27 of the Top Beaches in Australia
Australia has approx. 10,685 beaches, that’s a shit tonne of beaches however if you think about it, Australia is its own continent surrounded by the ocean so its not surprising that we have a lot of beaches. Here are 27 of the of the very best beaches in Australia by state to make it easy for you to tick them off your Australian Bucket list… one by one!
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The Best Beaches in Queensland
Airlie beach
Airlie Beach is located on Queensland’s Whitsunday Coast and is a gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and the world famous Great Barrier Reef. The Airlie Beach Lagoon is a man-made swimming area with a family-friendly beach and park. Airlie is also known for “pumping” nightlife.
Noosa Main Beach
Noosa Main Beach one of the few beaches in Australia that faces north. This beach said to be best option for people who are not very confident in the surf, as it has gentle waves and is of course patrolled by lifesavers.
Surfers paradise
Surfers is a 3km strip of beach located on the Gold Coast, as the name suggests it’s a suffers paradise! The beach is patrol by 3 different lifeguard towers to ensure swimmers and surfers alike are safe. You can check out the surf cams and surf report here.
Coolangatta
Coolangatta beach is one of my personal favourites as its a lot less crowded as the surrounding beaches. It’s just around the corner (23km) away from Surfers Paradise, which means you get the best worlds, great surf and a quieter more relaxing beach area.
Four Mile Beach
Four Mile Beach, located in Port Douglas is one of the most popular beaches in northern Australia. it’s known as four mile beach as it runs along the coast for 4km.
Whitehaven Beach
Whitehaven Beach is a 7 km stretch of beach along Whitsunday Island and is probably one of the most photographed beaches in Australia!. The Whitsunday Island is accessible by boat, seaplane & helicopter from Airlie Beach.
75 Mile Beach
In Australia, we like to name things that state the obvious (can you tell)… 75 Mile Beach located on Fraser Island is indeed 75 miles long (shocking!).
Here you will find the Maheno shipwreck, and a volcanic rock formation in the shape of an Indian Head, however this isn’t the most ideal beach for a relaxing day out and a swim as the water has a fairly large shark population and strong currents.
This beach is also a landing stir for small aircrafts (only in Australia right!).
The Best Beaches in New South Wales
Bondi Beach
If you haven’t heard of Bondi Beach in Sydney, I can only assume you have lived under a rock all your life! Bondi Beach is one of the most famous beaches in Australia.
It has fairly reliable waves for new and pro surfers and if you want to go for swim without the fear of being eaten alive, check out Icebergs ocean pool.
But don’t worry there aren’t many sharks around and plenty of lifeguards to keep an eye out for any trouble. A popular walk with tourists and locals alike is the clifftop Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk.
Hyams Beach
On the southern shores of Jervis Bay is the sleepy seaside village Hyams Beach with its stretch of fine white sand and gentle waves.
The population (as of 2016) is 112 so you know that the beach certainly wont be crowded! The beach is perfect for swimming, snorkelling, fishing and stand-up paddle boarding
Main Beach at Byron bay
Byron Bay is a coastal town in the south eastern side of New South Wales. It’s a popular holiday destination, known for its beaches, surfing and scuba diving sites.
Between June and November, humpback whales can be spotted from the Captain Cook Lookout. Main beach is the place to be for amazing sunsets in Byron Bay.
The Best Beaches in South Australia
Second Valley
Second Valley beach is like a hidden beach, you are requires you to follow an open valley that narrows at the coast to a gap, through which flows through a small creek and then onto road to the beach.
The eastern side of this beach is sandy and popular for swimming and scuba diving, where as the western side is a north facing curving long boulder beach attached by rock reefs to a small headland, perfect for fishing!
Glenelg
Glenelg is Adelaide’s most popular beach, the beach itself isn’t anything out of the ordinary but the surrounding cafes, restaurants and bars are what make the atmosphere here so fun!
Or you can just grab a packet of fish and chips from the local takeaway and watch the sunset.
Goolwa
Goolwa beach is located about 67 km south of Adelaide city centre, overlooking Encounter Bay. Its certainly worth a day trip out there. Goolwa beach is perfect for kiteboards and people who love going “cockling”.
Every now and then you can go surfing at Goolwa beach – South Australia isn’t know for it’s surfing as we don’t get very big waves due to being in a bit of a cove, not nearly as big as they do in WA, QLD or NSW (with a few expectations).
Ethel Beach
Ethel Beach is one of my favourite South Australian beaches! Its located within Innes National Park and is the site of the shipwreck “Ethel” hence the name of the beach.
The waves on this beach can get fairly massive and could be good for surfing however the rips in this area are really strong.
The Best Beaches in Victoria
Bells Beach
Bells Beach is located at the start of the Great Ocean Road between Torquay and Angelsea and is a renowned surfing beach, you’ll see surfers here all year round!
Gibson Steps Beach
The Gibson Steps are an area of cliffs on the south coast of Australia, located along the Great Ocean Road. The cliffs are the first sightseeing stop off just before Port Campbell.
This beach isn’t really the best for swimming due to the strong currents however it’s a beautiful spot to visit and maybe enjoy a picnic on the beach, relax and take in the view!
Apollo Bay Beach
Apollo Bay is another a stop along the Great Ocean Road located close to the Great Otway National Park.
The beach is a great sot on a hot day, perfect for swimming or fishing from the beach or maybe you could go on a sunset beach horseback ride.
The Best Beaches in Western Australia
Twilight Beach
Located approx. 10km form Esperance town centre, this beach is known for its clear blue waters and massive granite rock you can swim out too.
Check out Spence Lake nearby, its knowns as the “Pink Lake” – although it’s not always pink, its dependant on how strong the pink algae in the lake is at the time.
Turquoise Bay
Turquoise Bay is located within Cape Range National Park in Exmouth and offers beautiful clear blue waters (which seem to be a theme of Western Australian Beaches).
There are several areas of coral about 50 meters off shore, abundant with colourful fish, turtles, rays and other marine life. It costs approx. $13 to get into the national park.
The Basin
The Basin is located on Rottnest Island and is popular destination with tourists for its snorkelling and swimming as this beach has shallow, clear water.
The beach is surrounded by a coral reef which can be walked on, it slopes down gradually into water about 3m deep.
Cable Beach
Cable Beach is a 22 km stretch of white sand beach set against a backdrop of red ochre cliffs approx 6km from Broome, which is on the top end of Australia.
The main attraction here are the camel rides along the beach at sunrise and sunset.
The Best Beaches in Tasmania
Wineglass Bay
Freycinet contains a part of the rugged Tasmanian coastline which includes the secluded Wineglass Bay which has apparently been voted by several travel authorities as one of the world’s ten best beaches.
The name wineglass bay is because of the shape of the bay, it looks like a nice big glass of wine… or maybe that’s just the Australian in us – we love our wine!
As this beach is located within a national park, you do need to pay a park fee to enter however the view from the Mt. Amos trail is worth it!
Bay of Fires
Bay of Fires stretches over 50 km from Binalong Bay, located on the east coast of Tasmania. This area is one of the most instagrammed areas in Tasmania.
It’s famous for its clear blue waters, white sandy beach and orange lichen-covered granite boulders.
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