Is there anything we enjoy in Australia with more gusto than a weekend away? Yes, we have a collective affinity for barbecues and backyard cricket, but nothing spells leisure quite as precisely as packing the bags and getting away for a few days.
It’s an open ticket, too. Camping, festivals, long afternoons in the car; anything goes. Like sailing. Most of us here on the Gold Coast would also gladly nominate waterway explorations as part of an ideal weekend away. That’s also why all the top-rated Gold Coast accommodation is typically waterfront with surfing, sailing, or kayaking activities on offer.
So if the notion of learning to sail has struck you lately, you’re in the right place. This is our brief but helpful guide to easy sailing trips in Australia for beginners.
The Whitsundays
Let’s start with a bang. There are few places on earth that can genuinely claim to be synonymous with paradise. The Whitsundays is one of the lucky few. Just a stone’s throw from the Gold Coast, this sailing locale is the most accessible to Queensland residents – but it can be a little pricier than some of the other options we’ll be sharing today.
For locals who’ve been honing their sailing skills along the Coral Sea or even across the Nerang River, however, you’ll find an expedition to The Whitsundays to be highly rewarding. The calmer waters provide a wonderful training ground for beginner skippers. There are also great mooring points across tourist hotspots like Hook Island and Daydream Island.
And on top of providing avid scuba divers and snorkellers with plenty to observe, the Great Barrier Reef also acts as the perfect barrier to repel harsh sailing conditions, making the Whitsundays almost as much of a nursery for sailors as it is for the breathtaking array of coral and sea life you’ll find in its shallow waters (outside of cyclone season, of course).
And once you’re done with conditioning those sea legs, you can either push things further with a hike in the rainforest or take things a little more horizontal with a cocktail on the beach.
Sydney Harbour
Just as the Whitsundays can rightly consider itself a heavyweight contender in the paradise stakes, so too can Sydney stake a similar claim in the best harbour in the world category. What other harbour springs so joyfully to mind, with its iconic bridge and architecturally impressive Opera House?
Aside from being iconic and bustling, Sydney Harbour is home to countless sailing schools. And countless secluded coves and beaches to explore when your confidence has grown.
Once your skills are of a decent level, make sure you angle your vessel into a good spot to catch the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, an annual event that’s stitched into the national identity, and one you may find yourself entering after a couple of years of dedicated training.
Pittwater
If you’ve reached the skill level where you can sail out of the relative calm of Sydney Harbour, head a little north to Pittwater, the tidal estuary on the inside of Avalon and Palm Beach.
Like Sydney Harbour, Pittwater is a beginner sailors haven, with the bay’s contained waters keeping conditions relatively uniform, and numerous schools available across the region. This little locale essentially provides a calmer, less dense training environment when compared to Sydney Harbour, plus a few more idyllic, small town vibes and views from coast to coast.
Pittwater is also the kind of place that makes you forget you’re actually on the fringe of a huge city. In other words, it’s the perfect destination for a weekend away: conveniently close but still somehow off the grid.
Port Phillip Bay
Sydney might land the magazine covers, but Port Phillip Bay, the bay that holds Melbourne, is a more than worthy inclusion on this list. It’s one that’s particularly gentle on the sailing student, with many coves on either side offering respite from the often hostile winds roaring in from the Bass Strait.
Like Sydney and Pittwater, there are loads of sailing schools, from St Kilda to Williamstown to Portsea to Geelong. And once the sun sets, there’s arguably no better city in Australia to have the night at your feet. Comedy, sport, art, food, the list goes on and on. For those who like to try their hand at sailing in the day, and make the most of the party scene in a pulsing city at night, why not combine the two, and enjoy a boat party or river cruise in Melbourne’s largest harbour?
Bruny Island
If you enjoyed watching the start of Australia’s premier yacht race, you’ll probably enjoy the end. Hobart, on the shores of Tasmania’s Derwent River, is a brilliant little harbour town, the perfect blend of old stone warehouses and conversation-starting new art, courtesy of the glorious MONA (Museum of Old & New) and the unruly festival Dark Mofo.
Really though, Hobart is the launching pad for an even better weekend away: Bruny Island. One of the last places before you make the challenging trek toward New Zealand shores, Bruny Island has its fair share of tranquil nooks to enjoy the company of someone special. And if adventure still beckons, sail up to Shipsterns Bluff, one of the world’s most awe-inspiring surf breaks.
Start your Skippering Career at these Great Australian Sailing Spots
The beauty of a weekend of sailing lies in the fact that the more you do it the bigger and brighter the ocean becomes. Suddenly, every secluded cove, every island visible from shore is within reach. It’s enough to make you feel as though your weekend has leapt from black and white into glorious colour.
Sailing is the perfect weekend activity because it blends with ease what most other activities stumble to attempt: adventure and relaxation. That makes it a versatile choice regardless of the crew you choose to cast off with. Family, friends, that special someone, anyone and everyone involved will find something to embrace in a weekend of sailing. Now, time to start practising your reef knots!
