I am planning to move to QLD either Sarina near Mackay or Rockhampton, can someone advice me which has better and safer (no crocks/box jelly fish...) windsurfing and perhaps windsurfing clubs and people to go out with?

Living next to Sarina Beach I'd be biased in saying Sarina / Mackay area, Yeppoon near Rockhampton is nice but I think gets a bit less wind.
You'll have to get a grip regarding crocs and Jellyfish they are everywhere but Box jellies are only in Summertime, most guys sail in a stinger suit just in case and cos its good sun protection. Most crocs are up the creeks and don't worry us but they do get occasional sighting on the open beaches.

So what brings you all the way to Oz??

No crocs or stingers all year round in Yeppoon (which is next to your knife and fork). Well the crocs don't hang out along the coast although they get they occassional one up the mouth of the Fitzroy and some smaller estuaries.

PS - Sailpilot, I don't know about Yeppoon getting less wind than Sarina though. You only sail every second month

Hey guys, thank you!! My job is taking me to Oz, I am a GP now based in FL, lived in Hawaii for a year, Maui! That was some great wind but tough place to find jobs. I also found a Kite/wsurfing race from Keppel Island to Yeppoo!! Seems to be something new this year!! Hope it was good and will be there next year too!! So lycra suits, I guess those suits got to cover you from head to toes?? How often you must change them? What if you got a stinger on the outside and accidentally touch it when getting it off......how often you must change those suits? Yes great, keeps the sun off and skin cancer!!

Yeppoon puts you in easy driving range of Elliott Hds too and only one "not far" from there to Burrum Hds too.

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sausage said...
PS - Sailpilot, I don't know about Yeppoon getting less wind than Sarina though. You only sail every second month

Touche snags , but of course I don't need an c-red 8.8

Actually Dr Sirpaautio, its a strange part of the coast to come to if your free range. You could go to Cairns and sail with our other medical madman - Dr Cam who speed sails at Green Island frequently, or I'd go towards Hervey Bay and sail Burrum and the bay area there if I had the choice.
Yeppoon is probably a better holiday type place to go if its a lifestyle choice between Sarina / Yeppoon.

I have been too worried about those deadly stingers to be considering Cairns...actually the job is in Rockhampton...so hoping Yeppoon is not too far to commute to work :)
Sounds like other good spots to sail around Yeppoon as well. Thanks so much for your comments, Cheers Sirpa

Rockhampton isn't too far to commmute from Yeppoon - just ask half of Yeppoon who do it daily rather than live in Rockvegas.

It actually takes around 25 to 35 minutes depending on where in Rocky you have to go. My wife works up at Rocky Base hospital and she allows herself 35 mins each way.

hey and thanks for that! My work is in Scotvale clinic North Rockhampton, so it should be relatively easy to commute to Yeppoon then I hope. I hear you get sometimes floods in Rocky due to the river overflows! Is that a yearly problem?
Is there good wind in summer days as well? Here in Florida the summer is dead-still, no wind unless it is a hurricane..., this month the wind is blowing but temperatures are already cooling off to low to mid teens...still good with a wetsuit though. Just missing that warm breeze on the water (got to go to Caribbean for that in this part of the world)

Sirpa,
Summer is our windy season so all good.
Fitzroy river doesn't flood yearly. Last major flooding happened in 1991 but they did have a moderate flood two years ago. Never effects rocky yeppoon road and only cuts off Rocky Brisbane Highway in major events. For accurate information try www.bom.gov.au/australia/warnings/

floods are great, you get the day off work and it's usually windy when it's flooding!

same with cyclones lots of wind and the day off work.

hey that's great!!! just like when arriving in GA, USA, and when it snowed got day off everything 'cause the whole state was paralyzed...so floods are good if it is windy!!
did the October Keppel Island to Yeppoon kite/windsurf race happen this year?? was it all kitesurfing, I hope the kiting is not taking over there as well, there are only a few good windsurfring groups down this end of the world, the kiters are taking over

Hello there sirpaautio!

There are more kites than windsurfers, but only a few more. For the Keppel-Yeppoon race there are a lot more kites competing. Not sure why, it may be because people get put off getting their windsurfing gear onto the ferry perhaps? But when there are a few of you working together it is easy. I missed this year’s event as was in Europe for 6 weeks. But I remember last year’s event as fun just from the social aspect even though it was only blowing about 12 knots for most of the race.

I’ve lived in Rockhampton for 7 years and so far can tell you that the flooding of the river is a non-event during the wet season. However we have had an exceptional amount of rain so far and the wet season hasn’t even kicked in yet………

Look forward to seeing you out on the water!

Regards
Mat

Mat,
I don't know about there being more kiters?

Regular Windsurfers - Adam, Andrew, Ronnie, Ken, Ian, Justin, you, Geoff, Sam, me
Regular Kiters - Jens, Jorg, Gavin?, the guy called Mate, and that guy who wears his boardies over his wetsuit

PS - Keppel Yeppoon race. I wasn't here for the race either but going by Andrew's account even the kites struggled in the really light conditions. Also having the race line dead downwind in an 8knot easterly doesn't usually get me excited as a windsurfer.

Ok great, now what's the story with Sarina anyone sailing out there, any races being held, more crocs....? and definitely more deadly Boxjelly fish...yakes, so do those stingers possibly stick in the lycra suit and when you peel it off they can sting you? Are they protective while in the water, they seem pretty thin? I hope they have an SPF built in them? Cheers again and many thanks for your(s) input!!