And you wondered why the Pit is the premiere speed location!
Windiest places by mean windspeed in Australia
Ranking Place Name Annual Mean Windspeed
1 Port Welshpool, VIC 32.6 km/h
2 Sandy Point, VIC 32.6 km/h
3 Minmi, NSW 32 km/h
4 Newcastle, NSW 32 km/h
5 Awaba, NSW 32 km/h
6 Rathmines, NSW 32 km/h
7 Seahampton, NSW 32 km/h
8 Killingworth, NSW 32 km/h
9 Ocean Grove-Barwon Heads, VIC 31.6 km/h
10 Mallacoota, VIC 30.2 km/h
Looking at that if you want to windsurf in NSW you have to move to North West Lake Macquarie, although from memory it's quite hilly in that area so not so good for speed runs. Are you lake boys hiding something from us?
Jethrow
I find that list pretty hard to believe.
You would think somewhere down in Tassie or on the west coast would have the highest average wind speed. Nowhere in those states rate in the top ten.
Why the hell do all the places round Newcastle get such strong wind? Bugger going to Geralton for a windsurfing holiday. Go to Marmong.
My money would have been on Cape Leeuwin. Who would have thought NSW would figure in this list?
Still, the mean wind is not really the thing is it, we want wind during daylight hours.
Roo,
Where did you get the base data for your posting. ?
Didn't know there were that many BOM stations around Newcastle and last time I was at Sandy the nearest weather station is Wilson's Prom - and that often reads high due to elevation.
Doesn't 'gel' with me.
- J
The data is from here
maps.bonzle.com/c/a?a=f&sc=wind
So the site says this is the mean windspeed at 3pm.
This site also has the calmest places in Australia.
1 Tawonga, VIC 3.9 km/h
2 Mount Beauty, VIC 3.9 km/h
3 Harden - Murrumburrah, NSW 4.4 km/h
4 Binalong, NSW 4.4 km/h
5 Timber Creek, NT 4.9 km/h
6 Eugowra, NSW 5.7 km/h
7 Canowindra, NSW 5.7 km/h
8 Corryong, VIC 6.5 km/h
9 Myrtleford, VIC 6.5 km/h
10 Toogoolawah, QLD
Not sure where most of these places are but they all must suck if you are a windsurfer. Who knows if the information is reliable or not. I don't.
According to that, Dunsborough is the windiest place in WA.
Dunsborough? Huh?
Sorry - I'm not buying it.
My source says Cape Leeuwin mean windspeed is 17 knots between 7am and 7pm all year.
It came from here J, answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080608175118AAzcBHj
Was just surfing looking for windiest locations worldwide, not sure how scientific it is, but the first 2 spots are certainly in a windy location.
Apart from SP and Port Welshpool I think I have to agree with Choco on this one. Dunsborough windiest place in WA? Every time I've been there it is calm.
I guess there is a difference between average wind speeds all day every day and night and 'significant' day time average wind speeds during certain seasons.
I saw some BOM chards once that show amazing average winter daytime average wind speeds in the Torres Straight and Willis Island, Qld. I was just about to organise and plan a winter sailing holiday when......I remembered..... CROCS!!!
Thanks Roo,
Sniffed around bonzle and they claim BOM as a source for their data.
Sniffed around BOM and couldn't find the raw data.
Agreed SP one of the windiest spots.
- J
data is flawed IMHO they describe port sorell as a over cast hole which is crap all the reputable sites have port sorell as the sunshine coast of tassie with above average temps and low rain fall
Well as someone who works at the BoM and in the National Climate Centre ...
Sandy Point has no observations, even though, curiously, it was listed as a met station from 1/1/1986 to 31/12/1986. I suspect that just means that there was some thinking about making it a station; alas no more.
And if you go to www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091245.shtml you'll see that Cape Grim in Tassie has an annual average wind speed of 33.1 kmh at 9am and 36.0 kmh at 3pm... both above the bonzle #1 spot of 32.6kmh. And i just picked Cape Grim off the top of my head of windy places... could well be more and windier.
Busted.
