MapAustraliaPerthPoint WalterPerth

Point Walter

Western Australia · Perth · Bicton

also known as Dyoondalup

Part of Perth →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waternot for beginnershigh crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Dec–Mar

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-20 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

Tight. Trees behind, a bike path and pedestrian paths crossing the rigging area, and the 700 m bar itself carrying walkers, fishers, schools and kiters on any good summer morning.

access rules on record, below

Water

Swan River flat water with chop depending on wind strength and direction

The kite area is built around a long sandbar on the Swan River

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb Mar

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

28 min

Perth Airport (PER)

When it fills in

The easterly is there at dawn and through the early morning, then fades as the land heats up; the SW sea breeze that follows in the afternoon is a different and choppier session.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Applecrossno page yet
Melville Beachno page yet

The spot

Point Walter is a long sandbar sticking out into the Swan River at Bicton, and the session is a summer E/NE morning: wind off the land, dawn to early morning, December to February the most consistent, 15-25 knots.

Water and crowd

The flat water is on the offshore side of the bar, which is where the freestyle and wakestyle crowd goes and also where a broken line means a very long walk or swim back. The river side is flatter or choppier depending on the wind; the afternoon Fremantle Doctor from the SW is a different setup from the classic morning easterly.

It is not a place to teach yourself: the launch is tight between trees and bike paths, the sandbar has walkers and fishers on it, and the good mornings are crowded with schools and kiters.

Hazards and facilities

Do not kite east of the jetty, where families swim, and watch the sharp rocks under the water beside it. The island north of the sandbar is a fenced Tern Sanctuary from November to February, and PWC, ferries and boats use the channel.

Water temperature and normal current strength for the spot are unknown. It is a short drive from Perth or Fremantle, with the reserve kiosk and the Honour Avenue car park right beside the launch.

The wind

locals call it Fremantle Doctor and Swan River easterlies

Direction

offshorewind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

E/NE is offshore on the flat-water side of the sandbar; other sides vary around the spit

Dominant direction

E and NE for the classic morning Point Walter sandbar session; SW summer sea breeze also affects Perth river spots

Kite sizes

67891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, derived from the wind range and not from a local measurement: 12 m on a soft 15-17 kt morning, 10 m at 18-20 kt, 9 m at 22-25 kt, 8 m on the rarer mornings that push toward 30.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

15-25

Typical strength

Usually 15-20 kt on the morning easterly, with stronger days running 20-30 kt.

Good on the right summer easterly or north-easterly morning. Busy, and above 20 knots it turns gusty at the nearby Swan River beaches.

The E/NE morning thermal runs roughly November to March, with December to February the most consistent stretch. Being a local thermal, it often fails to show properly on the forecast models.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month99
Feb, riders' month94
Mar, riders' month88
Apr63
May51
Jun43
Jul63
Aug55
Sep72
Oct87
Nov83
Dec, riders' month88

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.

17 ktJan24°
16 ktFeb24°
14 ktMar23°
12 ktApr21°
12 ktMay20°
12 ktJun18°
14 ktJul17°
13 ktAug17°
14 ktSep18°
14 ktOct20°
14 ktNov21°
15 ktDec23°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2020-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	99%	16.6 kt	SSW	24.8 °C	24.1 °C
Feb	94%	15.5 kt	SSW	25.2 °C	24.3 °C
Mar	88%	13.9 kt	ESE	23 °C	23.2 °C
Apr	63%	12.3 kt	E	19.7 °C	21 °C
May	51%	12 kt	E	16.5 °C	19.5 °C
Jun	43%	11.5 kt	ENE	13.9 °C	18 °C
Jul	63%	13.6 kt	ENE	13.9 °C	16.9 °C
Aug	55%	12.9 kt	N	13.8 °C	17.4 °C
Sep	72%	13.5 kt	S	15.4 °C	18.3 °C
Oct	87%	14.2 kt	S	17.1 °C	19.8 °C
Nov	83%	14.4 kt	S	19.7 °C	21.4 °C
Dec	88%	15.4 kt	SSW	23.7 °C	23.2 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2020-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2020-2024

The water

Type

Swan River flat water with chop depending on wind strength and direction

Standing depth

Yes on the bar itself, which is walkable when the tide is out and stays shallow enough to stand on much of the time; the channel on either side is not. Submerged rocks show near the jetty at low water and they are sharp.

