23rd June, 2011

5 Great Australian Beaches

The beach is a hugely important part of Australian culture. Head down to the coast any weekend and you will see people relaxing on the sand, enjoying the surf or perhaps enjoying a game of beach cricket. It is also one of the things that make Australia such as popular holiday destination. Tourists come from all over the world with expectations about Aussie beaches that are rarely disappointed. So if you are one of those lucky people who are about to head down under, before you book your Sydney hotel or Surfers Paradise apartments, check out our guide to five of the best Australian beaches. Visit any of them and you won’t be disappointed.

Bondi Beach, New South Wales

Bondi is more than just a beach; it is a legend. Arguably the most famous beach in the world, no Sydney holiday is complete until you have felt the Bondi sands between your toes. Sydney locals will tell you that there are prettier beaches, better surf beaches and better places for swimming and they may even be right. But nowhere else has that certain Bondi something. So come on down, get yourself a good spot, go for a swim and check out the famous Bondi surf lifesavers. Once you have had your Bondi experience, you can then start checking out Sydney’s other beaches and make your own comparison, but if you are only going to visit one, then this has to be it.

Whitehaven Beach, Queensland

An impossibly pretty stretch of brilliant white sand lapped by the warm crystal clear waters of Queensland’s Whitsunday coast, it is little wonder that Whitehaven Beach regularly features in lists of the best beaches not only in Australia but also the whole world. A popular jumping off point for yacht charters and private motor cruises, it is just inaccessible enough that it is still not impossible to get the beach more or less to yourself. Now that is a tropical island paradise.

Cable Beach, Western Australia

Cable Beach in Broome, Western Australia, is not the easiest place in the world to reach, but therein lies part of it charm. This 22km stretch of white sands lapped by the Indian Ocean is a truly beautiful part of the world, but what makes it so special is the fact that, despite its worldwide fame, it is easy to find your own space.

Wineglass Bay, Tasmania

Tasmania’s stunning scenery rewards the effort of ramblers and hikers. This is never truer than when exploring the Freycinet Peninsula, where a first glimpse of Wineglass Bay is a breathtaking event. Brilliant white sands, vivid blue water and the most perfectly formed bay are truly a sight to behold.

Surfers Paradise, Queensland

Surfers Paradise is more than a beach: it is an entire tourist enclave and part of a thriving city, but the beach remains its spiritual heart. Three kilometres of golden sands provide the venue for the daytime action, before holidaymakers head back to their Surfers Paradise accommodation to get ready for a night out in the bars, clubs and restaurants for which this part of Queensland is rightly famous. If you like your beach holidays with a whole heap of partying thrown in, then Surfers is the place for you.