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Goolwa, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Goolwa

All 14 on Goolwa's map

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Building in Goolwa South Australia
Goolwa, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: Peripitus, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Goolwa

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

The spot faces S (181°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (1°). 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 1.0 km out (1 in 100). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate 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 Goolwa, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 15°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 29 h 50 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Adelaide International Airport (ADL), changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

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

  2. Getting there. 1 h 30 from the airport to Goolwa.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in GoolwaAd

    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 Goolwa · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Goolwa · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Goolwa on Google Maps · Directions

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

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct201 ft10 ssoft35kJ24°C
Mon 19Oct463 ft11 ssoft150kJ23°C
Tue 20Oct393 ft10 ssoft149kJ19°C
Wed 21Oct423 ft10 smushy181kJ17°C
Thu 22Oct624 ft11 ssoft431kJ23°C
Fri 23Oct674 ft11 ssoft328kJ25°C
Sat 24Oct234 ft11 smushy301kJ17°C
Sun 25Oct174 ft10 smushy262kJ13°C
Mon 26Oct445 ft9 ssoft327kJ15°C
Tue 27Oct204 ft7 smushy131kJ17°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 intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to ADL, changing at SFO, then 1h 30 by road. About 29h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Goolwa

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Goolwa

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 3 ft at 10 s, wind 6 kn (12 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Goolwa

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Goolwa

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 28 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to ADL, changing at SFO, then 1h 30 by road. About 29h 50 door to door

The trip from Goolwa, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,610–£3,090 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 ADL, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£875–£1,820
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£1,610–£3,090

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

Places to eat near Goolwa

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.