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Southside, Australia

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

Also within 20 km of Torquay

All 28 on Torquay's map

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

Bells Beach 2019
Bells Beach. Photo: Michael J Fromholtz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Southside

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

The spot faces SE (144°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (324°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 39). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Torquay, 6.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots and 4 wind sports 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 29 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. 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

  2. Getting there. 1 h 55 from the airport to Southside.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in TorquayAd

    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 Torquay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Torquay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Southside on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct62 ft10 scrumbling47kJ20°C
Mon 19Oct163 ft11 scrumbling159kJ22°C
Tue 20Oct173 ft10 scrumbling149kJ22°C
Wed 21Oct103 ft9 scrumbling112kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct415 ft12 scrumbling670kJ24°C
Fri 23Oct364 ft12 scrumbling490kJ24°C
Sat 24Oct214 ft11 scrumbling467kJ19°C
Sun 25Oct184 ft11 scrumbling277kJ14°C
Mon 26Oct245 ft8 smushy333kJ12°C
Tue 27Oct305 ft9 scrumbling349kJ12°C
Wed 28Oct0––––

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 MEL, changing at LAX, then 1h 55 by road. About 29h 45 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
    Surf Toquay Reef Point

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 5 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to MEL, changing at LAX, then 1h 55 by road. About 29h 45 door to door

The plan picks the best of 13 spots near Torquay each day: Bancoora, Bells Beach, Bird Rock, Fishos, froggys, Jan juc, Point Impossible, Southside, Steps, Toquay Reef Point, Torquay Front Beach, Torquay Point, Winki Pop.

The trip from Torquay, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,590–£3,050 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 MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£855–£1,780
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£1,590–£3,050

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

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.