Work and Surf in Australia

[gradym]

Hello, first off sorry if I am being repetitive starting this topic. I did a quick search but didn't find all the info I was looking for so any specific help with my situation would be greatly appreciated.

I am coming to Australia for a working holiday from May-Nov and want to do as much surfing as possible. My skills are getting better but I have only just been surfing for the past 5 months in New Zealand where I have been on a working holiday as well. I did surf nearly every day for 2.5 months and I am a very experienced snowboarder and skater so I feel I progressed faster than the norm. That said I am comfortable now catching green waves (so far up to 2-3m height) but am learning the nuances of keeping my speed and turning with anything resembling style. I have a lot of trouble knowing where I am at on the wave and often get too far out in front or ahead of the break and lose all speed.

My main question for you is regarding location. I will be looking for temporary work that allows me to surf (ie hospitality, tourism and the like) and will be looking for waves that are relatively uncrowded. By uncrowded I mean not dominated by a bunch of shredders. I hate getting in the way of people that are better than me, so I guess I'm looking for waves that aren't so gnarly. I don't mind if there's a lot of surfers around my skill level but as an experienced snowboarder I know what its like when there are a bunch of gapers getting in your way and I'd like to avoid being one. That said I would prefer a spot that gets pretty consistent swell. I've been living in Hastings, New Zealand the last 1.5 months and its pretty annoying here waiting 2 weeks in between good swell. I'll be landing in Sydney at the beginning of may, buying a van and making my way from there.

I'm open to any options, but I'm not a huge fan of big cities. Warm or cold water/weather makes no difference to me although at the moment I just have a 3/2 wetsuit. Also I'm goof foot so I would prefer left breaks. Mostly just looking for a place where it isn't impossible to find a job as a traveler and that has consistent surf without a bunch of agro rippers. If there's any good spots I should check out just to surf without working where I could camp easily (and for free) that would be some good info that I would make use of as well. And any insights on my surfing issues would be a bonus too, I haven't really had any kind of lesson so I'm just going off what I see other people do. Anyways, thanks to anyone that takes the time to help me out, can't wait to check out OZ!

[Lebowski]

I can't really advise on locations in east Australia because I spent my 2 working holiday years in WA, and am now in NZ too.

In my experience (even in WA), be prepared for a LOT more crowding that youre probably used to in NZ around the city areas. Having said that, you can certainly escape the crowds in more rural areas and there are some great waves in Oz. In summer (at least in WA) the rural areas were overrun by flies which can be incredibly annoying. You can escape these in the surf though, as they don't seem to fly over the water.

I found work pretty easy to come by, and if you're used to working in NZ, be prepared for a huge pay rise!

Have fun. Personally I love Australia!

[drowningbitbybit]

My main question for you is regarding location. I will be looking for temporary work that allows me to surf (ie hospitality, tourism and the like) and will be looking for waves that are relatively uncrowded. .... I'm open to any options, but I'm not a huge fan of big cities.

The jobs are in the cities, but so are the crowds
Brisbane isnt right next to the coast, neither is melbourne, so you'd probably be looking at sydney or the gold coast for the best chance of getting work, but both will have major crowd issues (Sydney less so in winter).

So maybe you should look at big towns that don't suffer too badly from tourism influxes - harder to get work, but less of a crowd issue - so maybe take a look at wollongong, newcastle, or forster.

[drowningbitbybit]

if you're used to working in NZ, be prepared for a huge pay rise!

...which will immediately be swallowed up by the insane living costs in Oz!
Be aware that because of the aussie dollar, australia can be startlingly expensive if you come along with any other currency and expect it to go far.

[Lebowski]

...which will immediately be swallowed up by the insane living costs in Oz!

True that it's more expensive, but only a little compared to NZ whereas the wages are around double in my experience.

[drowningbitbybit]

but only a little compared to NZ

Not in Sydney they're not

[dtc]

On the east coast you can pretty much surf from the NSW/Vic border up to Noosa (there is surfing south of the Vic border but there arent many towns until you get around closer to Melbourne).

Most of these are beach breaks but eminently surfable; with the odd point break here and there.

