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Malabar, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Sydney

All 80 on Sydney's map

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Malabar Beach
Malabar. Photo: Red-back spider, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Malabar

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

The spot faces SE (130°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (310°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 44). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 19°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 2 good days in 7; in January, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sydney. Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots, 2 wind sports spots and 1 dive site.

Water about 20°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 27 h 20 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. 25 min from the airport to Malabar.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Sydney, 11 km (about 20 min by car)Ad

    No town with beds to book is nearer Malabar: plan on the drive each day you surf.

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Sydney, 11 km away 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 Sydney · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Sydney · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Malabar 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.

Live webcam

Maroubra Beach, 2 km away

Open the webcam on randwick.nsw.gov.au

Near Malabar, 2 km away

Open the webcam on randwick.nsw.gov.au

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct275 ft7 smushy205kJ19°C
Mon 19Oct143 ft6 smushy60kJ20°C
Tue 20Oct113 ft5 smushy43kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct103 ft5 smushy43kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct103 ft5 smushy64kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct84 ft5 smushy65kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct205 ft6 smushy133kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct245 ft7 smushy210kJ25°C
Mon 26Oct246 ft7 smushy239kJ21°C
Tue 27Oct204 ft7 smushy117kJ21°C
Wed 28Oct71 ft7 smushy14kJ18°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 SYD, changing at LAX, then 25 min by road. About 27h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 33 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to SYD, changing at LAX, then 25 min by road. About 27h 20 door to door

The trip from Sydney, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,460–£2,820 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
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
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£1,460–£2,820

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

Places to eat near Sydney

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

Nearest beds: Sydney, 11 km (about 20 min by car) · 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.