These are the best beaches in Australia
Whether you’re here for swimming, surfing, snorkelling or some simple sunbathing, these are the very best of Australia's beaches
By Cayle Reid
IF THERE’S ONE thing Australia is known for, it’s that we boast some of the best beaches in the entire world. You want a pristine, white sandy cove? We’ve got it. What about a calm bay with abundant sea life for snorkelling? We’ve got plenty of those. Or perhaps an iconic point break with perfect waves is more to you’re liking? Well, you’ll find that here too.
Beaches may be one of Australia’s greatest attractions, but which is the best? There’s a good chance that every Australian will give you a different answer – and by picking them, we’re bound to offend many grumpy locals loyal to their particular strip of sand. That being said, there are a few spots that, despite Australia’s bountiful coastline, quite clearly stand above the rest. So, what are they?
We’ve trawled through everything from Sydney’s Northern Beaches and Eastern Suburbs to Queensland and Western Australia’s untouched shorelines to find the answer. Gatekeeping rules do not apply here, and we’re not apologising if your favourite beach is or isn’t listed.
What are the best beaches in New South Wales?
Bondi Beach
Let’s get this out of the way, shall we? We have to mention Australia’s most iconic beach. Bondi is the definition of postcard beauty, partly because it has featured on countless postcards, and if you don’t mind a crowd, Bondi is absolutely worth visiting. It’s just about the only place you’ll find decent waves for surfing in the Eastern Suburbs, and the atmosphere of the beach’s surrounds and its iconic reputation alone make it a trip worth taking. Although, if you aren’t a strong swimmer it’s good to keep in mind that ending up on Bondi Rescue is a very real possibility if you decide to venture outside of the red and yellow flags.
Gordon’s Bay
Compared to Bondi, Gordon’s Bay could be called a hidden gem. It still gets busy – and is getting busier after ‘best lowkey beaches in Sydney’ guides on TikTok have exposed more visitors to it – but Gordon’s Bay is about as close as you’ll get to secluded in the hub that is Sydney’s East. With plentiful fish and a solid rock-to-sand ratio, Gordon’s Bay is perfect for laidback snorkelling or simply lazing around on the shore. Plus, there’s no swell to speak of, so the bay is almost perennially calm.
Palm Beach
Palm Beach featured in 2023 rom-com Anyone But You, with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell taking a dip. Of course, it’s also famous for being the place where Home And Away is filmed. This means it gets more visitors than its neighbouring beaches, but there’s plenty of room for everyone. At more than two kilometres long, Palm Beach is one of the longest beaches in Sydney and it receives decent waves from end to end. This, coupled with the lush surrounding forestry, make it a popular destination that can impart a sense of being immersed in nature, despite it being just over an hour’s drive from Sydney.
Hyams Beach
Hyams Beach sits just outside the Australian Capital Territory’s enclave of Jervis Bay, which means it’s still technically part of New South Wales, but only just. It’s long been claimed that Hyams has the whitest sand of any beach in the world, but actually, this is a myth. The misconception started when a local store started advertising the point, which was eventually picked up by various tourism organisations and even by the Guinness World Records. The beach that actually has the whitest sand in Australia – and the world – is located in Western Australia, and we’ll get to it later.
Whitest sand or not, Hyams remains a pristinely beautiful beach. Its sand is still exceptionally white, its water is dizzyingly clear and it’s large enough for all visitors to spread out appropriately. It’s also much closer to the majority of Australia’s population than Western Australia.
Wategos Beach
Main Beach in Byron Bay gets all the attention from the many tourists that head to the seaside town, but it’s Wategos Beach that is the region’s best. A little further East and closer to Cape Byron, Wategos is less busy and sits deeper within the region’s natural landscape. Dense tree coverage surrounds the beach, aligning more closely with what many people expect from Byron Bay. The waves are another strength, with calm northerly swells rolling through year-round.
What are the best beaches in Queensland?
Whitehaven Beach
Up in the deep turquoise waters of the Whitsundays, Whitehaven Beach rests within a World Heritage-listed national park. The pristine locale looks like the dictionary definition of paradise and regularly features in ‘best beaches’ lists like this one. Whitehaven’s sand is 98 per cent silica, which results in it being extremely white and soft. This, combined with the azure waters of the warm Coral Sea, creates an alluring contrast. The beach is what tourism organisations use to market Australia to overseas tourists. Enough said.
Noosa Heads
This entry isn’t exactly a shock if you’re a Queenslander, as Noosa Heads being a good beach isn’t exactly a closely guarded secret. But for the interstate and overseas travellers, it commands recognition. The beach is enmeshed within the rainforest that is Noosa National Park and is one of the best – and most popular places to learn to surf in Australia. Bush turkeys also abound, if spotting one is on your bucket list.
Snapper Rocks
As a surfing destination, few beaches can rival Snapper Rocks, which lies on the Queensland side of the QLD-NSW border. You’ll need to be willing to brave the crowd and fight for every wave, but trust us, it’s worth it. Snapper is Australia’s longest surf break, meaning that competition for waves is extra fierce because plenty of pros live nearby or visit regularly. But if you do manage to find an opening, it could very well be the wave of your life. Even besides the prospect of great surf, Snapper has warm water that’s perfect for wading in.
Palm Cove
If you don’t mind the risk of running into a crocodile, Palm Cove could be the beach you’ve been searching for. Located in Cairns and sandwiched between rainforest and reef, Palm Cove is – as you might’ve guessed – named for the many palm trees that line its shores. The water is almost always calm, warm and the crocodiles are usually spotted long before they get close to tourists.
What are the best beaches in Western Australia?
