Thinking of moving to Merimbula...

Haven't spent a huge amount of time in the area, but there are definitely other more exposed waves around that region.

I suspect, coming from Kalbarri, you would get frustrated with a) the inconsistency of swells, and b) the waves not being as powerful

I'd go for Coffs, personally

Suggest you look into how many people go there over school holiday periods and especially christmas, there is a reason why there is so many flats in town,

I’m not a fan of Coffs Harbour the town but all the little areas to the north and south are good and I find it reasonably consistent when ever I’ve stayed down there. Never been to Merimbula though

GS - isn’t that the case with every single coastal town in Australia?

The left is very fickle, as with most waves in the area. Windy. Also might be a bit chilly for you moving from Kalbarri. Nice place for a holiday none the less.
Go Coffs if you want more consistent surf I'd say.

If you're flexible enough to be able to buy a joint in Merimbula and move out from Christmas till end of Jan to lease it (pays well and you avoid the crowds) could be worth a thought.

Hello groundswell
I grew up in Merimbula and i no longer live there, but it will always be home to me.
So these are my thoughts about living in Merimbula and been a surfer.
It really depends on what you are hoping for.
It sits in a significant swell shadow. Swells are unreliable and can be very inconsistent, and generally the good swells tend to be one day wonders. It's not uncommon to have weeks long straight of runs with junky onshore small conditions ( 1-2max). You need to surf early to before the winds get up and have a mal for these periods. When they do get strong swell (4-6- ft producing systems(infrequently), the beachie banks cant handle the size and there are not many options, as these systems generally come with stormy conditions and winds from the wrong directions, and the reefs or points that can handle these swells are not to numerous. However, there are jewels in the crown.
Everyone knows about the nature of the mystical "rivo " in the area. everything you hear is true. It will always be an enigma, there's more chance of kissing kim jong un than scoring it perfect. The left, it is a beautiful wave (world class on its day). Crowded when on( where isn't these days?). It is a swell directional specific wave. Days in the size range from 3 ft to 6ft are uncommon , but days of 1-2 ft occur more frequently and on a mal, it is super fun. It is hard to say how often it breaks because it can go flat for weeks( i mean weeks ) on end, or it can have small mal runners on it for a few days, and then ocaasionally you could get 2-3 days of fun small waves straight out of no where. This is the FRUSTRATING part of living there. When there is swell you can find a beachie or nook somewhere and have it to yourself or maybe a few others. There are other waves down there, be prepared to travel to surf consistently.Merimbula can be flat but 1 - 1.5 hours up or down the coast can have more swell.

If your after a nice lifestyle and have plenty of other outdoor passions to indulge and fill in the days( or weeks ) between surfs it is a wonderful spot to live. Such an amazing environment, truly beautiful coastline. Full of forest, estuaries, hills, valleys. The fishing is top notch,Diving, snorkelling swimming is great, beautiful walks, amazing national parks and beaches and so many secluded little spots to explore. Good golf courses too. Mountain biking is becoming quite a thing there too. You are also close to the snowy mountains which are a playground as well. After all my travels to most parts of OZ and overseas i still think that Far south coast has some of the most beautiful spots, pristine forests and environment in the world.

If your going to live there in the hope of consistently surfing lots, or surfing really good waves regularly, you will be let down. There are waves there, don't hold high expectations and be patient.
If you are going there to have a great lifestyle, have a mal , surf when there are waves, and OCASSIONALLY score some great days, it is a wonderful spot to be.
Good luck!!

I was very fortunate to luck into a pumping swell late 2016, 4-5ft+ pumping bar and had one surf with only 5 others. Rare but.

Left a great impression on me though, but seeing its location in regards to incoming swells, it's as other have said not too consistent at all.

Surfing down this way is nearly always very frustrating . You can expect to spend many hours and dollars driving around looking for a wave. Then when it's ok there comes a crowd from apparently nowhere , they must look at surf websites. Once a spot is crowded it is almost the same experience if you're in Coffs or down here. Coffs picks up heaps of good swells and has heaps of unreal headlands so if I were to move for surf I'd go there for sure.

Yeah your right Ben, just frustrating about how things have gone, have had those river mouths good over the years, but more fluke than anything else given the drive from home and the times I've driven through that way always heading somewhere else.

Groundswell
Hi mate...why move to Merimbula?
I know the part of the world a few towns north very well.
Surf wise move to Ulladulla .

I agree too

Merimbula gets real good sometimes with great waves in nearby more exposed areas near by.
Coffs has variable beach break that never seems to hold much size , that sometimes has fun rip bowls if conditions are right

It also has a very large and hungry group of surfers too.
Why leave Kalbarri mate ?

"It also has a very large and hungry group".... of pensioners? 
Wildebeests?
Prehistoric mastodons?

Don't leave us hanging EYV.

Lol
Didn’t make much sense ,did I .

Have edited it .
Watch out for those hungry mastodons.....

Another reason why the bar is so fickle is it lives close to the Green Cape swell shadow. South swells are common, se ground swells are not. As another poster said, head to the Ulladulla region and you'll find more consistency.

Yep, shadowed from Southern Ocean S'ly swells from Tasmania, Green Cape and Haycock Point directly to the south.

North-east windswells don't usually penetrate much further south than Jervis Bay/Ulladulla so that wipes out a lot of those in between days that keep locations further north more surfable.

Anybody else see Backroads on the ABC last night? Heather took us down the Waterfall Way to Sawtell. ABC iview if you missed it. Man I've got some great memories all that way, lots of good surfs but what always springs to mind is that time a massive brown snake wanted me!

Yeah that was a good segment GS.

Hungry group of great whites. They dont seem to bite people as often down here.

Former wharf worker from Eden told me all about the resident GW at Eden harbour while we drank coffee watching the surf at Merimbula bar this time last year, he thought we surfers were all crazy. Same trip I surfed over a small group of juvenile sharks at Pambula beach.

logging trucks will be much more frequent the further you venture out

Just a side note, ive had some good experiences when a shark is there, in the surf. Nothing on earth clears a lineup faster than a shark. Also sometimes when the linup is offering up troubles, there is suddenly a shark swimmin by and when I look around im the only one left. Then, all the waves for me.

Is your name Dave longrass by any chance ?

Hahaha now I'm laughin . I went down the road and was asking around about who this Longrass bloke is and then my mate said, don't you mean Jason Longrass , survived a large great white attack in Gracetown . This was after an earlier attack in the area on the same day! Fkn Classic! Is that who you mean EYVegies? I'll be thinking about that next time I see one, but if there's good waves barrelling through, will I leave the water??

Hey Groundswell, how has Covid been to Kalbarri, both in the surf and as a town? What's your prediction for the upcoming surf season? I live in a somewhat similar surfing outpost town and Covid has resulted in crowds increasing by probably 3 times the amount who were in the surf/town this time last year before Covid hit.