The Aussie summer is on its way, so we thought we’d help you find the best Australian beaches in the world.
CNN Travel lists as many as five Australian beaches on their top 100 beaches and List25.com places three Australian beaches among the 25 best beaches to visit.
What do you think though? Any Aussie beaches missing from these lists?
CNN’s Best Australian Beaches
Byron Bay, Australia
The CNN list of top 100 beaches in the world places Byron Bay at number 88, citing plentiful pubs, cafes and bookshops amongst the main drawing cards.
The Byron Bay Bluesfest attracts some of the biggest names in world music, and with it, thousands of Sydney natives too. Perhaps they are escaping all the international visitors to …
Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
At number 44 on CNN’s list is Bondi Beach. For an iconic all-round great city beach you can’t miss with Bondi, says CNN. The wide curving crescent of white sand can get incredibly busy. Bondi Beach is world famous and favourite surfing spot. The sands are clean and the nearby eateries are fantastic.
Margaret River, Australia
Margaret River makes it to the no 33 spot on the CNN list. “This Western Australian town is blessed with a mild climate, baby powder beaches and gorgeous scenery,” writes CNN. They add that Margaret River is also the producer of some of the country’s finest wines while the waves are a surfer’s dream.
Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia
Whitehaven Beach just missed the CNN top 10 beaches. Whitehaven is part of the Whitsunday Islands National Park and has more than 7km’s of sand that’s 98% pure silica — so clean, it squeaks. The beach is protected so visitors have to register with a tour guide for access and can stay only for a few hours. In 2010, the beach won CNN’s Most Eco Friendly Beach award, but they warn against the jelly fish in summer.
Wineglass Bay, Tasmania
The white sands, pink granite rock formations and green peaks of Tasmania’s Wineglass Baymake for one of Tasmania’s most stunning coastal scenes and enters this beach in CNN’s top 10 beaches at number seven. Wineglass bay is part of Freycinet National Park, northeast of Hobart.
List25.com’s Best Australian Beaches
List25.com seems to rate Australian beaches even more highly with 3 of our sandy seaside favourites making it into their top 25 beaches in the world.
Surfer’s Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia
List25.com places Surfer’s Paradise at number 23 on their list of top 25 beaches. The website says, “Known to locals as “Surfer’s” it should come as no surprise as to where this popular Queensland Beach got its name.”
Whitehaven, Whitsunday Island, Australia
List25.com agreed with CNN that this is a spectacular beach and placed Whitehaven at number 12 on their list. “This 7 km stretch of beach on Whitsunday Island in Australia has been labelled one of the cleanest in the world. The sand here consists of 98% pure silica which also means it’s insanely white.”
75 Mile Beach, Fraser Island, Australia
Number 11 on their list is 75 Mile Beach. List25.com says, “Running most of the length of Fraser Island this beach doubles as a highway/runway. Although it is extremely beautiful the currents are dangerous and the Tiger Sharks are plentiful, so bathers beware.”
So, do these foreign media outlets have it right? What beaches do you rate as Australia’s best? Let your fellow readers in on your local or traveller’s first-hand knowledge in the comments section, below…
