With over 21,100 miles (34,000km) of coast and most of the country’s population living close to the ocean, Australia has some rather special beach towns. Our team of well-travelled experts have ranked their favourites, from historic fishing ports and laid-back surf enclaves to rainforest-backed tropical towns and glamorous resorts.
Click through the gallery to see which coastal charmer tops our list. And where your favourite sits in our rankings…
With upscale resorts, top-notch restaurants and a glitzy marina, Port Douglas has transformed from a quaint fishing village into one of Queensland’s most chi-chi beach towns. Its setting between the reef and rainforest is utterly breathtaking.
Stroll along palm-backed Four Mile Beach, breakfast with the birds at the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary and head out onto the Coral Sea to see the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. Take a catamaran to the Low Isles coral cays and you can snorkel straight from the shore. Daintree Rainforest is just to the north and the town's charming Sunday markets are well worth a wander.
A quintessential seaside town on the northwest tip of Rivoli Bay, Beachport has good-old-fashioned family fun written all over it. With lovely sand and calm shallow waters, it's hard to go past the beach. There are walking trails galore here and plenty of history too.
Head to the Old Wool and Store Grain Museum to learn about the town's whaling and fishing past and Aboriginal heritage. Stroll along the 19th-century jetty, one of the longest in the country due to the very shallow waters, to watch fishermen come and go – crayfishing is still a big industry here – or go for a swim. It's a great place to spot southern right whales too.
Set on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Pacific Palms is a collection of small and sleepy coastal villages, lakes, forests and spectacular beaches (standouts are Boomerang Beach, Blueys Beach and Elizabeth Beach). Soak in the views from 19th-century Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse (pictured), east of Seal Rocks village. You can stay here too.
Catch the waves and go snorkelling at Blueys Beach or set off on a hike from Elizabeth Bay into Booti Booti National Park. You can follow a walking trail at the beach’s northern end towards Seven Mile beach, a noted whale-watching spot in winter.
Port Macquarie, a former convict settlement on the state’s mid-north coast, is a top seaside town with plenty of attractions. Known as the country’s bodyboarding capital, you can have a crack at the sport at one of its 17 stunning beaches. See eight of them by following the coastal walk along the breakwall out to Tacking Point Lighthouse and Lighthouse Beach.
Another must-visit is the brilliant Port Macquarie Koala Hospital. There are plenty of great restaurants and bars to while away the evenings in. Alternatively, join the locals with a slap-up sunset picnic of fish and chips or local oysters on Town Green.
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One of the larger townships along the Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay is a wonderful base for exploring Victoria’s so-called Shipwreck Coast and Great Otway National Park. It was where the coastal steamer Casino tragically sank in 1932 – you can see the ship’s anchor outside the post office.
The former fishing village has some excellent places to eat – the Apollo Bay Fishermen’s Co-op is the place for just-caught fish and crayfish. Or for something fancier head to Chris' Beacon Point Restaurant to dine on incredible produce among the treetops.
Tipped as the new Byron Bay, the small seaside town in the far north of New South Wales has a buzz about it and scenic beauty by the bucketload. Set on the mouth of the Clarence River, it has 11 beaches plus the state's first surfing reserve, Angourie, and is surrounded by a national park.
Days here are about beach hopping, surfing, kayaking up the estuary or following trails around the Yuraygir National Park. It’s also a top spot for foodies – famous for its eponymous prawns and all-round fantastic seafood.
Tucked away on the wild coast of Tasmania, the quiet fishing port of Strahan has been riding the crest of a tourism wave as the ideal base for journeying into the World Heritage-listed Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.
The best way to visit is on a boat cruise down the Gordon River to meander through the temperate rainforest. Next, hire a bike and make for Ocean Beach, a wonderfully wild and wind-buffeted spot where the sunsets are incredible. Sarah Island, site of Tasmania's earliest penal settlement, in Macquarie Harbour is also well worth a trip to find out about the area’s dark past.
With its sandy surf beaches and sheltered lagoon, the coastal town of Avoca Beach is an appealing spot for a family escape. Go kayaking on the lagoon, flop on the beach, splash about in the ocean rock pool or follow trails to the Captain Cook Lookout on the headland between Avoca and Copacabana.
The views along the coast towards Terrigal, another good Central Coast town worth a mosey around, are terrific. Don’t miss a film at the retro Avoca Beach Picture Theatre, still owned and run by the same family who built it in 1951.
A couple of hours south of Sydney, Jervis Bay is peppered with picturesque villages. Huskisson is an enchanting base to explore the bay’s famed white-sand beaches and bushwalking trails with plenty of cafes, restaurants, delis and pubs.
