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With household budgets feeling the interest rate squeeze, there’s never been a better time to slip, slop, slap, and slide into a quintessential Aussie beach break.
It costs nothing to enjoy Australia’s magnificent beaches, and as one big island we have plenty to choose from! And what’s more, a beach holiday appeals to all age groups.
Here’s a checklist of our top ten Australian beach destinations.
1. Sydney (NSW)
No list of the best beach destinations in Oz would be complete without Sydney flying the red and yellow flags. The Harbour City is home to incredible beaches, including, but not limited to, Bondi, Manly (and little sister Shelly), Coogee, Cronulla, and Palm Beach. Tucked inside the harbour heads, protected Balmoral is popular with families, while Maroubra and Freshwater rule for the surfing crowd. Speaking of which, if you’ve ever yearned to learn to hang ten, Sydney is the place to do it! Lets Go Surfing offers group lessons at the northern end of Bondi Beach, and their relaxed approach and proven process gets most people upright in just one session. You’ll master ‘sand surfing’ first, before heading into the water.
2. Gold Coast (QLD)
Situated in South East Queensland and encompassing 40 kilometres of golden sand, world class theme parks and attractions, buzzing nightlife, and great shopping, the Gold Coast (known locally as the ‘Goldie’) is a holiday hot spot. In fact, it’s quite possibly the nation’s favourite spot to spread out a towel. The Gold Coast also has a vast array of accommodation options — making hotel room rates extremely competitive and family holidays a relatively cost-effective exercise. While your days away on the beach at Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads, and Currumbin. When you’ve had enough sun, surf, and sand, head for the Hinterland or immerse yourself in coastal culture at the Home of the Arts (HOTA) precinct. It features cinemas, a theatre, an art gallery, and places to eat and drink.
3. Sunshine Coast (QLD)
The yin to the Gold Coast’s yang, the Sunshine Coast is less frenetic than its southern cousin, but still offers all the holiday bells and whistles one could wish for. There are seemingly endless kilometres of beachfront to enjoy, and oftentimes you can have a beach all but all to yourself. Check out Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headland, Maroochydore, and Kings Beach in Caloundra (the latter has an oceanfront saltwater pool, which is perfect for a bracing dawn swim). To escape the crowds, try any of the beach access points between Mudjimba and Coolum, or Peregian and Sunshine. There’s no escape in ever-popular Noosa (apart from bushwalking to the beach in neighbouring Noosa National Park). But despite the hustle and bustle, this upscale holiday hub is utterly charming. Relax on Noosa Main Beach or park yourself at a Hastings Street café and watch the world go by.
4. Whitsundays (QLD)
The 74 shimmering islands that make up Queensland’s Whitsundays are a beachgoer’s ground zero. The sun shines year round, the sand is insanely white, and the water is crystal clear. And as only four of the islands are actually inhabited, you can often have a whole one to yourself! Whitsunday Island is the largest land mass in the group and is home to wondrous Whitehaven Beach — a seven-kilometre stretch of silica sand so fine that it squeaks underfoot. Whitehaven was recently named in the top five of the 50 best beaches in the world for 2023 — and once you’ve seen it, you’ll understand why! Leave time to hike to the island’s summit to gaze upon Hill Inlet — without doubt one of Mother Nature’s finest achievements.
5. Hervey Bay/Fraser Island (QLD)
Hervey Bay on Queensland’s Fraser Coast is world renowned for its whale watching opportunities, but it’s also the gateway to Fraser Island — the largest sand island in the world — which bodes well for beach lovers. Hervey itself is very low key and consists of a string of small beachfront villages — any of which will make an ideal base for exploring the wider region. The waters of the protected bay lap gently at the shoreline and recreational amenities like the free Wet Side Water Park at Pialba are hugely popular. In terms of seeing World Heritage-listed Fraser, there are myriad options. Tasman Venture Tours offers a catamaran tour from Hervey Bay to some of the less accessible parts of the island. Go snorkelling, canoe the coastline, conquer soaring sand dunes, or just catch some rays in this pristine piece of paradise.
