Ayliffe Park is along Golden Beach in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast and is a great spot for windsurfing, wingfoiling & kitesurfing.
In recent times a huge storm ripped a huge hole in Bribie Island about 700m long creating a second entrance into the Caloundra estuary. Talking to locals this is a god-send for windsports enthusiast where the prevailing SE breeze funnels through the gap uninhibited by land providing consistent wind.
A huge sandbar has also developed running perpendicular to the SE breeze making it an incredible spot for flat water blasting.
There is plenty of deeper water for foilers but just watch those sandbars as the tide goes out.
Noticeably there is very little current during tide changes and the tide variation is only a matter centimetres and not metres like further north.
The spot works best from SE on incoming tide and NE, S & E on outgoing tide (but the tide isn’t really a major factor) and the windiest time of year is October to March.
The bottom is sand with no weeds and you don’t really need to wear booties.
It is a very safe spot for beginners with plenty of sandbars to sail to to take a break.
Access, Rigging & Launching
Access, rigging & launching is incredibly easy for windsurfers & wingfoilers at this spot. Park right at the foreshore, rig on the grassy area in front of the car park and walk about 30m to the water’s edge where it drops off steeply (about 3 metres from shore and you are in 1.5m water).
Windsurfers tend to launch about 300m to the south where they can sail along the edge of the sandbar in pancake flat water.
The beach area is a bit limited in size but there is enough room for kites to set up & launch.
Hazards
There is limited beach at high tide so rigging a kite can be challenging. At low tide foils will need to stick to the main channels as sand bars start to appear.
Where To Stay
There are a multitude of accommodation options around this area including a nice little caravan park called The Golden Beach Holiday Park.
2 Reviews on “Caloundra - Ayliffe Park (QLD, Australia)”
It was an amazing day for all wind sports in Caloundra today. Perfect 15 – 20 knots, 26 dec C air temp & water around the same temp. Interestingly as I am progressing with my wing foiling I actually found this spot to be not perfect. I am finding that as an intermediate it takes me a bit of time to get on the foil and by the time I do I am already on the other side. It is ideal for experts who can turn tightly in this small body of water whilst remaining on the foil. And it is perfect for beginners who can sail from one side to the other and take a break standing up on each side. So the moral of the story is I just need to get my act together and learn how to gybe!
It had been 30 years since I windsurfed here and I remember it being a fabulous spot! Well nothing has changed, warm, blue flat water and lovely QLD temps makes it an ideal spot for windsports enthusiasts. A lot is different from the current Google Earth image because a huge gap was created by a storm in Bribie Island creating an entirely new entrance. This might be a bit of an environmental disaster but from what I experience it has made this spot even better for wind sports as the E & SE breeze enters the inlet without disturbance. I have since just started wing dinging and am an absolute beginner and this was the most perfect spot to learn being able to take a rest on the sandbar on the other side each time I needed to turn around. Plus it is very safe with sharks being very unlikely. I still think this is one of the best places in Australia to sail!