Rye Front-Beach Victoria, Australia

Rye Front Beach is located on the Mornington Peninsula on Port Phillip Bay about 100 km from Melbourne (1.5 hours drive).

It is a great location for bump-and-jump and flat-water-blasting for both windsurfers and kitesurfers. Due to the shallow water it is also a great spot for beginners & improvers as you can easily stand up. It is a great place for windsurfer learning to gybe in a northerly.

This spot works in NW, N, NE & E. It can also work in a W & SW however the more S it becomes the gustier it gets due to the land obstructing the wind. A true northerly is great for kitesurfers but not so good for windsurfers as it is directly on-shore meaning you are sailing across the shallow sand bars. Cross-on-shore is better so you can get out into the deeper water.

Rye is also a popular spot during winter when the northerly winds blow as the air temperature is warmer than the southerlies and the northerlies tend to be stronger & more consistent during winter.

Sandbars are the number 1 hazard at Rye, particularly for windsurfers. At low tide there are sand bars that appear out of the water which makes some of the water super flat; ideal for kitesurfers. Even at high tide a big fin on a windsurfer is likely to strike these sand bars which are lurking only 30 cm or so below the surface so take care.

Access, Rigging & Launching

There are several free parking spots along the waterfront in Rye where you can pull up and rig up on the beach. One popular spot is opposite Daly Avenue where there is a grassy/sandy rigging area and public toilets nearby.

Like all spots at Rye due to the shallowness of the water windsurfers will need to wade out a bit before it is deep enough to start.