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Sharkies, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Woonona

All 41 on Woonona's map

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

Woonona 2
Woonona, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: Mx. Granger, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

About Sharkies

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

The spot faces SE (115°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (295°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 33). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April and May, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Woonona, 6.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 15 surf spots.

Water about 20°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 28 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD), changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

    See flights MDW → SYD · Skyscanner from about £820 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 05 from the airport to Sharkies.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in WoononaAd

    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 Woonona · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Woonona · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Sharkies on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Sharkies 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 18Oct434 ft7 smushy114kJ18°C
Mon 19Oct242 ft6 smushy34kJ18°C
Tue 20Oct202 ft4 smushy20kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct222 ft5 smushy30kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct193 ft5 smushy34kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct263 ft5 smushy53kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct364 ft6 smushy83kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct454 ft6 smushy133kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct574 ft6 smushy92kJ22°C
Tue 27Oct112 ft7 smushy25kJ15°C
Wed 28Oct41 ft7 smushy9kJ15°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 SYD, changing at LAX, then 1h 05 by road. About 28h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

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

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 35 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Macauley's

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, wind 6 kn (10 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Macauley's

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 5 s, wind 6 kn (12 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Woonona

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

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to SYD, changing at LAX, then 1h 05 by road. About 28h door to door

The plan picks the best of 15 spots near Woonona each day: Austinmer Beach, Austinmer pools, Headlands, Little Austi - Tuckermans, Macauley's, menzies, Peggies, Reef, Sandon Point, Sharkies, The Boomie, Thirroul, Thirroul Reef, Thommo's, Woonona.

The trip from Woonona, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,555–£2,975 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 SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£820–£1,705
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£1,555–£2,975

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

Places to eat near Woonona

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.