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Main beach, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Main Beach

All 33 on Main Beach's map

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Beach at Main Beach, Queensland, September 2019, 02
Main Beach, the nearest town. Photo: Chris Olszewski, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Main beach

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

The spot faces E (82°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (262°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.9 km out (1 in 185). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 22°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, March, April and May, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Main Beach, 0.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 11 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 23°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 27 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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

    See flights MDW → BNE · Skyscanner from about £795 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 35 from the airport to Main beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Main BeachAd

    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 Main Beach · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Main Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Main beach on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct324 ft5 smushy94kJ22°C
Mon 19Oct325 ft5 smushy113kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct385 ft6 smushy144kJ22°C
Wed 21Oct425 ft6 smushy156kJ22°C
Thu 22Oct284 ft6 smushy114kJ22°C
Fri 23Oct344 ft6 smushy103kJ22°C
Sat 24Oct424 ft6 smushy107kJ23°C
Sun 25Oct393 ft7 smushy86kJ26°C
Mon 26Oct474 ft5 smushy65kJ24°C
Tue 27Oct172 ft7 smushy26kJ23°C
Wed 28Oct232 ft7 smushy19kJ19°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 BNE, changing at LAX, then 1h 35 by road. About 27h 45 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Main beach

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, wind 9 kn (17 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Main beach

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Main beach

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 10 kn (19 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Main beach

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 6 kn (12 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Main beach

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to BNE, changing at LAX, then 1h 35 by road. About 27h 45 door to door

The trip from Main Beach, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,530–£2,920 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 BNE, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£795–£1,650
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£1,530–£2,920

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

Places to eat near Main Beach

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.