Hi All,

I'm from SA and will be in WA from the 20th to the 30th Dec 2019 to check it out as an emigration option and also have a kiting holiday.
I'm traveling with my GF and have booked a campervan for the trip.
We planning to spend 2 days in Margeret River and Augusta, 3/4 days checking out Perth and Fremantle (Safety bay, Point Walter and Applecross) and then the other 4/5 days checking out Lancelin, Dongara, Coronation Beach and Port Gregory?.

Im not sure how much kiting il be doing around Perth but would like to at least check out the spots.

What do you guys think of the itinerary? Anything I should add/ forget about...any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks!

A great mix of conditions, you'll get plenty of wind, not uncommon for 30 knts plus up here at that time so make sure your equipped, also carry a repair kit as shops are nil out of perth, Top coastline to Kite, further north is also great but can get really hot if camping, if you can I'd increase your time, horrocks is another nice spot, 4x4 also if an option, it can get you to sweet little spots I may know

Yeh good timing in the year for your plan.

Almost guaranteed wind that time of year. Throw it up on here once you get here and we'll tell you the best way to go depending on wind.

Probably the only advise ill give, when going north is try not to get trapped in Lancelin. That place is kite paradise with a good mix of flat/waves and heaps of wind crew to have a beer with at the pub. Can be hard to make yourself leave but there are some little gems if you keep exploring a little. Down south Marg/Yalls is the same, hard to make yourself get on the road with everything you could want in one spot.

Thanks guys, unfortunately time is limited... Would have liked to go all the way up to exmouth. Will make sure to bring some spares and post on here when I land.

Save some time for kiting - I'm sure you realise Coronations is 5 and half hours drive north of Perth, and Margs is 3 hours south. (Don't spend your holiday in the car)

Agree with the guy above, there is so much kiting to be done that time of year, don't waste it driving. If you love waves just stay in Margie's the whole time, if you love flatwater just go to Woodies the whole time. Or if you love downwinders just stay metro and make sure they end at a good pub. (e.g. Leighton to Clancy's, then get waaasted)

Applecross is great for the view of the city but after you've experienced a glorious 25knot SWer on the ocean you probably won't care much for gusty river rubbish wind.

Hi guys
Rather than start a new thread I'll tack onto this one.

I'm planning a week in WA in either late Jan or Feb. I'll hire a car from Perth but want a good base to rent an airbnb apartment, where I can kite very closeby, with the option to maybe checkout some other spots nearby (<1hr) by car. Flat water or small mushy waves will do me fine.

Decent bars, restaurants & pubs nearby are a must. Craft beers on tap are highly regarded.

Any suggestions that tick all of these boxes? Lancelin or somewhere else?

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Phoney said..
Hi guys
Rather than start a new thread I'll tack onto this one.

I'm planning a week in WA in either late Jan or Feb. I'll hire a car from Perth but want a good base to rent an airbnb apartment, where I can kite very closeby, with the option to maybe checkout some other spots nearby (<1hr) by car. Flat water or small mushy waves will do me fine.

Decent bars, restaurants & pubs nearby are a must. Craft beers on tap are highly regarded.

Any suggestions that tick all of these boxes? Lancelin or somewhere else?

Stay somewhere in/near Freo. Ticks the bars / restaurants requirement.

Kite Woodies (10min drive) or Cottesloe (10 min drive), or do downwinders (eg Leighton to Clancys City Beach).

Easy daytrip up to Lancelin/Cervantes (90mins/2hrs), 30min drive down to The Pond.

OR

Hire a car, buy a cheap tent, pillow & sleeping bag. Drive 4hrs up to Dongara. Camp at Dongara Tourist Park. Drive 2min onto the beach, eat breakfast at Starfish Cafe, kite from like 1100-1900 in 25-30knots, cook a steak and drink a few beers (bottleshop sells craft), pass out, and do it all again for 6 days straight. Which would be my option (but I live near Freo)

Freo sounds like the ticket. Thanks! How safe it is to leave spare kites + wallet + phone etc in a car, parked at these beaches? I've heard rumours of there being meth zombies roaming around those parts. Staying a short walk away from a kite beach would be ideal if possible.

Option 2 definitely won't get the Mrs tick of approval.

How about further South? Wine country will definitely entice the Mrs, but I can't see many beach side towns on google maps.

