Picnic Bay, Australia

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Venus Bay, is 55 km away. Nearest airport: MBW (MBW), 155 km.

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About Picnic Bay

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

The spot faces W (262°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (82°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 2 good days in 7; in June, July and October, about 1. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Venus Bay, is 55 km away. Nearest airport: MBW (MBW), 155 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 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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From Chicago: about 31 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Melbourne Airport (MEL), changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
See flights MDW → MEL · Skyscanner from about £855 returnAd
Getting there. 3 h 40 from the airport to Picnic Bay.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Venus Bay, is 55 km away. Nearest airport: MBW (MBW), 155 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Picnic Bay · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Picnic Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Picnic Bay on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Picnic Bay, each day
Day	Score for experts	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	8, too small	2 ft6 shollow	31kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots	17°C
Mon 19Oct	14, too small	2 ft11 shollow	133kJ	wind from the east, 9 knots, offshore	21°C
Tue 20Oct	14, too small	3 ft11 shollow	155kJ	wind from the north, 9 knots	21°C
Wed 21Oct	17, too small	3 ft9 shollow	104kJ	wind from the south, 2 knots	20°C
Thu 22Oct	30, too small	4 ft12 shollow	337kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore	22°C
Fri 23Oct	19, too small	4 ft12 shollow	396kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots	24°C
Sat 24Oct	11, too small	4 ft11 smushy	361kJ	wind from the south-west, 13 knots	20°C
Sun 25Oct	28, too small	4 ft11 shollow	382kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots	13°C
Mon 26Oct	7, too small	4 ft11 smushy	314kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 21 knots	11°C
Tue 27Oct	23, too small	5 ft10 shollow	358kJ	wind from the south-west, 8 knots	12°C
Wed 28Oct	0, poor	–	–	–	–

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

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to MEL, changing at LAX, then 3h 40 by road. About 31h 30 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to MEL, changing at LAX, then 3h 40 by road. About 31h 30 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,350–£2,655 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return MDW to MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£855–£1,780
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£110–£180
Food	7 days eating out	£245–£455
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£105–£175
Total		£1,350–£2,655

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

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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