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Mooloolaba, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Mooloolaba

All 42 on Mooloolaba's map

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Mooloolaba Beach - panoramio
Mooloolaba. Photo: Tanya Dedyukhina, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Mooloolaba

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

The spot faces NE (41°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (221°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 30). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually May, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Mooloolaba, 1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 15 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.

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 50 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 40 from the airport to Mooloolaba.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in MooloolabaAd

    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 Mooloolaba · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Mooloolaba · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Mooloolaba on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Mooloolaba 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 18Oct245 ft6 smushy132kJ21°C
Mon 19Oct265 ft6 smushy147kJ20°C
Tue 20Oct445 ft6 smushy144kJ22°C
Wed 21Oct365 ft6 smushy143kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct174 ft6 smushy127kJ22°C
Fri 23Oct245 ft5 smushy116kJ23°C
Sat 24Oct244 ft6 smushy92kJ23°C
Sun 25Oct153 ft6 smushy82kJ24°C
Mon 26Oct122 ft5 smushy27kJ25°C
Tue 27Oct132 ft5 smushy19kJ22°C
Wed 28Oct121 ft7 smushy15kJ19°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 40 by road. About 27h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Mooloolaba

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, wind 6 kn (12 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Mooloolaba

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 22 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Mooloolaba

    Best 07:00 to 10:00 local time: 5 ft at 5 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 34 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to BNE, changing at LAX, then 1h 40 by road. About 27h 50 door to door

The trip from Mooloolaba, 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 Mooloolaba

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.