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Three Bays Coolum, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Coolum Beach

All 44 on Coolum Beach's map

Watch this spot We email you when Three Bays Coolum is worth the trip.

Sunshine coast 02
Coolum Beach, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Vanderven, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

About Three Bays Coolum

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

The spot faces E (84°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (264°). 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 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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 months are usually June and August, with about 3 good days in 7; in February, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Coolum Beach, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 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 28 h 10 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 55 from the airport to Three Bays Coolum.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Coolum 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 Coolum Beach · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Coolum Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Three Bays Coolum on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct165 ft6 smushy155kJ21°C
Mon 19Oct265 ft6 smushy150kJ20°C
Tue 20Oct245 ft6 smushy150kJ22°C
Wed 21Oct235 ft6 smushy150kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct134 ft6 smushy132kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct175 ft5 smushy119kJ22°C
Sat 24Oct164 ft6 smushy102kJ23°C
Sun 25Oct103 ft6 smushy84kJ23°C
Mon 26Oct113 ft5 smushy35kJ26°C
Tue 27Oct72 ft6 smushy20kJ23°C
Wed 28Oct61 ft7 shollow15kJ20°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 expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to BNE, changing at LAX, then 1h 55 by road. About 28h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 30 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 5 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 5 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to BNE, changing at LAX, then 1h 55 by road. About 28h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near Coolum Beach each day: Coolum Beach, Coolum Beach Breaks, Coolum Beach - Lions Park, Coolum - Point Perry, Stummers Creek, Three Bays Coolum, Yaroomba.

The trip from Coolum 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 Coolum 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.