Cabarita

Surf Guide

After 10 miles or so (16 kilometres in local measurement) the casual driver will come across a long low grassy headland, with a smaller outcropping just to the north forming a bay then a broad beach of white sand. This is Cabarita, or Bogangar, as it was known once by local Aboriginal people, who named it after a kind of shellfish growing on the headland's rock platforms. Cabarita's charm lies in its off-the-beaten-track vibe. The wave itself -- a long, sectiony right breaking at various points along the two headlands -- is highly dependent on sand placement; while it can be a bit of a burger, it can also come to resemble Burleigh Heads on its better days, with a long fast hollow section running right across the front of the smaller outcrop and peeling further down the bay. Off the bigger point the wave tends to be superficially attractive, but inclined to mush out a bit unless it's big or the sand is right on target. Both these sections are sheltered from the classic fall/winter southerly wind, and nicely offshore in a southwest to westerly. Not a big local pack, but they know what they're doing. And there's a lot of sea life -- yep, including the men in gray suits. So don't just zone out on the beauty. On the other side of the headland is a classic "back beach" -- Australian surf language for the less frequented beach behind a well-known pointbreak. It's a quick walk through thin bushland, and you'll find yourself on a clean curving beach that runs for a couple miles down to the next headland, Hastings Point. There's usually good beachbreak peaks scattered up and down the stretch, especially close in to this northern headland, where the waves are protected from the near-permanent summertime northeast seabreeze.