Western Oz

wydahokiter · Since 12 Jul 2011 26 Posts

Anyone have any insight on traveling to Western Oz? Want to rent camper for Jan and Feb and kite.
Thanks

Bettyboarder · Wed Nov 20, 13 3:05 pm

You should hit up GeneK he and Gabe did it a few years ago.

Here's a link to his post about it http://nwkite.com/forums/t-16033.html

ShiverMeTimbers · Since 26 Feb 2013 381 Posts Gig Harbor Obsessed

not sure about kiting, but surfing is awesome, extremely desolate, and arguably more sharky than Oregon.

airon^ · Since 07 Aug 2013 290 Posts Durango Obsessed

After watching that video that Betty linked, I'd say there's PLENTY of kiting, and kitesurfing, to fill my dreams many times over.

Shocked

That video made me put western oz on my bucket list.

Enjoy the Unemployment! I know I would.

not on board · Since 08 May 2009 39 Posts United States

Lived in OZ for 5 years and WA is kite heaven.
Rented the kombi van one time and went from Perth up to MonkeyMia and it was 10m everyday. kited all 8 days in a row of the trip.
I am in Idaho now so traded beaches for mountains but the van is the way to go.
Just be prepared for some heat after Jan and of course the flies. Oh and lots of sunscreen. 30 min without protection means red skin down under.
Also in the more remote areas of Western AU some areas have alot of roos and emus and even goats that are wild and so highway driving at night was always a nightmare of possible collisions so we never drove the highways after dark on our trip.

wydahokiter · Since 12 Jul 2011 26 Posts

Thanks for all the beta

genek · Since 21 Jul 2006 2165 Posts East Po KGB

Here's the better second video if you wanna check it out too. The nicer greener longer waves are from Gnaraloo and the big monsters are from Margaret River.

http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t-16403.html&highlight=unemployment+part

We went from Margaret River to Gnaraloo so here's a bit of input on the spots.

Gnaraloo: Probably the best waves I've ridden when the double overhead swell came in the day before we filmed. Very long clean barreling waves. Remote spot on central west coast. Bring your own food/water. Camp host has freezer you can pay him to put some stuff in, and he also sells a few drinks I think. Brackish showers, hot desert sun, can be lots of black flies and little ants depending on time of year. Bring mosquito nets for your head if going. Camping/living there can be a bit rough, but if you time it with a decent swell/wind forecast it might be some of the best waves of your life. Some fun snorkeling right there too. Nearest town is 2 hours away by car.

Canarvon: there's a bay here where you can kite. Closest town to Gnaraloo.

Geraldton: Mediocre beach break and choppy sea. I think they have some contest here for PKRA or something similar maybe, but it was kinda boring for us.

1 hour South of Perth: Forget name of town, but it's a bit south of Perth. Swell if blocked by offshore islands so mostly crappy beach break and expected chop. Again, nothing exciting.

Margaret River: frequently windy and always had waves it seemed. Very fast and critical point break. Not a wave you can ride down the line for long, but more of a 1-2 hit wonder. Even small 5-6ft swell sometimes would jack up to double overhead or more. Gets really crowded at times and the local windsurfers/kiters do not appreciate tourists on their waves. It wasn't until day 3 when I took the nasty slam at the end of the video I linked to that they finally chilled out and accepted me into their line up. Biggest waves I've ever ridden. You can launch by the boat dock at the South end of the bay/beach just south of the point if you wanna get away from the crowd and there's enough wind at that beach but you'll be trying to ride some big unorganized waves potentially. Still, might be worth checking out if you get sick of the point.

I think there's some other areas bit north of Perth, but we didn't check them out. Good luck and have fun.