king island surf trip

King Island Surf Safaris

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King Island Surf Safaris - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

King Island Surf Safaris

Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

King Island Surf Safaris - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

King Island Surf Safaris

Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

KING ISLAND SURF SAFARIS (Barwon Heads) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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A Surf Trip To King Island

Surfer and friend of Homecamp Alex Dillenbeck shares some tales from a recent a trip to Tassie’s rugged King Island, where the breaks are empty and the locals relaxed.

As our late 90s twin-prop Piper Chieftan taxied to the end of the runway, we noticed a fuel gauge on the dash of the aircraft with the dial pointing firmly at empty.

Hey Craig, um, what’s with the empty fuel tank? One of us asked. Craig tapped the gauge and smiled. “She’ll be right” he yelled as he thrust the aircraft into full power.

No turning back now, I guess.

As surfers, we’re constantly on the search for waves. We scour the globe for coastlines where swells hit at the right angle, where winds blow light offshore and crowds don’t flock in their hundreds. King Island is one of those places.

A 45 minute flight south from Barwon Heads airport lands you on KI, a rock situated smack bang in the middle of Bass Strait between Victoria and Tasmania. There are about 1800 people who live on the Island, the majority of which are either cheese makers or beef farmers. Only about 10 of them surf.

On King Island, the saying goes that ‘no one really locks their houses’. Keys are left in cars on the main street, and if you forget to raise a finger from the steering wheel to greet another vehicle, you feel like you want to turn around make up for it. The locals are friendly – welcoming, warm, helpful, interested and love to stop for a chat.

“We’re pretty relaxed around here”, we were assured by our rental car company attendant. “If something happens, just give us a ring, and we’ll add whoever was driving to the insurance policy” she said with a wink.

We weren’t sure if she was joking or not, but we smiled, nodded and packed our 14 surfboards, duffels and surf buckets into an (unlocked) 1998 Toyota Landcruiser 4×4, with an odometer reading of 350,000. Perfect.

First stop, the King Island Bakery for a “world famous” Crayfish Pie, followed by Martha Livinia – a world-class beach break on the North East Coast of the Island known to have been surfed by 11 time world champion Kelly Slater back in the day. Martha’s is incredible – south west swells wrap around the island to create A-frame peaks up and down the beach unlike nothing we’d ever seen before. With not another soul in the water and our trusty Landy parked atop a scenic vista overlooking the beach, we were out there. Nothing between here and Antarctica.

At dusk, we were surfed out. Sustenance required, and King Island’s produce is second to none. The friendly owners of the King Island butcher suggested a couple of local grass-fed rib eyes. Eat what the locals eat we thought – we obliged and cooked over fire out the back of our secluded little farm house accommodation. Melt in your mouth.

Mornings were largely spent dissecting weather forecasts over coffee , finding an appropriate location in our ‘bible’ – a map of the island with spots circled in red pen with notes from Eddy at King Island Surfaris. We’d deliberate, discuss, deliberate some more – and then take off in our Landy, which was stacked so full of boards that a three of us hang on the back, one out the side window.

The coastline is raw and rugged and seemingly untouched. As we carefully meander down bumpy access roads, wallaby bounce curiously the along the side of tracks, turkeys hang out in green pastures and cows stare us down like we’re idiots. We would arrive at another scenic vista and surf until we couldn’t paddle any more. Exactly what we were hoping for.

It’s comforting to know places like King Island still exist. A genuine surfing paradise. Oh, and for the record, a Piper Chieftan has two fuel tanks – only one of which is required to be full for takeoff.

Must do’s on King Island

King island bakery.

Try the wallaby or crayfish pie.

King Island Butchery

Locally sourced, grass fed meat from the island.

King Island Club

Free pool and vintage pokie machine.

Cape Wickham Golf Club

We’re not golfers but there happens to be a really good surf spot right out front and coffee goes down pretty well.

King Island Dairy Cheese Shop

Free samples and cheese store for KI’s famous dairy.

The Southern Hemisphere’s Tallest Lighthouse

‘Huh, whatdoyaknow’ kind of spot.

King Island Surf Safaris

Give Eddy a ring – he might even share a couple of red pen secret spots with you.

Wild Harvest

We never made it here but heard great things – sea to paddock to plate.

Restaurant with no food

The famous boathouse often known as the ‘Restaurant with no food’ – a do-it-yourself King Island gourmet lunch or dinner.