The only crowded places are Sydney, Byron, Noosa and the Gold Coast. Some others places get a bit crowded at peak holiday time; but indeed even Sydney is crowded only outside of work hours. So 7am on a work day there will be a big crowd; 9am you can surf fine.

Apart from the places mentioned, you can always find somewhere to surf with hardly anyone - for example, along the NSW South Coast (where I surf), even over Christmas when full of holiday makers - such as myself - its easy to find a break with no more than 5 people and not that hard to find somewhere with less. Go in winter (June) and the water temp will be around 17deg and you will struggle to find anyone surfing during the week. Keep in mind that where I surf, within 10 minutes drive there are about 6 surfable beaches and each one will have 2 or 3 (or more) breaks. No one is particularly stressed about stealing waves because there are so many (well, except for Sydney drop ins who seem inherently incapable of sharing...). And this is repeated all down the coast.

However, in terms of matching work and surfing...given that everywhere along the coast has surf, you have a pretty wide choice. Obviously the bigger the town or the more touristy then the more likelihood of work. So places like Wollongong (a really nice city), Newcastle and around the NSW North coast (Byron, Coffs) plus Noosa are likely to have more opportunities (although Byron area has high unemployment because everyone wants to live there); plus they are warmer at the time of year you are going than heading further south. The Gold Coast has a reputed tough crew but is also full of tourists, so being less than brilliant isnt going to make you stand out. On the other hand, some of the places along the NSW south coast have labour shortages.

If you are just looking for short term work, then probably you are best following the backpacker trail from Sydney northwards, because businesses are set up to deal with transient workers, whereas in other places they generally want people more committed. But if you wanted to settle somewhere for 3 or 4 months, then you might be able to find work easier.

In terms of camping I'm not sure of the rules - in some states you are allowed to camp anywhere, in others you arent, so look that up. I regularly see people in vans stopping over for the night in beachside carparks (often with free beach showers and toilets), but they are sleeping in their vans; and there are still caravan parks all over the place. There are an incredible number of stunning beaches right along the coast, probably us Australians are a bit blase about them. But most are worth camping at, whether you surf or fish or just hang out.

[gradym]

Thanks for all the great info guys, making my planning much less of a shot in the dark. I'll look into those towns you mentioned 'dtc', thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed response. I'm wondering is my 3/2 wetsuit gonna cut it for the winter months or should I look into upgrading? I'm pretty cold-hearty and I usually don't stay in the water for more than 2 hours at a time.

[dtc]

In NSW the water temp is rarely below about 15C (maybe 14C in the far south in about August), which is doable with a 3/2 although you may want booties or just have short sessions. Add a couple of degrees for Sydney and a few more the further north you go - Noosa doesnt get below about 20C. Victoria is a whole nother matter...

You are here over winter, but 3/2 should be fine for most places if you are on the east coast. If you start suffering, booties or a hoodie or a 1mm underneath should see you through without the need to go 4/3.

[Aqualife]

Hi there,
I live in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. It gets busy up here but is not really that bad. May-July is our winter/quiet season.
With regards to camping, there isn't much here but a lot of people work for their beds in the backpackers and then work somewhere else for extra cash. I think Mooloolaba, a little south of Noosa, is quite a good set-up for a traveller, the hostel there is walking distance to the beach, you can bike to the points at Alex Headlands and the cafe strip along the ocean is always recruiting. The waves are mellow enough and there isn't really much aggression from locals there.
We surf in 3/2s in winter because we are wusses but tourists are usually in boardies. Good luck

[jaffa1949]

We surf in 3/2s in winter because we are wusses but tourists are usually in boardies. Good luck

They think Queensland is cold, hmmmmm down where I live we ave to defrost the surfers with alcohol rub externally, gets down to 0 or -1 in Winter but water temp at 14C

[galenJack]

Australia known for its cool surf lifestyle which can be enjoyed any time of the year. Take advantage of the city's temperate climate and great waves.

[alicemoorey]

Byron Bay has several beaches which are popular for surfing. It is a resort popular with both domestic and international tourists even the beautiful scenery attracts sky divers. I stayed there in the Villas of Byron Bay.

[pasuolivera]

Hey Bro Im going to Au looking the same as you. I been in NZ too last year hahaha. What do you reconmend me now? Cheers!