Catch the Husky Ferry over Currambene Creek to Myola, go stand-up paddleboarding, learn about the area’s history at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum and follow the flat walking track around to Vincentia, another charming town, for coastal views and a dip.
Just north of Perth, Lancelin lures divers, anglers, windsurfers and all-round thrill-seekers. Backed by towering white sand dunes, the little fishing town is one of the best places in Australia for sandboarding, while its prime wind and wave conditions have made it a hotspot for windsurfers.
The town hosts one of Australia's biggest windsurfing events every summer. Offshore, a string of 14 shipwrecks make up a renowned dive trail, drawing experienced scuba divers.
Set at the mouth of Murray River, Goolwa has a lot going for it both on and offshore. You can take a trip out along the river on a 100-year-old paddle steamer or zip off by speed boat to spot pelicans, dolphins, seals and sea lions along the region’s striking coastline.
Explore the port's handsome heritage-listed sandstone buildings, bustling cafes and historic pubs or ride the Cockle Train, the oldest steel-railed railway in Australia, to Port Elliot or Victor Harbor. With vineyards nearby too, this town is the full package.
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Blue bays, golden beaches and encounters with bottlenose dolphins make the neighbourhoods around Port Stephens Bay popular with Sydneysiders. Boat tours heading out from the area's main hub at Nelson Bay to see dolphins are a big draw, but so too are the walking trails in Tomaree National Park – hike up Mount Tomaree for the best views.
The town is also a good base to see migrating humpback whales, which head very close to the shore from May to November. You can also launch down Australia’s largest sand dune system, Stockton Bight Sand Dunes, on a surfboard or canter along the sweeping sands on a horse.
A historic town on the shores of Port Phillip, Sorrento is a brilliant bolthole for exploring the many pleasures of Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. It has two beaches – a wild ocean one and a pretty portside one.
It also has handsome heritage buildings (don't miss the Collins Settlement Historic Site), great galleries and excellent shops. Be sure to follow the Sorrento-Portsea Artists Trail for art mixed with cracking views. There are plenty of good places to eat in town and lots of cellar doors and winery restaurants just a short hop away.
Head south from Sydney and before long you’ll have the stunning Pacific Coast on one side and rolling farmland on the other. Gerringong is one of a few towns in the bucolic Kiama area where you can combine coastal and countryside pursuits.
Go swimming in Ourie Pool and grab a coffee at Werri Beach before tasting local produce at farmers' markets and calling in at vineyard cellar doors. The Kiama Coast Walk is a wonderful way to see the shoreline – Minnamurra Headland has amazing views and a whale-watching platform.
A good day’s drive south from Perth, remote Esperance rewards travellers who make the effort to visit with its intensely white sands and turquoise waters. A huge whale tail sculpture on the Esplanade points to the town’s connection with the ocean and the southern right whales that can be spotted offshore in winter.
The stunning scenery continues along this extraordinary coastline. Just nearby is Lucky Bay, known as Australia's whitest beach and part of Cape Le Grand National Park. You may have to share the sand with kangaroos who love to hang here too.
The cute seaside town of Mollymook, just to the south in the state’s Shoalhaven region, has become a firm foodie favourite. It's where British TV chef Rick Stein has his Aussie restaurant at boutique bolthole Bannisters by the Sea, and plenty more impressive places to eat have sprung up.
When you're not feasting, work up an appetite on the beach or by exploring nearby Milton and Ulladulla – stopping in at Cupitt’s Winery for a tasting. Or you can walk off all that indulgence with a hike up Pigeon House Mountain.
South Australia’s Limestone Coast is full of marvels, and its breezy harbour town Robe makes a brilliant base for exploring them. Its aptly named Long Beach (nine miles/14km) is glorious – think lovely restaurants dishing up sensational seafood – and its historic buildings are charming.
Go for a walk along the coast to see its most famous landmark, the Cape Dombey Obelisk, and you’ll be rewarded with stunning views of the rocky, windswept coastline.
Huddled beneath the hulking form of a sheer-sided bluff known as the Nut, this pretty seaside town on Tasmania’s far northwest coast is a lovely place for a potter. It was founded in 1824 as the administrative centre for the Van Diemen's Land Company.
Characterised by well-preserved stone cottages, you’ll find quaint tearooms and charming shops in the fishing port to amuse you. Then wind your way up to the top of the old volcanic plug or catch the chairlift for soaring views of the wild Bass Strait – you might spot seals and penguins.