6. Townsville/Magnetic Island (QLD)
Queensland is home to many other beach meccas, including Airlie Beach (the mainland gateway to the Whitsundays), Port Douglas, Palm Cove, Mission Beach, and the list goes on. The North Queensland city of Townsville attracts less attention, but warrants more of it! Strolling along the palm-fringed Strand, it feels like you could be in Hawaii, Fiji, or Vanuatu. Across Cleveland Bay, gorgeous Magnetic Island (a 20-minute ferry ride from the mainland) holds hundreds of exquisite beach coves in its rainforested grasp. If you’re celebrating something special during your visit to Townsville, push the boat out just a little on a stay at The Ville. It offers upscale accommodation and dining options, and has a killer swim-up cocktail bar!
7. Esperance (WA)
Just in case you’re wondering which beach topped the aforementioned list of the best in the world — all is about to be revealed! It takes a bit of effort to get there, but the remote town of Esperance on Western Australia’s southern coastline rewards visitors with white sand and turquoise coloured water, the likes of which you’d only expect to see on the cover of a glossy travel brochure for the Maldives or Tahiti. Exquisite Lucky Bay — an hour’s drive west of town and home to a troop of sun loving kangaroos — took out the top honour. Was it well deserved? You be the judge (and take your time doing that research!).
8. Perth (WA)
You’ve come all this way to WA, so make the most of it with a stopover in Perth. And you’ll be pleased to learn that like Sydney, the Western Australia capital has an array of amazing beaches within cooee of its CBD. Stretching north from iconic Cottesloe Beach (with its much Instagrammed Beach Pavilion) to Mindarie Beach, a day of driving this 40-kilometre stretch of coastline is holiday time well spent. Scarborough is one of the most popular beach locales and has recently undergone a $100 million foreshore redevelopment. It boasts an ocean pool complex, skate park, beachfront dining hub, and seasonal sunset market. If you have the time, do a day trip out to Rottnest Island and soak up the sun-drenched beauty of this semi-arid speck in the vast Indian Ocean.
9. Broome (WA)
There’s something about Broome — another of Western Australia’s far flung coastal gems, which sits on the doorstep of the epic Kimberley region. This characterful community captivates all who visit, and it‘s not unusual to come across residents who arrived on holiday and never left (you have been warned!). One of the main attractions is expansive Cable Beach — 22 kilometres of fine white sand, best navigated at sunset on the back of a camel. Nature regularly turns on a special show in this part of Oz; those visiting during a full moon may get to see the phenomenon known as the Staircase to the Moon. During extreme low tides, Broome’s coastal flats become exposed in the evening, reflecting the rising moon in dramatic fashion. The Staircase appears along the shores of Roebuck Bay and in several other locations. Night markets are staged at Town Beach to coincide with anticipated appearances.
10. Bryon Bay (NSW)
Those in search of a boho beach bliss out have long flocked to gorgeous Byron Bay in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, although these days the price of a stay here is anything but bliss-inducing. What was once soley the preserve of backpackers, hippies, and alternative therapists, is now shared with business tycoons, Hollywood A-Listers, and sharp-as-tacks real estate agents seeking eye-watering prices for humble seaside shacks.
Despite the hype, Byron has somehow maintained its understated charm and everyone co-exists in sweet synchronicity. The beaches are unbelievably beautiful — and a great equaliser. After all, with just our bathers on, we’re all pretty much the same!
This post was published thanks to The Ville.
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Do you have any suggestions to add to our list of the best Australian beach destinations? We would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.
Additional images: Depositphotos, Bigstock, and Envato
About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas, and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger, and photographer. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. Adam worked as a travel consultant for a number of years with Flight Centre before taking up the opportunity to travel the world himself as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten. He loves to experience everything a new destination has to offer and is equally at home in a five-star Palazzo in Pisa or a home-stay in Hanoi.