@xander_ @cambatten_

Homecamp Growler 1.9L – Tan

Homecamp Bucket Bag – Blue

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King Island Pleasure Tou rs

The king island experience experts, king island travel deals, " we travel to king island             not to escape life,    but for life not to escape us."  .

Taste of King Island

Bitesized & Snapshots

Munch, crunch, slurp & burp

Wellness, Rejuvenate, Holistic

Life changing

Pure Golf, Surf, Fish, Dive & See

54 spectacular holes

3 World Top 10 surf breaks 

Meet the Makers

Up close & personal

Tall ships, wars, historic high drama, heroes & rogues

Sealers, Sailors, Soldiers & Settlers

The escape artist.

Explore, expand & unleash your inner creative

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King island pleasure tours.

Nature Naturally

Trek, twitter, bushwalk or amble

Perfect for all Occasions

Romantic or fun escape, Unforgettable King Island travel experience

Events & Entertainment

Race, compete, celebrate or sit back & enjoy

Island Hopper

The big Bass Strait 2, 3 or more

Book now  

Women only  special ex melb.   .

Who?      

You.  Perfect for the woman traveller. A chance to join like minded women. Relax, explore & discover new friendships. The chance to escape & be yourself on a tour where women can safely enjoy each others company, laugh, tell stories & share the experience of tasting & exploring King Island.

What do you get?

Met & escorted to your SAAB 34 seater jet. Fly for around 35 minutes with Regional Express Airlines (REX) from  Melbourne Airport to King Island for 4 days & 3 nights.

You will be met at the airport & 'taken to lunch' - every day.  Your tour, over 4 days, also includes an afternoon of 'High Tea'  with massage & facial.  Dinners of King Island Beef & King Island Crayfish, local produce & ..desserts. King Island Cheese tasting. See food, art, craft artisans &  absorb history. Cool off in the highest suspended fresh water lake in the world at Penny's Lagoon or watch the birds & enjoy the Chicken & Champagne lunch. Dine with beach sunrises & sunset.  A mix of experiences with other women who want to have fun, unwind & breathe in the purity & simplicity.

Your  package includes Melb. to King Island return flights, share accommodation (single available), Continental Breaksfasts, 3 Lunches & 3 Dinners, 2 Morning Tea, 1 High Tea, massage & facial, Farewell dinner , Music,  Tour hostess & driver, transport.

Don't forget

If you decide you wish to to include other 'tour options'  prebookings are needed - Ocean & Beach Fishing tours, horse trail riding adventures, penguin, photography addons,  golf round & club hire. Ask us 'what's on' on the 'Rock" during your stay. We can order your King Island crayfish or beef for  taking back home. Early Bookings in peak seasons avoid disappointment.  Full itinerary Pricing  &  details

* This offer is subject to alterations & availability

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Experiences & Activities 

Dreaming of the adventures of your next holiday is always exciting. To make your planning experience even easier, organise your itinerary around the dates you are coming to the island by inputting them into our booking bar above and press “Experiences”.  This way you can see what is available when you are here. Or purely peruse the many experiences and see what is available before booking you ideal King Island get away.  We look forward to sharing our reality with you!

Sit back and tour with a local. Take the hassle out of your holiday and let the experts take you on a King Island experience.

Pure air, fertile soil creates the freshest of produce. King Island's seafood, beef, cheese, honey, fruit and vegies and not to mention local whisky, craft ale, or just-caught crayfish and abalone. Experience, learn, understand how they create their culinary delights with a range of tours and tastings on the island.

Arts, Heritage & Culture

King Island's Art, Heritage and Culture is rife through out the island. Welcoming artists invite you to view and even take part in their creative spaces.

The worlds most exciting new golfing destination is here on King Island offering three top-class golf courses. As such, it’s too difficult to pick one golf course from the two 18 hole courses at Cape Wickham & Ocean Dunes and the nine hole local course found in the heart of Currie. Find out more using the buttons below.

Walking & Hiking

King Island is known for being wild and rugged with stunning vista’s to explore! It is the perfect place to visit to put your explorer’s hat on. The walks are gentle, suitable for any fitness level and include long beach walks, bouldering and open fields to roam.

King Island’s seafood is world-renowned and for good reason. The clean, remote waters surrounding the island are home to an abundance of sea life. Whether you choose to fish from the beach, a jetty or boat you’ll have the opportunity to catch a range of varieties and have a great time kicking back, fishing rod in hand.

