The water at Fourmile Beach is generally flat to choppy. The Great Barrier Reef stops most of the larger ocean swells, so there's no real surf. Low tide reveals a sandbar at the southern end of the beach. Waves get a little larger the further north along the beach you go. Peak season is in winter when the swells genereally appear from the Southeast and the wind is a steady 15-25kts. In summer the water is flat and still, with few winds. It is also monsoon season. From November to May, wear a stinger suit as the deadly chironex fleckeri Box Jellyfish is in abundance.
Fourmile is a stunningly beautiful beach that stretches for four miles in the beautiful township of Port Douglas. Be careful about the tides, at a complete low, you may need to launch, then walk about 50m over a sand bar to access the water. Pack a pair of booties, there's a slight muddy channel in front of the sand bar that is a heaven for small shellfish, so a pair of booties will offer you great comfort at a low tide. There is a BBQ area and sparse toilet/showers so you can kite all day, wash off and take off.
You coud kite all year round in a pair of speedos. The water temperature never gets below 20°C and can be up to 30°C. Air temp is 25-33°C in summer and 20-25°C in winter. Stinger suits are available, and there is a stinger resistant enclosure for swimmers only.
These directions are somewhat accurate, but as the beach is a long curving one, it depends on where you are standing, because a wind from the North is onshore at the southern end, but sideshore at the northern end. Best conditions are in South Easterlies. If you've arrived at the spot, and it all seems calm, don't give up. Sometimes the wind comes up at 3pm for a good couple of hours. Best kiting is in the winter from late April to October when the Southeast trades come through. Avoid the summer months as the winds are light. The light winds make it pretty tricky in summer.
From the Cairns Airport, head north along the Cook Highway past the Cairns Northern beaches along one of the most beautiful coastal roads in Australia (Yorkeys Knob and Wangetti Beach are 2 other kite beaches you will pass). There are about 40 or so mostly deserted beaches on the drive north. Turn right into Port Douglas where the signs tell you, then take your second right. Pass a gated residential estate and take the next left, which is a short access road to the beach. Coral Coaches do bus journeys from Cairns, but and even better way is to jump on to the Quicksilver Wavepiercers leaving from the Cairns Reef Fleet terminal. For about $12 each way, they'll take you the 70kms from Cairns to Port Douglas. (Departs Cairns @ 8.00am returns to Cairns @ 6pm).
Launch from the far southern end of the beach - avoid landing too far from that location as some resorts fronting the beach don't take to kiters too kindly. There is a sailing club a few hundred metres north of the launch, Downwinders the length of the beach are OK as long as you keep away from swimmers, and land your kite well before the swimming enclosure/beach patrol at the northern end. Keep your kite away from the palm trees on gusty days.
Like any location used by a number of different sports, any accidents or attitude from kiters will get the sport banned by a pretty hard core local council. Because it is such a tourist area, and a flagship destination, respect for other beach users is important.
There's no shortage of nightlife in Port Douglas. Try the Court House Hotel for some live music and great counter meals. The Ironbar is tops for a few beverages and there are more restaurants than you can poke a stick at. Port Douglas is a place where the rich and famous come to disappear for a while. Locals have spotted Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Keanu Reeves and plenty of other Hollywood celebs hanging out in the cafés and restaurants. There are also over 100 day tours out to the Barrier reef, Rainforest and outback, so kite widows will not be lost for things to do. If the weather is no good for kiting, it's perfect for diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
)
)
)
)