The Best Surf Spots along The South West Edge

The coastline along the South West of Western Australia is famous for its world-class surf and is a big draw card for those looking to drop a board into the water.

There are beaches and bays with fun beach breaks and minimal swell for beginners, right through to beaches with powerful reef breaks for the experienced surfers to take out their board. Even if you’re not a surfer yourself, head along to these surfing hangouts and watch the pros in action!

Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island has some of the best surfing conditions and most consistent surf breaks in Western Australia. In fact, the world’s best surfers are set to compete at Rottnest Island in May 2022, after WA won the rights to host a special one-off World Surf League event! This event was held at Strickland Bay, which is popular for surfers, bodyboarders and SUP boarders, and has actually been ranked in the top 50 surf breaks in the world! This is somewhere that needs to be ticked off your surfing bucket list.

Some of the other popular surfing spots include:

The Rotto Box
Riceys Beach
Stark Bay
The Basins Ledge
The Fruit Bowl
Chicken Reef at Salmon Bay
Transits at Thompsons Bay

The South West Edge has some of the best surfing coastline in Australia and arguably the world.

Fremantle

Much like Rottnest, Fremantle has plenty of beaches and bays that are perfect for surfers to get out onto the water and catch some waves. You will often see surfers out in the water off:

Leighton Beach
Port Beach
Lighthouse
Dingoes
Sandtrax
Coogee Beach

These are popular beaches in the Summer months, so prepare to have an audience if you are heading out on your board. If you are a beginner wanting to learn how to surf, head to Cottesloe Beach where the waves are smaller and gentler, making it a great spot for body boarders too.

Surfing in the South West

The South West is considered a mecca for surfers, with world class surf and incredible variety of breaks. Margaret River is packed with surfers; both visitors and locals love the laid back lifestyle and the awesome surfing conditions. The famed Surfers Point, 10km from Margaret River town is the perfect vantage point for watching the local surfers take on this premier wave. ‘Main break’ as the locals call it, is the setting for the annual Margaret River Pro, one of surfing’s annual World Championship Tour events.

Some of the surfing hot spots around the South West include:

Contos Beach near Margaret River
Cowaramup Bay, Gracetown
Boojidup Beach, Margaret River
Three Bears, Yallingup
Smith’s Beach, Yallingup
Ocean Beach, Denmark
Black Point, D’Entrecasteaux National Park
Muttonbird Island, near Albany

If you are not a surfer, there are plenty of places to hire a surfboard and try your luck on the waves.

Esperance Breaks

Esperance has hundreds of islands, reefs, and sandbanks that when conditions are right, can offer fantastic surf breaks. Some are more consistent and popular than others, and you will tend to see people gathering at similar beaches as they see avid surfers out in the water. The beaches closest to town which usually have the best surf conditions are:

West Beach
Chapman’s Point
Second Beach
Fourth Beach
Twilight Beach

These beaches are all scattered along the Great Ocean Drive, which is a long stretch of coastal road, so pack the board into the car and try your luck at a few of these beaches as you travel down this scenic route.

Surf an Inland Wave

Just because you are leaving the coastline and making your way back to Perth, it doesn’t mean you can’t try your luck surfing one last time! As you head home and stop through Hyden, head to the 15m tall, 110m long Wave Rock, a gigantic rock formation shaped like a wave, with incredible coloured granite curves that tower over you. Be sure to grab a surfing selfie, this is one wave you can guarantee you will catch!

A fan of getting the adrenaline pumping? Check out these other adventurous experiences along The Edge and create your perfect road trip!