Lucky Bay
Remember earlier when we said that Hyams beach was only masquerading as the beach with whitest sand in Australia? Well, Lucky Bay is the actual owner of the world’s whitest sand title, but that’s not its only good quality. Lucky Bay is tucked away on Western Australia’s southern coast in the Cape Le Grand National Park near Esperance and has crystal clear turquoise water to pair with its blindingly white sand. Wildlife also frequents the beach, so there’s a good chance you’ll spot a wallaby while going for a dip.
The Basin
The serenity of Rottnest Island cannot be understated. To not feature at least one of the island’s many beautiful beaches would be a disservice, so here’s what we believe to be the best: The Basin. What doesn’t it have? A short walk from the main port of arrival, The Basin has white sand, clear water and a naturally hollowed-out reef for excellent snorkelling. Perhaps most importantly, quokkas are everywhere. The species of miniature marsupials is endemic to the Southwestern corner of Australia, and Rottnest island has a higher concentration of them than anywhere else.
Cottesloe Beach
The most well-known beach in WA, Cottesloe is beloved for its welcoming warm water, which fluctuates between calm and surfable throughout the year. The area surrounding Cottesloe is suitably beachy, with a plethora of top fish and chips shops and oceanside venues – like the aptly name Ocean Beach Hotel. The atmosphere is a huge part of why Cottesloe is on this list.
Cable Beach
Photos of tourists riding camels along the shoreline of Cable Beach while the sun sets over the water in the background are what you might call ‘Instagrammable’. Upon seeing these photos, it’s difficult not to feel a little jealous, and we don’t blame you. Broome’s Cable Beach is one of the most picturesque beaches in Australia, and with camel rides on offer it’s quite easy to have a unique experience there – which can be heightened by a few cocktails on the beach afterwards.
What are the best beaches in South Australia?
Stokes Bay
Stokes Bay won Tourism Australia’s best beach in Australia award in 2023, so its appearance here is almost a given, but a deserving one. Stokes Bay is remote, situated on Kangaroo Island off the coast of Adelaide, and that isolation is perfect for anyone looking to get away from it all. Wildlife is abundant, with hundreds of diverse native animals frequenting the area – chances are you will see a kangaroo. Remarkably, the beach remains relatively free from crowds despite its newfound renown.
Vivonne Bay
Another one on Kangaroo Island, Vivonne Bay is easily one of the best beaches in South Australia. Stretching for six kilometres, long and narrow the whole way, Vivonne features a signature U-shape cove and is famous for its jetty. The water is almost always glassy and the sand is among the whitest in the country. The inaccessibility of Vivonne is also part of its appeal, as it prevents the crowds from ever getting too large. To get there, you’ll need to head off the beaten path onto a red dirt road. Then you’ll have to actually locate the beach, which is obscured by some steep rocky cliffs until you’re right up against it. It sounds like a lot of trouble, but trust us, it’s worth it.
What are the best beaches in Victoria?
Anglesea Beach
Sure, the weather might not be as warm down South in Victoria as it is elsewhere, but a few select beaches are just as nice as up North – and the waves can be just as good too. Narrowly beating out the nearby Bells Beach for a place on this list – because Bells is more suited to experienced surfers than day trippers – Anglesea is a quaint seaside town with a protected stretch of sand that’s great for swimming off. Plus, the scenic drive along the Great Ocean Road is enough to make the trip from Melbourne worthwhile.
Squeaky Beach
So-called because the sand there is, well, squeaky, Squeaky Beach sits at the greatest extension of the Wilsons Promontory National Park. The relatively small 700-metre shoreline receives good swell for surfing, boasts white sand and the best kind of water – crystal clear, that is. Squeaky Beach is surrounded by mountains, a national park and colourful granite boulders for that bonus secluded feeling. It was also named Australia’s best beach by Tourism Australia earlier this year.
What is the prettiest beach in Australia?
To outright claim any one beach to be better than all the others in Australia would be to invite criticism. Everyone will have their own personal favourite based on subjective factors, so we think its best to go with the expert opinion – which is that it’s Squeaky Beach in Victoria. While Victoria isn’t typically known for its beaches, Squeaky Beach was named Australia’s best beach by Tourism Australia earlier this year. “It is what you would call a masterpiece of a beach. It could be a painting,” says the guy with the world’s coolest job, Brad Farmer, Australia’s official beach ambassador.
What beach has the clearest water in Australia?
Parakeet Bay on Western Australia’s Rottnest Island has the clearest water in Australia, according to a study. The beach has the second clearest water in all of Oceania, and beats out many of the beaches on this list – like Hyams Beach, which was third – for the honour.
Which beach has the whitest sand in Australia?
As we established earlier, Hyams Beach has always claimed to have the whitest sand in Australia with what started as a tourism ploy and turned into a global misconception, but it’s Lucky Bay in Western Australia that actually has the whitest sand in the country.
What side of Australia has the best beaches?
Now here’s a topic that will spark debate. Both Australia’s East and West coasts have some of the best beaches in the world, but if you’re planning to travel to just one side and quality of beaches is the deciding factor, which side should you choose? We have to commend Western Australia for its brilliant coast, but the state is essentially fighting a one-man battle here. Australia’s East coast can count on all of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania’s beaches for an overwhelming amount of beauty to win this battle.
Which Australian city has the best beaches?
It has to be Sydney. Most of the other states’ beaches are too scattered for tourists to visit them all in a single trip. In Western Australia, the best beaches are in Broome, Perth, Esperance and Rottnest Island. In Queensland you’ll find them on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Whitsundays. In Victoria, most of them are spread along the coast outside of Melbourne. And in South Australia and Tasmania, the best beaches pop up all over the place. New South Wales still features a solid spread of beaches across the state, but Sydney has a higher concentration of good beaches than any other capital city.
Related:
The absolute best beaches in Sydney
The best surf beaches in Australia, for every experience level
