🇦🇺 Yorkeys Knob
Australia · Oceania · All Australia spots →
Best directionSE
Wind speed15–22kt
SeasonApr – Nov
Skill levelBeginner
WaterFlat + reef
A beach town near Cairns in Australia's tropical far north, catching the reliable dry-season trade winds — reef offshore, so check tide and access locally.
View live 5-day wind forecast →Good to know
Getting thereFly into Cairns (CNS) and drive north 15-20 minutes to Yorkeys Knob. A car helps for gear; ample free parking adjacent to the rigging lawns at the southern end of the beach. Best access is the dedicated kite launch near the Thomatis Creek river mouth.
HazardsSaltwater crocodiles are a genuine, documented presence around the Thomatis Creek river mouth — sightings are uncommon but real, and there's no recorded kiter incident to date; still, don't linger or swim in the creek itself. Box jellyfish are a real seasonal risk (roughly November-April/May) and can be dangerous, but this window barely overlaps the main kiting season (May-November) — stingers are genuinely rare during the months most people are actually out kiting. Wear a stinger suit if riding outside the core season.
Best time of dayAfternoon, when trade winds get a strong thermal boost, blowing side-onshore from the SE. Mid-to-high tide for flatwater over the coastal sandbanks without bottoming out.