If you feel under the weather during your stay or are in need of a boost King Island has a full range of health services available to all visitors ranging from yoga and meditation to western medicine to get you right back on track.

You will find Martha Lavinia's 'A frame' break on the bucket list of most surfers. Framed by 5km of nature reserve and featuring crystal clear water, Martha is arguably the best-known surfing spot on the island. However, you are well and truly spoiled for choice with more surf breaks just 20 minutes to the west. You can expect great swell year-round and waves range from beginner to expert.

One of the great experiences that visitors often recall about King Island is that they are able to enjoy community activities while on the island. These are events or activities that are not aimed at visitors but are a part of living on King Island.

Just a few MUST do’s when you are on limited time! Here are the MUST do actives on the Island.

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Discover the wonders of King Island

Discover a gourmet getaway like no other

Tailored group packages are our specialty

King island group packages & tours.

Discover King Island can organise tours of the island, packages, transport and accommodation for any group of 8 or more guests. Tailored packages are our specialty. Tour dates, duration and details can usually be customised to your requirements.

Whether you are interested in Gourmet Tours or a general tour of the island , we have a package to suit.  View all group packages >>

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About King Island

Kings Island is more than an amusement park. It's the reason I have my family

Few places give adults the same magic feeling they felt when they were kids.

For me, Kings Island takes me back to 10-year-old David. The distant sound of cheers. The smell of funnel cakes. The rush I feel when riding Diamondback or The Beast .

But the 52-year-old amusement park is more than an adrenaline destination for me.

It's part of my family's story.

My favorite childhood park

I first visited Kings Island when I was about 4 years old. It instantly became one of my favorite places in the world. I made my grandfather ride The Racer with me four times, twice frontward and twice backward . That was when they actually had the backward facing coaster.

My family and I then made the park a regular hangout spot during the summer. We'd spend weekends there. I'd go there with classmates. Friends would take me with their families or vice versa.

It was the anticipation I felt pre- Drop Zone (I refuse to call it Drop Tower) . Or the competitive juices that flowed when my friends and I competed in the 3-point shootout. We always wanted to win a jersey but never could.

Those were among the experiences that brought me back.

It also made tough days better.

I was on a Kings Island trip during LeBron James' infamous "Decision" special in 2010. As a big Cleveland Cavaliers fan , I failed in my search for a TV. So I snuck into a bathroom and called my friend, who then put his phone next to his TV's speaker (this was pre-FaceTime).

"I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat," I heard James say, as I huddled in a corner next to a trash can.

I hung up the phone, crushed. But I at least eased the pain with some blue ice cream .

The trip that changed everything

One trip during my freshman year of high school changed my life forever.

My buddies and I went to Kings Island on a Saturday in May. I had a youth group event at my church the day before and learned one of my church friends was also going with her school the same day.

Her name was Macey. We had been friends for a while but never actually spent time together outside of our friend group at church.

She didn't even hang out with her classmates that day, choosing to ride rides with me and my friends instead.

And we had ourselves a time, screaming on Delirium . Eating snacks. She playfully picked on me while on The Beast.

Our friendship started feeling ... different.

My friends said they could tell we liked each other, which hadn't crossed my mind before. I previously "talked" to her best friend (you know, the term us millennials used for pre-dating). She did the same with my cousin.

But we started texting more after that trip. We had more inside jokes, and spent more time with each other over our friends.

Weeks later, we were dating.

Kings Island's special place in my heart

May 14, 2024, will mark 13 years since that trip. May 27 will be the 13th anniversary of when Mace became my girlfriend and our eighth wedding anniversary.

After that day in 2011, we continued visiting Kings Island, reliving that fateful day our lives changed.

My mom used to get us season passes for Christmas every year. When we moved to Cincinnati in 2014, we would just go on random week nights. Or when we just need something to do. One year, we got a season-long meal plan, and I'd just go to the park to grab lunch (I was a broke college kid).

It was our home away from home.

I haven't been back since 2019. COVID-19 messed things up for a couple years, then my wife couldn't go on rides when she was pregnant in 2022 and 2023. We welcomed our first two children those years.

But I still often reflect on those memories.

On the childhood trips with friends. On the random concerts I attended at the park's Timberwolf Amphitheatre . On going there for senior skip day in high school or eating lunch in the Festhaus . Or of all the dips into the wave pool at Soak City .

So whether you're 4 years old going for your first time, or you're taking your kids to your favorite childhood park, I hope you too make magical memories this amusement park season.