Be very careful with your stuff.
Probably not really all that common and I wouldn't really know, but we all hear about when something goes missing and it's just so annoying.

Jan / feb ... nice. Depends. If she gets hot and troughs out you may want contingencies to head further south from Perth.

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eppo said..
Jan / feb ... nice. Depends. If she gets hot and troughs out you may want contingencies to head further south from Perth.

Such as Gnarabup, yallingup?

Augusta. If it troughs out we'll get strong south east wind. Even south coast , Denmark & Albany work real well on those winds

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Phoney said..
Freo sounds like the ticket. Thanks! How safe it is to leave spare kites + wallet + phone etc in a car, parked at these beaches? I've heard rumours of there being meth zombies roaming around those parts. Staying a short walk away from a kite beach would be ideal if possible.

Option 2 definitely won't get the Mrs tick of approval.

How about further South? Wine country will definitely entice the Mrs, but I can't see many beach side towns on google maps.

Periodic issues at the carparks at Woodies. Just don't leave your phone/wallet IN the car. I usually only have my 8 & 10 in the car through summer & take them both onto the beach to avoid the oven effect in 30+ degrees. If you've got a hire car just leave it unlocked or even windows down.

Cott - not so much of an issue. You could probably find an airbnb/stayz in Cott. Entertainment options are there also, just a bit more limited than Freo.

Otherwise yeah, Margaret River, Augusta, Albany - will be cooler than heading north from Perth. Just look out for Big Fish.

Don't discount scarborough either for AirBNB or decent accomodation.

Not to mention all the bars on the foreshore and proximity to Freo (15 minute drive)

You got the waves along the City Beach/Scarb coast and flatish water at Pinnaroo

Pinnaroo point and Woodies suck balls.
The good flatwater in the metro is Safety Bay but I wouldn't drink with the locals. There's some uncrowded mush all the way up here in Quinns Rocks but I wouldn't drink with the locals here either.

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Phoney said..
Freo sounds like the ticket. Thanks! How safe it is to leave spare kites + wallet + phone etc in a car, parked at these beaches? I've heard rumours of there being meth zombies roaming around those parts. Staying a short walk away from a kite beach would be ideal if possible.

Option 2 definitely won't get the Mrs tick of approval.

How about further South? Wine country will definitely entice the Mrs, but I can't see many beach side towns on google maps.

budget depending, i'd update with recommending staying on the cott side of freo, or in cott itself.

A couple of spots with regular kiters (clear indication of where to launch and land etc) you can walk to, a few nice cafes, restaurants and a bar or 2 handy, and then it is a 5 min train into freo if you really want a night out (debatable).
if you stay the reverse, you'll always be driving to go kite...
and there's sheltered water and shelter from wind inside the cott groyne for your missus

would be easy for you to get yourself a 3rd or 4th slot in a down winder group from cott/swannie to trigg at that time of year too, without needing to do the drive, which visitors always enjoy. just avoid the swannie meercats at all costs
the leighton carpark stretch is a horror when the crims hit it hard, the others have their incidents, but wodies and leighton probably 2 of the worst.

agree on day trip to lanno within 1.5 hours still from there roughly - that area is what WA is more about - and enjoy!!

Nearly time... I'm planing to spend 21st-24th north, 25-26th in Perth and 27-30 south... Or the other way round. Hope the wind plays ball.

On a side note, can anyone recommend a good kite shop around perth that sells duotone and mystic gear?

Also planning to get a garmin watch, apparently there are good deals on the fenix 5 now... No sales here in SA that I can find. Can anyone recommend 1 or 2 stores I can call when I get there?

Thanks again!

Hi ....
'WA surf' safety bay which is surely one of the flatish&safe 'south' spots you'll visit...i believe they do duotone..and maybe mystic
If not kite addiction does mystic somewhere in the middle of P....
Probably most do..
I'd get the watch in advance off amazon personally with a few weeks to go....but no idea about it
SA? Wasnt that cactus beach? Freaky...that really freaked me out.megamega 'nasty sharkey' i hear; no idea how the surfers on the left there handle it
Bells was nice though

Have a trip and goodluck cheerio

I think the SA is South Africa,
Head to Burns Beach north of Perth and you ll find your bro s

So have had a great holiday so far, leaving tomorrow. Been North till Port Gregory and South till Denmark doing some kiting and site seeing.
Just wanted to find out if this is the typical wind you can expect throughout the season. Seems like about 18-20knts every day?

