicate Nobby.

The trip from Crescent Head, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,485–£2,850 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 PQQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£810–£1,680
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£50–£80
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£1,485–£2,850

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

Places to eat near Crescent Head

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

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.