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Lake Cathie, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Lake Cathie

All 15 on Lake Cathie's map

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

The view of the beach just south of Lake Cathie – Taken on the Sunday, 16th October 2011 at 9-44am. - panoramio
Lake Cathie. Photo: Christopher Wood, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Lake Cathie

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

The spot faces SE (114°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (294°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 112). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 20°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May and June, with about 3 good days in 7; in January and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Lake Cathie, 0.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 30 h 35 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. 35 min from the airport to Lake Cathie.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Lake CathieAd

    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 Lake Cathie · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Lake Cathie · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Lake Cathie on Google Maps · Directions

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.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct385 ft7 smushy240kJ21°C
Mon 19Oct514 ft6 smushy136kJ20°C
Tue 20Oct494 ft6 smushy80kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct413 ft6 smushy73kJ22°C
Thu 22Oct333 ft6 smushy58kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct263 ft6 smushy41kJ22°C
Sat 24Oct314 ft6 smushy105kJ25°C
Sun 25Oct484 ft6 smushy120kJ27°C
Mon 26Oct345 ft6 smushy168kJ22°C
Tue 27Oct514 ft7 smushy161kJ22°C
Wed 28Oct252 ft6 smushy20kJ17°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 35 min by road. About 30h 35 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Lake Cathie

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Lake Cathie

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Lake Cathie

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

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

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Lake Cathie

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 12 kn (22 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to PQQ, changing at LAX and BNE, then 35 min by road. About 30h 35 door to door

The trip from Lake Cathie, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,455–£2,805 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£20–£35
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£1,455–£2,805

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

Places to eat near Lake Cathie

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.