Beaches in Australia

1. Mauritius Beach

Mauritius Beach is one of Australia's most secluded clothing-optional beaches, located approximately 29 kilometers north of the city of Exmouth, near the Vlaming Head Lighthouse. The 900-meter beach offers clean white sands and a gently-sloping shoreline, with mostly safe swimming conditions aside from some shoreline rocks. Beachcombing is a popular activity at the beach due to its rocky headlands, with public restrooms and showers provided for visitor use. Between October and April, the beach serves as a turtle nesting and rookery site. Nearby, Ningaloo Marine Park offers opportunities for whale shark and turtle watching, while Cape Range National park is home to spectacular limestone ranges and canyons.

Yardie Creek Rd, Exmouth WA 6707, Australia, Phone: +61-8-99-49-11-76

2. Merewether Beach, Australia

Merewether Beach has been ranked as one of Australia's top city beaches, offering a laid-back visitor alternative to more crowded public beaches such as Bondi Beach or the Gold Coast. The beach is a prime spot for surfing during temperate months, serving as the home of the Merewether Surfboard Club and the site of the annual Newcastle Surfest since 2006. The beach is also home to the largest ocean bath facility in the Southern Hemisphere, the Merewether Ocean Baths, and one of Australia's oldest lifesaving clubs, the Merewether SLSC.

Affordable visitor amenities abound in the nearby city of Merewether, including quaint cafes and hotels. Nearby, Dixon Park Beach and Burwood Beach offer respites from surfers and chances to explore natural features such as Glenrock Lagoon.

3. Marley Beach, Australia

Marley Beach is a wild, unpatrolled beach that is one of 11 beaches housed within the 151-square-kilometer Royal National Park, the third national park established in the world in 1879. The 360-meter beach is accessible on foot via the Royal National Park Coast Track, a moderately hazardous trek. More than 130,000 square meters of spectacular sand dunes are located behind the beach, which are often compared to the beautiful Cronulla sand dunes of Sydney Cove. Visitors should note that swimming and surfing are discouraged due to hazardous water conditions, though channels formed from runoff from nearby Marley Lagoon serve as an alternative swimming spot in the area.

Sir Bertram Stevens Dr, Royal National Park NSW 2233, Australia, Phone: +61-2-95-42-06-48

4. Whitehaven Beach, Australia

Whitehaven Beach stretches 4.3 miles along Whitsunday Island, originally discovered in 1879 and named by Staff Commander EP Bedwell. The beach has been noted as one of the world's most eco-friendly and clean beaches by CNN and is believed to have been a source of sand to create glass for the Hubble Space Telescope. Pristine white sands consist of 98% pure silica and do not retain heat, allowing for comfortable walking conditions no matter the temperature. Beautiful turquoise waters provide opportunities for swimming, with camping and barbecue grill facilities available for visitor day use. Each year, the Whitehaven Beach Ocean Swim is held at the beach as part of the Hamilton Island Triathlon.

5. Bondi Beach, Australia

Bondi Beach is one of the most famous visitor beachfronts in the world, spanning approximately half a mile within the Sydney suburb of the same name, approximately seven miles from Sydney's central business area. The beach resort, named for an Aboriginal word roughly translating as "water breaking over rocks," was initially established in 1855 as a private amusement resort and picnic grounds and became a public beachfront in 1882. Today, the beach has become one of Australia's top tourist destinations, drawing surfers and swimmers to the beautiful white sand crescent year-round. The Coogee Coastal Walk offers opportunities for walking and jogging, while the Bondi Golf Club features nine challenging holes. Cafes, shops, and tourist attractions line nearby Campbell Parade, with events such as the Sculpture By The Sea exhibition hosted annually.

NSW 2026, Australia

6. Kutti Beach, Australia

Kutti Beach is one of the Sydney area's best-kept secrets, located within the elite Vaucluse suburb, which is home to the historic Vaucluse Amateur 12-Foot Skiff Club. Visitors can access the beach from Wharf Road and Hopetoun Avenue via a narrow wooden stairwell to the side of the skiff club's main building. Once inside, the harbor beach offers calm, pristine green waters and a Mediterranean atmosphere and does not attract many tourists due to its remote destination. In addition to swimming, sunbathing and reading are popular beachfront activities, with a wooden boat ramp provided for visitor lounging. The beach is also one of the few dog-friendly beaches in the Sydney area, with loose leash rules allowing for off-leash play at many times throughout the day. Visitors should note that no restrooms or amenities are offered at the beach, though nearby cafes within Watsons Bay offer public amenities.

7. Wineglass Bay

Wineglass Bay is often considered to be one of the top 10 most spectacular beaches in the world, located on the Freycinet Peninsula near Hobart, Tasmania within Freycinet National Park. The beach is a veritable natural kaleidoscope, known for its nearly-perfect coastal curve, pristine white sands, and sapphire waters, with beautiful grey and pink granite peaks in the distance serving as its backdrop. Popular outdoor activities at the beach and on the peninsula include kayaking, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, sailing, mountain biking, and rock climbing, making the beach a perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts traveling to Australia. Secluded coves and luxurious eco-friendly lodges also make the beach a prime destination for honeymooners. Travelers to the region can embark on the four-day Freycinet Experience Walk, which traverses the entire peninsula and showcases Wineglass Bay's most beautiful sights.

Coles Bay Rd, Coles Bay TAS 7215, Australia, Phone: +61-3-62-56-70-00

8. Cape Le Grand National Park

Cape Le Grand National Park is an expansive 78,000-acre national park in western Australia, located approximately 400 miles south of Perth near the town of Esperance. The park was originally established in 1966 and is overseen by Australia's Department of Parks and Wildlife, named for an officer aboard the 1792 L'Esperance expedition by Bruni d'Entrecasteaux. Unique primitive species abound due to the area's relatively unchanged landscape above sea level for more than 200 million years. At the park's beachfront, visitors can swim, fish, camp, rock climb, and occasionally spot kangaroos sunbathing on the beach alongside tourists. Beach areas are offered at Rossiter, Lucky, and Hellfire Bays, as well as Le Grand Beach and Thistle Cove.

Cape Le Grand Rd, Cape Le Grand WA 6450, Australia, Phone: +61-8-90-83-21-00

9. Cable Beach, Australia

Cable Beach is a stunning 14-mile beach located along Australia's eastern Indian Ocean coastline near the city of Broome, originally named for telegraph cables connecting the city to nearby Java in 1889. Today, the beautiful white sand beach serves as a popular beach resort spot year-round, offering gentle waves during the region's dry season between May and October. Stunning ochre red cliffs and massive sand dunes surround the beachfront, providing dramatic scenery for vibrant ocean sunsets. The beach is best known around the world for its unique tourist camel rides, which traverse the beachfront daily at sunrise and sunset. A section of the beach's northern end is clothing-optional. Visitors can also swim, kayak, surf, and fish at the beach or relax at one of many nearby seaside resorts.

10. Main Beach, Australia

Main Beach is a beautiful public beach located near the town of Byron Bay, offering a wide variety of visitor amenities for tourists of all ages. The beach is located at the site of a significant Aboriginal meeting place for the Arakwal indigenous people and the Bunjalong Nation, with many preserved sacred sites still located in the surrounding area. Today, the lively beach is an excellent spot for novice surfers to learn how to ride waves due to the gentle, small waves in the area during calmer water conditions, with patrolling offered by the Byron Bay Surf Life Saving Club. Nearby, Apex Park offers a children's playground, day-use picnic tables and barbecue grills, and public restroom and shower facilities.