King tides
The term king tide has no scientific definition – in popular usage it refers to any high tide well above average height. The popular concept is that the king tides are the higher high waters which occur around Christmas time. Equally high tides occur in the winter months, but these are at night and not as obvious as those at Christmas which generally occur during the day.
View the highest tides predictions for 2026.
Queensland has a relatively large and variable tidal range, for example:
- 7.18m at Hay Point
- 6.62m at Mackay
- 4.85m at Karumba
- 4.87m at Gladstone
- 3.94m at Thursday Island
- 3.57m at Cairns
- 2.78m at Brisbane
- 2.21m on the Sunshine Coast.
- occur naturally and regularly
- are predicted in the tide book
- are not an everyday occurrence.
In a lunar month the highest tides occur at the time of the new moon and full moon (when the gravitational forces of the sun and moon are in line). These are called spring tides and they occur about every 14 days.
In any 1 year there will be 2 spring tides that are the highest, 1 during summer and 1 during winter. These are referred to as king tides. The king tides occur because of the combined influence of a number of astronomical factors related to the sun and the moon (and their alignments) and the gravitational attraction they each have on the water surface of the Earth.
The earth moves around the sun in an elliptical orbit that takes a little over 365 days to complete. The sun has an influence on the tides. Its gravitational force is greatest when the earth is closest to the sun (perihelion – early January) and least when the earth is furthest from the sun (aphelion – early July).
The moon has a larger effect on the tides than the sun. The moon moves around the earth in an elliptical orbit that takes about 29 days to complete. The gravitational force is greatest when the moon is closest to the earth (perigee) and least when it is furthest from the earth (apogee – about 2 weeks after perigee).
The king tides occur when the earth, moon and sun are aligned at perigee and perihelion. The combined effect of the moon's phase and the varying gravitational forces of the sun and moon result in the highest of the spring tides occurring during the summer months of December, January and February and also in the winter months of June, July and August.
During normal weather conditions, the height of the king tides will be similar from year to year. However, in abnormal weather conditions (severe storms or cyclones) the low air pressures and strong winds at these times can elevate the sea level above the expected height.
Highest tides for year 2026
| Place |
Highest Summer Tides Date Time Height |
Highest Winter Tides Date Time Height |
|
Gold Coast Seaway HAT 2.03m |
25/12/2026 09:02 1.99m 04/01/2026 08:52 1.96m |
15/06/2026 20:35 2.04m 16/06/2026 21:28 2.04m |
|
Brisbane Bar HAT 2.78m |
25/12/2026 10:29 2.78m 26/12/2026 11:17 2.77m 04/01/2026 10:15 2.74m |
15/06/2026 22:00 2.79m 16/06/2026 22:50 2.79m |
|
Mooloolaba HAT 2.21m |
25/12/2026 08:59 2.20m 26/12/2026 09:48 2.18m 04/01/2026 08:46 2.18m |
15/06/2026 20:31 2.22m 16/06/2026 21:23 2.22m |
|
Noosa Head HAT 2.35m |
25/12/2026 08:50 2.34m 26/12/2026 09:42 2.31m 04/01/2026 08:41 2.31m |
15/06/2026 20:20 2.36m |
|
Urangan HAT 4.33m |
25/12/2026 09:33 4.23m 24/12/2026 08:45 4.20m 04/01/2026 09:19 4.19m |
14/07/2026 20:57 4.20m |
|
K'gari (Waddy Point) HAT 2.42m |
25/12/2026 08:43 2.39m 26/12/2026 09:35 2.36m 04/01/2026 08:32 2.36m |
16/06/2026 21:23 2.33m |
|
Bundaberg (Burnett Heads) HAT 3.68m |
25/12/2026 09:22 3.61m 04/01/2026 09:11 3.58m |
14/07/2026 20:45 3.55m 15/07/2026 21:32 3.55m |
|
Gladstone HAT 4.87m |
25/12/2026 10:00 4.75m 24/12/2026 09:12 4.71m 04/01/2026 09:49 4.70m 26/12/2026 10:51, 4.70m |
15/06/2026 21:34 4.68m |
|
Port Alma HAT 5.96m |
25/12/2026 10:09 5.78m 04/01/2026 09:59 5.74m 02/02/2026 09:45 5.74m |
14/07/2026 21:37 5.71m 15/07/2026 22:24 5.71m |
|
Rosslyn Bay HAT 5.21m |
25/12/2026 09:54 5.07m 24/12/2026 09:03 5.02m 04/01/2026 09:42 5.02m |
14/07/2026 21:17 5.00m |
|
Hay Point HAT 7.18m |
25/12/2026 11:40 6.95m 24/12/2026 10:51 6.91m 04/01/2026 11:28 6.90m 02/02/2026 11:13 6.90m |
14/07/2026 23:05 6.93m |
|
Mackay Outer Harbour HAT 6.62m |
25/12/2026 11:43 6.43m 24/12/2026 10:54 6.39m 04/01/2026 11:30 6.38m 02/02/2026 11:15 6.38m |
14/07/2026 23:07 6.40m |
|
Shute Harbour HAT 4.39m |
03/01/2026 10:39 4.30m | 14/07/2026 23:01 4.28m |
|
Bowen HAT 3.77m |
01/02/2026 09:46 3.69m | 14/07/2026 22:22 3.65m |
|
Abbot Point HAT 3.62m |
01/02/2026 09:30 3.52m | 14/07/2026 22:04 3.48m |
|
Cape Ferguson HAT 3.84m |
01/02/2026 08:49 3.85m | 14/07/2026 21:27 3.76m |
|
Townsville HAT 4.22m |
01/02/2026 08:54 4.10m | 14/07/2026 21:31 4.02m |
|
Lucinda Offshore HAT 4.06m |
01/02/2026 09:01 3.95m | 14/07/2026 21:38 3.87m |
|
Clump Point HAT 3.71m |
01/02/2026 08:58 3.63m | 14/07/2026 21:33 3.54m |
|
Mourilyan Harbour HAT 3.58m |
01/02/2026 09:02 3.48m | 14/07/2026 21:38 3.41m |
|
Cairns HAT 3.57m |
01/02/2026 09:17 3.48m | 14/07/2026 21:50 3.40m |
|
Port Douglas HAT 3.40m |
01/02/2026 09:02 3.34m | 14/07/2026 21:37 3.24m |
|
Twin Island HAT 3.88m |
01/02/2026 12:08 3.83m | 11/08/2026 23:34 3.85m |
|
Thursday Island HAT 3.94m |
31/01/2026 12:04 3.92m | |
|
Goods Island HAT 4.15m |
30/01/2026 11:52 4.19m | |
|
Booby Island HAT 4.43m |
29/01/2026 11:27 4.48m | |
|
Weipa (Humbug Point) HAT 3.33m |
04/01/2026 16:00 3.28m | |
|
Amrun (Boyd Point) HAT 3.32m |
04/01/2026 15:39 3.30m | |
|
Karumba HAT 4.85m |
04/01/2026 20:29 4.91m | |
|
Mornington Island HAT 3.95m |
04/01/2026 21:51 3.94m |