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Gates, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Port MacDonnell

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

About Gates

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

The spot faces SW (206°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (26°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 88). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°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 month is usually June, with about 3 good days in 7; in December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Port MacDonnell, 7.1 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 14°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 32 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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

    See flights MDW → MGB · Skyscanner from about £875 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Gates.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Port MacDonnellAd

    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 Port MacDonnell · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Port MacDonnell · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Gates on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Gates does not suit intermediates. 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 18Oct273 ft11 ssoft229kJ22°C
Mon 19Oct626 ft11 ssoft979kJ22°C
Tue 20Oct547 ft10 ssoft857kJ18°C
Wed 21Oct518 ft11 ssoft1,593kJ16°C
Thu 22Oct5811 ft12 ssoft3,241kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct5410 ft12 ssoft2,736kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct2310 ft12 smushy2,460kJ15°C
Sun 25Oct1810 ft10 smushy1,767kJ12°C
Mon 26Oct3311 ft10 ssoft2,095kJ14°C
Tue 27Oct228 ft10 ssoft1,178kJ15°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 MGB, changing at LAX and MEL, then 55 min by road. About 32h 30 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Posties

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 7 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Posties

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 8 ft at 11 s, wind 9 kn (17 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Posties

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

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Browns Beach

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 10 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Browns Beach

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 10 ft at 12 s, wind 12 kn (22 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to MGB, changing at LAX and MEL, then 55 min by road. About 32h 30 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near Port MacDonnell each day: Browns Beach, Cape Northumberland, Dozers, Gates, Mokes, Posties, Yip Yip.

The trip from Port MacDonnell, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,560–£3,010 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 MGB, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and MEL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£875–£1,815
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£60–£105
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£1,560–£3,010

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

Places to eat near Port MacDonnell

  • The Bay PizzariaPizza · 0.3 km from the centre
  • Bobs Breakwater CafeSeafood · 0.2 km from the centre

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.