Tides

sections of the Point Walter sandbar are exposed or walkable when the tide is out and can be submerged at higher water

Conditions

The kite area is built around a long sandbar on the Swan River; one side can be flat in offshore E/NE wind while the river side can be flatter or choppier depending on wind.

17–24 °C water

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

Not for beginners on their own: tight launch, trees, paths, walkers, boats, and a long self-rescue from the offshore side. Learners go out only in a lesson with a Kiteboarding Australia school; some school listings call it beginner-friendly, the local association does not.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreestylewakestyleearly morning sessions

local freestyle and lesson spot that can become crowded with kiters, schools, walkers, fishers, families and river traffic

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Tight. Trees behind, a bike path and pedestrian paths crossing the rigging area, and the 700 m bar itself carrying walkers, fishers, schools and kiters on any good summer morning.

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

3 spots nearby

All 3 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

No kite rescue and no club patrol. The flat water is on the offshore side of the bar, so a broken line or a downed kite means a long swim or drift back across the river, with ferries and powered craft using the channel. Emergencies: 000.

Launch

Launch from the narrow beach at Point Walter Reserve, beside the 700 m sandbar that runs out into the Swan. From Fremantle the drive is Canning Highway then Point Walter Road; park on Honour Avenue or at Burke Drive.

Hazards riders report 12 reported

Wind

offshore-side riding behind the sandbar can make self-rescue long

Crowds and zones

boat traffic
very crowded on good summer days - tight launch/land space
families and swimmers east of the jetty
summer crowding on good E/NE mornings

Bottom

Tern Sanctuary fenced off Nov-Feb on the island north of the sandbar - avoid
very sharp underwater rocks near the jetty
walkers and occasional fishers on the sandbar
Tern Sanctuary on the island north of the sandbar from November to February

Protected areas and rules

swimmers and families east of the jetty - kiting prohibited there
tight launch area and nearby trees, bike/pedestrian paths and other reserve users

Other

PWC, ferries and other motorised vessels use the area and boating channel

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: no kiting east of the jetty, which is families and swimmers in summer. Keep off the fenced Tern Sanctuary on the island north of the sandbar, November to February each year. Do not lay lines across the bike path, and use the pedestrian paths rather than walking through the reed banks.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Come at dawn on a summer E/NE forecast; it is a morning wind, and the SW sea breeze in the afternoon is a different session.
Park on Honour Avenue or at Burke Drive and walk the pedestrian path to the sand; do not cut through the reed banks and do not lay lines across the bike path.
Do not kite east of the jetty: families and swimmers, and very sharp rocks under the water beside it.
November to February the island north of the sandbar is fenced off for the terns; do not land or walk there.
On the offshore side of the bar assume a broken line means a swim, because it is a long way back; if you are learning, only go out with a Kiteboarding Australia school.
Turn up early on a good summer morning; launch space runs out fast with schools, walkers and fishers on the bar.

Getting there

Airport

Perth Airport (PER)

Route

Drive to Point Walter Reserve on Honour Avenue, Bicton; the City of Melville provides parking on Honour Avenue and at Burke Drive, and public transport access is available by Transperth buses.

Transfer

28 min

Staying

Bicton, Fremantle and Perth; plenty of hotels within reach.

No-wind days

Point Walter Reserve has a cafe/kiosk, playgrounds, seating, barbecues, bike and walking paths, tennis courts, boat ramp, jetty, golf course and bike park.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf Point Walter?

December to February is peak consistency, with classic sessions on summer E/NE mornings when winds typically run 15-25 knots.

Is Point Walter suitable for beginners?

Independent beginners are not recommended because the launch is tight and shared with walkers and vessels, and the offshore side of the sandbar has serious self-rescue consequences; lessons with a reputable school are advised instead.

What is the wind like at Point Walter?

The classic session is E/NE in the early morning, offshore on the flat-water side of the sandbar, typically 15-25 knots.

Are there rules at Point Walter?

Kiting is prohibited east of the jetty where families and swimmers gather, and the Tern Sanctuary on the island north of the sandbar is closed to riders from November to February each year.

What hazards should kitesurfers know about at Point Walter?

Hazards include very sharp underwater rocks near the jetty, boat and PWC traffic, a tight launch area shared with walkers and cyclists, and long self-rescue distances on the offshore side of the sandbar.

The bigger pictureEverything about Perth

Last updated: August 2026