I'd say yes 4 out of 5 days minimum pw however theres 25kn+ and 15kn gusts around ningaloo exm at the moment (nw wa)..probably the most dangerous &uncomfortable time to go out ...even i am struggling to find and play a ps3 or xbox or nintendo again.. ..
..but i do hope rain reaches nsw&SA etc r.e the fires and if its that cyclone/monsoon that's going to sort that out so be it..
yes it's pretty regular maybe 4 or 5 days max nothing
enjoy..

P.s sorry i thought SA meant south aus apologies

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eppo said..
Jan / feb ... nice. Depends. If she gets hot and troughs out you may want contingencies to head further south from Perth.

I have seen in another post your quote "April and may we put our kites away". Unfortunately I arrive 25th of April. I have a 9m which works pretty well somewhere from 19kn to 28kn. However I am doubting if it's even worth to ship my equipment for my WA trip (Perth>Darwin)

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PsychoRealm said..

eppo said..
Jan / feb ... nice. Depends. If she gets hot and troughs out you may want contingencies to head further south from Perth.

I have seen in another post your quote "April and may we put our kites away". Unfortunately I arrive 25th of April. I have a 9m which works pretty well somewhere from 19kn to 28kn. However I am doubting if it's even worth to ship my equipment for my WA trip (Perth>Darwin)

That's a bit inaccurate. Yeah, April/May are common to have days with no seabreezes and total glass-off, (perfect surfing weather), but there's always the possibility of a late start to winter, (meaning there's the odd seabreeze day here and there), or an early start to winter, where we get some frontal winds with are worth kiting too. There's always a chance of a kite in Perth, just not as reliable in April/May.... Also, depends where you go, if you're down towards Augusta, the SE could still be howling on some days making various south coast options viable. Further north there's still more reliability of wind too.

Statistics tell the story. April / May least likely to see Bft4 or more wind. 3 or 4 days out of 10.

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danno said..

PsychoRealm said..

eppo said..
Jan / feb ... nice. Depends. If she gets hot and troughs out you may want contingencies to head further south from Perth.

I have seen in another post your quote "April and may we put our kites away". Unfortunately I arrive 25th of April. I have a 9m which works pretty well somewhere from 19kn to 28kn. However I am doubting if it's even worth to ship my equipment for my WA trip (Perth>Darwin)

That's a bit inaccurate. Yeah, April/May are common to have days with no seabreezes and total glass-off, (perfect surfing weather), but there's always the possibility of a late start to winter, (meaning there's the odd seabreeze day here and there), or an early start to winter, where we get some frontal winds with are worth kiting too. There's always a chance of a kite in Perth, just not as reliable in April/May.... Also, depends where you go, if you're down towards Augusta, the SE could still be howling on some days making various south coast options viable. Further north there's still more reliability of wind too.

Thanks WA. I will pass Augusta beginning of may. After that I wanna make a trip up North and end up in Darwin.

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danno said..

PsychoRealm said..

eppo said..
Jan / feb ... nice. Depends. If she gets hot and troughs out you may want contingencies to head further south from Perth.

I have seen in another post your quote "April and may we put our kites away". Unfortunately I arrive 25th of April. I have a 9m which works pretty well somewhere from 19kn to 28kn. However I am doubting if it's even worth to ship my equipment for my WA trip (Perth>Darwin)

That's a bit inaccurate. Yeah, April/May are common to have days with no seabreezes and total glass-off, (perfect surfing weather), but there's always the possibility of a late start to winter, (meaning there's the odd seabreeze day here and there), or an early start to winter, where we get some frontal winds with are worth kiting too. There's always a chance of a kite in Perth, just not as reliable in April/May.... Also, depends where you go, if you're down towards Augusta, the SE could still be howling on some days making various south coast options viable. Further north there's still more reliability of wind too.

Thanks WA. I will pass Augusta beginning of may. After that I wanna make a trip up North and end up in Darwin.

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PrfctChaos said..
Statistics tell the story. April / May least likely to see Bft4 or more wind. 3 or 4 days out of 10.

Thanks! I am a beginner and only got a 9m so far... need approximately 19knots to keep me going. Where did you found this? I have tried to search for statistics but didn't found such a good overview as this.

Its from windguru, click on statistics for a perticular location. Also shows monthly speeds for the last 30 years, which makes for interresting reading.