WorldAustralia › New South Wales › Palms Wedge

Palms Wedge 57.2

#3448 of 5756 surf spots in the world · 🇦🇺 Australia · New South Wales · near Port Macquarie

Works almost every day, wind is the enemy here, no off season.

Works all yearRemoteIntermediate
Palms Wedge, Australia
Photo: Annette Teng · CC BY 3.0 · source
Surf score57.2 /100
Surfable days100% of the year
Clean days8% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell15% period 11 s+
Typical size1.5 m 5.0 ft median
Water23°C a rash vest or 2 mm

Best time to surf Palms Wedge

The best time to surf Palms Wedge is May, July, August. It rarely works. In August the water sits around 20°C, so pack a 2 mm shorty, and the typical wave is 1.5 m. The nearest airport is SYD (320 km) and the nearest town is Port Macquarie (3 km).

MonthSurfableCleanSizeWaterSuit
Jan99%3%1.5 m24°Cvest
Feb100%5%1.7 m25°Cboardies
Mar100%4%1.6 m25°Cboardies
Apr100%14%1.4 m24°Cvest
May99%17%1.5 m23°Cvest
Jun100%17%1.6 m22°C2mm
Jul99%18%1.6 m20°C2mm
Aug99%21%1.5 m20°C2mm
Sep100%4%1.5 m21°C2mm
Oct100%5%1.5 m21°C2mm
Nov100%2%1.4 m21°C2mm
Dec100%3%1.4 m23°Cvest

Why 57.2

Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and multiplied by its weight; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world scores 100. Wave quality and what the spot does on its best days carry more than half of it, which is what separates this from a ranking of where the water is warm.

Wave quality 34.7%
13.8
Best days 22.4%
12.1
Clean days 18.4%
3.5
Consistency 10.2%
10.2
Season spread 4.1%
4.1
Water comfort 6.1%
4.2
Access 4.1%
1.6

The detail

Faces 100° with 56% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 56% of days. Mean peak period 9.1 s. Days over 3 m: 3%. On its best tenth of days it reaches 2.3 m, with a peak period of 11 s. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 22%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates -31.470, 152.936 (OpenStreetMap).

What it costs to be here

Living here
€1,560/ month
typically €1,380 – €1,750
Rent, one bedroom€824
Groceries€327
Eating out€187
Getting around€110
Phone + internet€119
Renting by the month, cooking most days, local transport.
One month here
€3,060/ month
typically €2,690 – €3,430
Somewhere to stay€1,800
Eating out€642
Car, transfers, fuel€416
Data + extras€196
Short stays, eating out, a car or transfers.
49% cheaper if you live here instead of visiting

Remote spot, so the local estimate is 15% below the country average. Estimate: World Bank PPP price level for Australia (2025, United States = 1.00) applied to a fixed surfer basket, then adjusted for how remote the spot is. Your own number moves with the season and how you live.

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