Country
Australia
2,159 beaches surveyed and measured. Ten chosen by fame. All ten rated.
10 judged · 2159 surveyed · See on the Atlas →
The 10 best beaches in Australia
Ordered by fame: how often Tourism Australia, Lonely Planet, Time Out and Condé Nast Traveller name them, plus measured size. The order is theirs. The rating is ours. Every number is measured or sourced.
- 1
Whitehaven Beach
BOOK THE FLIGHT NOWSand that is 98 per cent silica, and worth every minute of the boat.
The factThis pristine paradise has sand that's 98 per cent silica (which means that it's whiter and softer than pretty much anywhere in the world).
5,517 m long · 80.8 m wide · Photo: Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2
Lucky Bay
BOOK THE FLIGHT NOWWhite sand, turquoise water, and the locals are kangaroos.
The factMost visitors don’t believe it until they see it: kangaroos bounding down a white sand beach.
2,207 m long · 116.8 m wide · Photo: Stan Feldman, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3
Bells Beach
BOOK THE FLIGHT NOWThe world's longest-running surf contest, and water cold enough to keep it honest.
The factBells Beach is home to the Rip Curl Pro, the longest-running continuous surfing competition in the world, held every Easter.
371 m long · 29.8 m wide · Photo: Samantha Lynch samjaynee, CC0
- 4
Cable Beach
WORTH A DETOURTwenty-two kilometres of white sand, named after a phone line.
The factThis sparkly 22-kilometre white sand beach earned bragging rights as the third best in the world, according to TripAdvisor’s 2023 Travellers’ Choice Awards.
5,682 m long · 148.1 m wide · Photo: lin padgham, CC BY 2.0
- 5
Hyams Beach
OVERRATEDThe whitest sand in Australia, says the myth. The council says the village is full.
The factThere is a myth that the beach has the whitest sands in Australia.
2,710 m long · 57.7 m wide · Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 6
Noosa Main Beach
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREThe calm one, a minute from the cafés. Everyone else knows too.
The factNoosa Main Beach is the best choice for swimmers who need protection from surf conditions.
1,421 m long · 58 m wide · Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 7
Mindil Beach
OVERRATEDCome for the sunset market. Leave the swimming to the crocodiles.
The factLifeguards are on duty from June to September, but saltwater crocodiles could be in the water at any time.
1,048 m long · 77.7 m wide · Photo: Ridiculopathy, CC0
- 8
Bondi Beach
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREThe pool at the end is as famous as the beach. Swim between the flags.
The factAt the southern end, the turquoise Bondi Icebergs pool is as renowned as the beach itself, famous for its hardy locals who make their daily laps year‐round as waves crash over the edge.
868 m long · 93.6 m wide · Photo: Nick Ang, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 9
Cottesloe Beach
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THEREPerth's own beach, 25 minutes from the city and 600,000 visits a year.
The factThe beach is located along the coast of the suburb of Cottesloe, Western Australia, and spans 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) along the coast
388 m long · 38.9 m wide · Photo: -wuppertaler, CC BY 4.0
- 10
Stokes Bay
WORTH A DETOURThe front door is a maze of caves. The reward is an empty beach.
The factYou must crawl through a maze of caves to reach the beach.
490 m long · 30 m wide
How we rate: we have not stood on these beaches, so the sources decide. A beach starts in the middle. It moves up for something no other beach has, or for a top-three place on the fame list. It moves down when someone has been hurt there, when it is closed or banned, or when a source calls the water dangerous. Ordinary cautions are printed on each beach’s page and leave the rating alone.
Asked about beaches in Australia
- What is the best beach in Australia?
- Whitehaven Beach, Lucky Bay and Bells Beach are the three that Tourism Australia, Lonely Planet and Time Out all name, and we rate all three Book the flight now. Whitehaven's sand is 98 per cent silica.
- Where is Wineglass Bay on this list?
- Three of the lists we read name it, but the map data we survey has no beach under that name yet. It will be rated once we can measure it.
- When is the sea warmest in Australia?
- It depends on the coast. In 2025 the north peaked above 32 °C at Cable Beach and Mindil Beach, while Bells Beach in Victoria reached only 19.9 °C at its warmest and fell to 13.2 °C in August.
- Are there crocodiles at Australian beaches?
- In the north, yes. At Mindil Beach in Darwin, saltwater crocodiles could be in the water at any time, and Queensland Parks warns of crocodiles, stingers and sharks around Whitehaven.
From the blog, on Australia
The Big Board · The World
The Most Beautiful Beaches in the World, and What the Lists Leave Out
The internet's favourite list has a top ten. One is closed, one was rebuilt for a film and now bans swimming, and one charges you to cross a vanilla farm. All ten, checked for 2026.
October 2026 · 6 min
The Big Board · Sharks
The Sharkiest Beaches on Earth, and the Shark Attack Capital of the World
Sixty-five unprovoked bites in the whole world last year. They were not spread evenly. Six coastlines, ranked by what the records say, not by what the movies say.
October 2026 · 5 min
One Beach, One Story · Bells Beach, Australia
Bells Beach: A Bulldozer, a Surfboard Sale, and the Point Break Ending That Wasn't Filmed There
A wrestler cut the road in 1960 and charged a pound a head. Two board-makers held a rally to sell boards. Six decades on, it is billed as the longest-running pro surf contest in the world.
October 2026 · 4 min
One Beach, One Story · Whitehaven Beach, Australia
Whitehaven Beach: The 98% Silica Sand, and the Hubble Telescope Story That Isn't True
The sand is real, the purity is real, and nobody is sure how it got there. The part about NASA building a telescope lens out of it falls apart on the word lens.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Big Board
Which Country Has the Most Beaches?
We counted eleven countries the same way, in the same month. Spain names the most beaches. Australia has the most sand. Croatia's, all of it together, covers 4.6 km².
Updated October 2026 · 4 min
Surveyed, awaiting judgment
first 100 of 2,149, widest firstEvery one is real: taken from OpenStreetMap, pinned where it actually is and measured. We have not rated these yet.