Wouts, don’t come in Nov/Dec unless you want to kiteboard.
From Dec onwards is the summer monsoon with general monsoonal gyres located in the southern coral sea/south pac.
Jan is school hols and your worst nightmare…if you come in Jan I’ll personally track you down and shoot you for pure stupidity.
By Feb regular swell from the SE to ENE is assured along with very warm water.
It is crowded but the sheer consistency and short range nature of the swell generating systems means an incredible amount of waves per hour.
On a good year it is like a machine…ask Roger(proneman) how many waves he rode this year while he was here.
You will surf more good waves between Noosa and Coffs Harbour between Feb and April then almost any location on earth…mostly 3-6ft pointbreaks and beachies.
If you can zig when the crowd zags and have half a brain you’ll surf with light to moderate crowds.
After Easter the focus shift to the southern storm track…thats the time to be heading south of Sydney…others have covered that.
WA is open to the full brunt of the Indian Ocean/roaring 40’s storm track…if you want to ride big waves head there but be prepared…it’s not fcuking tiddlywinks down there and nothing the North Sea can produce is gunna prepare you for the Womb or Tombstones.
I believe Vicco is highly overrated…the Surf Coast is fickle and as crowded as QLD…there aren’t many spots west of the Otways compared to other locations. PI is awesome.
Best bet : fly into Brisbane or Coolangatta in Feb, buy a cheap van and cruise between Noosa and Ballina until March then slowly work your way south…May is traditionally the month for biggest surf on the east coast due to the high probability of intense east coast lows which form off the coast. You’ll need a pintail and some skills to surf the surf these generate…big wave pointbreaks can handle 10-12ft of surf during these events and it ain’t long range long period groundswell with glassy surface conditions like Indo…it’s raw and challenging.
Be friendly, Aussies hate Euro snobs but like people who’ll chat with them…carry around a cold 6 pack and you’ll make friends immediately.
I’m at Lennox and would be stoked to offer any help to you.