Gold Coast – Kirra
Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia
Sports: Surfing
Best time to go: February–June
Kirra is a beach and point at the southern end of the Gold Coast in Queensland, just north of Coolangatta. Sand pumped across the Tweed River mouth flows north along the Superbank from Snapper Rocks, and at Kirra it settles around the point and the Big Groyne, a rock wall built out from the beach. On easterly to south-easterly swells, especially the cyclone swells of late summer and autumn, the wave becomes a fast, powerful right-hand barrel along the sandbank, and southerly to south-westerly winds blow offshore.
The quality of the wave depends on the sand and changes from year to year; in its best years it is one of the longest and hollowest sand-bottom barrels in the world. On those days it is powerful, fast and very crowded with experienced surfers, and a strong current runs along the point. Smaller days and the beach further north suit intermediate surfers. The beach is patrolled by lifeguards in the swimming area. The water ranges from about 21 °C in winter to 27 °C in summer: a spring suit or 3/2 in winter, boardshorts in summer.
Spots near Gold Coast – Kirra
- Gold Coast – Snapper Rocks (2 km)
- Gold Coast – Duranbah (2 km)
- Burleigh Heads (11 km)
- Byron Bay – The Pass (53 km)
- Lennox Head (70 km)
- Angourie (147 km)
- Noosa – Noosa River (202 km)
- Noosa – First Point (203 km)