Back to results

The farm, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Shellharbour

All 33 on Shellharbour's map

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

Killalea State Park
The farm. Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/51268712@N08/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About The farm

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

The spot faces SE (145°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (325°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 96). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 18°C in July, 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 Shellharbour, 2.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 surf spots.

Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 28 h 35 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 40 from the airport to The farm.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in ShellharbourAd

    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 Shellharbour · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Shellharbour · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

The farm 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 farm 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 18Oct564 ft7 smushy153kJ19°C
Mon 19Oct363 ft6 smushy66kJ20°C
Tue 20Oct213 ft5 smushy30kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct283 ft5 smushy38kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct263 ft5 smushy47kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct274 ft5 smushy69kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct355 ft6 smushy122kJ21°C
Sun 25Oct225 ft6 smushy191kJ21°C
Mon 26Oct494 ft7 smushy115kJ22°C
Tue 27Oct102 ft7 smushy35kJ16°C
Wed 28Oct31 ft7 smushy10kJ17°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 40 by road. About 28h 35 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf The farm

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Warilla beach

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf The farm

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf mini pipe

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Barrack Point

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to SYD, changing at LAX, then 1h 40 by road. About 28h 35 door to door

The plan picks the best of 13 spots near Shellharbour each day: Barrack Point, Cowries, Mab Reef, mini pipe, Redsands, shallows, Shatters, Shellharbour South Beach, Suckhole, The farm, Warilla beach, Windang Beach, Windang Island.

The trip from Shellharbour, 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 Shellharbour

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.