North Stradbroke July/August?

[Rustt]

Thinking of taking the caravan across to North Stradbroke as it looks like a pretty good place to camp and cheap. What is the surf like at that time of year? Good spots to camp with a dog?

[alakaboo]

Might have to leave the dog or the caravan at home. Think you are only allowed dogs at the beach camping sites.

And you might want to look up the cost of the ferry with a caravan too before calling it cheap.

[Yuke Hunt]

You can camp with dogs at either Flinders Beach or Main Beach camp grounds, none of the others allow them. Both these sites are 4wd entry only.

[Rustt]

Yeah 4wd is not a problem and the van will cost around $100 extra each way, I was figuring Flinders Beach.

I dd notice when I was looking into the cost last year the were letting caravans on the ferry for free in July/ August, but $200 is okay in the scheme of things to get some less crowded waves in a nice place that's warm.

[alakaboo]

Flinders is easy 4wding, but no surf.
Dogs have to be on leads and rangers do check.

Lovely place and good time of year.

[Rustt]

The surf isn't far from Flinders is it?
What are the waves like that time of year?

[alakaboo]

About 20 minutes.
Clean and crisp.

[foamy]

I assume the Flinders caravan park is the one at Adder Rock. I have had some really nice peelers at Adder Rock, straight in front of the caravan park, can be a bit of a sweep. The wave there often looks better than it is to surf, but pretty. Worth challenging yourself to chase those pretty peelers.

The next beach, Home Beach, a really nice longish beach, plenty of pippis, throw a line in. Often has a very pleasant body surfing wave just up from the Anchorage resort (300 meters away from you).

Cylinder Beach is a lovely family beach about 1200 metres away. I had one of the most memorable waves of my life there, but 99% of the time it is a small, light, semi-mushy, point wave. It looks like a perfect little point, but rarely delivers. But it is a lovely place to be.

Then there is Deadmans and Frenchmans (surfable, gets some swell, but I have never seen them really good), then the Gorges (a great walk around the headland}, and then Main Beach (big open straight Eastern facing beach).

The problem is that Cylinder to Frenchmans pretty much faces north.
Main Beach, the most exposed to swell, can have some good beachies in front of the Surf Club, but I have only experienced it once as very good. Don't expect too much.

All that being said, North Straddie is a very special place. Don't expect magic waves, but it is a magic place.

[Hatchnam]

deadmans can get very good. works in the same conditions as cylinder (ECLs and cyclones), gets a bit more swell, though has less wind protection. the top of end of deadmans there's a rock-sand break called widows. a bowling right-hander that gets pretty crunchy. frenchmans faces east so cops a reasonable amount of swell, albeit a bit sheltered from southerly swells. frenchies can get good, but often is a burgery wall. the south end of frenchies can get some good peaking rights. main beach is the most reliable and consistent of all. punchy a-frames and can get very hollow (breaks a bit like tallows or treachery). main can handle size at times if the conditions are clean, as it's pretty fkn deep out the back (it can handle 6-8 foot plus in the gorge or back banks and the left off the point). home back, adder, and (even) flinders all get waves. though again, you'll need a cyclone or BIG ECL for it to work. when cylinders is firing, it's epic. the sweep can be atrocious though, you'll often need to paddle out from the top of deadmans when it's big. Lots of sealife. Dolphins, sharks, turtles, rays and fish.

[alakaboo]

I forgot there is a beach exit at Tramican st. Only about 10 minutes to Main from there.

[Hatchnam]

And if you have a 4wd ? then you can head south along main beach and pick a bank all to yourself if it's on. Hook a right up george nothling drive just before home beach as you head towards point lookout. First part is paved road, then dirt. about 5 or so min drive and about klm and a half

[Hatchnam]

Eat a Dick less or more (LOM) from swellnet.

north straddie has been packed out since the eighties. There's nothing I've disclosed that isn't already widely available to anyone with access to Google and a gps.

And if you were so concerned I was naming spots, then why did you repost the link on SN for all to see.

[The Mighty Sunbird]

No need to shit your pants about it, hey?

[offshore1]

Iggy's gonna be deep beaking before the day is through.

[Hatchnam]

Here crust . Print this tourist map out . http://stradbrokeisland.com/wp-content/ ... SI-Map.pdf

Hi LOM !!!!

[Rustt]

Thanks for the info and the map, it makes the lay of the land a bit clearer. Hopefully I will stumble onto a decent beachie or something.
I am more interested in giving the missus a relaxing holiday as South oz was wearing a bit thin, so a bit of warm weather camping on the beach will refresh her and she'll be right for an assault on the west next year

[Rustt]

Didn't make past Ulladulla, weather was brilliant and water was warm, managed to snag a few nice waves here and there.