Burrum Heads Windsurfing, Wing Foiling & Kitesurfing

Burrum Heads is a lovely little coastal fishing village located about 20 mins drive north of Hervey Bay.
It is a top spot for windsurfer speed sailing when the right conditions come together i.e. a solid 15 to 25 knot SE breeze (which mostly occur in Feb/March/April when there is a low pressure system in the southern coral sea) & low tide (<0.8m which only occurs in the afternoon 12 days per month on average).

There is a huge sandbar running along the edge of the channel providing sailors with super flat water enabling speed runs of up to 6km!

Unfortunately these elements don’t come together that often for the speed freaks but other wind directions like SSE, E, ESE & NE can work as well for generally good sailing conditions for windsurfing, wing foiling & kitesurfing.

Each year in April, a speed sailing event called Windfest is held at Burrum Heads.

Ability

This place is not really suitable for beginners as the tidal current is significant. However it would be ok for an hour at high tide.

Access, Rigging & Launching

There is a nice shaded car park located to the right at the end of Burrum Heads Road at the old boat ramp.

There isn’t a lot of grass here to rig but there is a bit of scrubby bush along the beach-front for those that don’t like rigging on the sand. Otherwise there is plenty of room on the sand (particularly at low tide).

At low tide you need to carry your gear 100m or so across a nice sandy beach to the channel. The water has no shore-break so launching is super easy.

Potential Hazards

The biggest hazard here is the tidal flow. The current can run at up to 5 knots meaning you can get displaced up or down the channel very quickly if you don’t know what you are doing.

Where To Stay

Burrum Heads has some BnB’s and a couple of caravan parks, one is right on the water (but not where you launch from) and the other has water views and is dog friendly.

If you are in the Hervey Bay area & the winds start blowing from the SE, check the tide & get to Burrum Heads for a blast!