Tucked into a hillside above one of this surf-mad region's best breaks with spectacular seascapes all around, it's easy to fall for this laid-back little town in Margaret River. But it first became a popular stop because of its caves.
Along with nearby Dunsborough, many cave burial sites belonging to the Wardandi people are located beneath the limestone ridge which forms Cape Naturaliste. In Yallingup, you can go in the Ngilgi Cave to ogle at its impressive stalagmite, stalactite, helictite and shawl formations. The town is also famous for its amazing rock formation Canal Rocks (pictured), which can be accessed by a boardwalk.
This tranquil coastal fishing town in the Gippsland Region of Victoria, partway between Sydney and Melbourne, is a wonderful place to while away a few days. The Mallacoota Inlet meanders inland and is perfect for kayaking and snorkelling (Bottom Lake has some tiny islands to comfortably loop) and all of this is backed by the lush, green Croajingolong National Park.
The remote township was hit hard by bushfires at the end of 2019 but has bounced back impressively and tourism is once again booming.
This gorgeous town on the aptly named Sunshine Coast is a great place to indulge in fine food, fancy shopping and a spot of spa time. Laze on the sands of Noosa Main Beach and muster the energy to stroll along the coastal track through Noosa National Park, looking for koalas as you go.
Browse the fashion, art and homeware boutiques on Hastings Street and take your pick from the town’s excellent waterfront eateries. Noosa River is a gorgeous sunset picnic spot. Great excursions from here include Fraser Island.
This sleepy seaside resort on the Great Ocean Road is best known for its historic lighthouse. It’s well worth the hike up the headland to Split Point Lighthouse for the superb views you'll get of the Southern Ocean and it's open for tours daily.
Go kayaking on Painkalac Creek or frolic on the gorgeous sands of Fairhaven Beach afterwards – it’s the longest beach on the Great Ocean Road. Back in town visit the Great Ocean Road Gin Tasting Room and Gin Garden for a well-earned drink.
With its old corrugated-iron shops and buildings, former pearling town Broome has oodles of history and a lively, multicultural feel. Many residents descend from pearl divers who came from Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines and it has a strong Indigenous heritage. Learn about it on a tour led by Bart Pigram, a Yawuru man who runs Narlijia Experiences.
Other highlights are catching a movie at Sun Pictures, the world’s longest-running open-air cinema, a tour of Willie Creek Pearl Farm, and heading to the striking red sand dune-backed Cable Beach. It’s a top spot for watching the dramatic west coast sunsets.
A popular stop for people road tripping along the east coast, Airlie Beach is mostly known as the gateway to the Whitsundays. However, it’s worth lingering in this lively beach town a while before you catch a ferry to the isles. There’s the beach of course, which houses some fab places to gobble fresh seafood and where every conceivable water sport is on offer.
Want to avoid the crowds? Go bushwalking in the Conway National Park and you’ll stumble across empty beaches as you explore the tropical rainforest, open woodlands and mangroves. It also has great mountain bike tracks.
Lorne is a must-stop on Victoria's famous coastal route, the Great Ocean Road. With tall gum trees on one side and the pretty Louttit Bay on the other, the scenic town is a top spot for a mooch around with plenty of galleries, boutiques and cafes.
Discover the story behind the building of the world's largest war memorial at the Great Ocean Road Heritage Centre in the Lorne Visitor Centre. Alfresco fish and chips on the pier is a must and be sure to explore the Great Otway National Park and the Erskine Falls.
More historic buildings await visitors to the charming tropical city of Mackay, which sits between sugar cane fields and the Coral Sea in Queensland. Once a wealthy sugar town, it's packed with beautiful Art Deco buildings and known for its art scene – don't miss the excellent Artspace gallery and follow the Bluewater Trail along the river to admire various public artworks.
Take a heritage walking tour, hire a bike and whizz around its pretty parks and beaches. You can cool off after in its free-swimming lagoon. Head to the marina to catch a boat to some of the little secluded tropical islands that lie just offshore.
Normanville is another appealing coastal town on the pretty Fleurieu Peninsula, a popular getaway for Adelaide residents with its white sand beaches, undulating vineyards and farmland. It’s the largest coastal settlement on the Fleurieu Coast and has a sweeping beach complete with scenic jetty.
Go for a horse ride along the sand, snorkel along the inshore reef or head out onto the ocean for a fishing trip. It’s an easy drive to Cape Jervis, where ferries depart for Kangaroo Island.
This tiny coastal community on the mid north coast of New South Wales is centred around Horseshoe Bay, (pictured) a pretty beach where holidaymakers picnic under towering Norfolk pines.
The delightfully empty Main Beach to the south of the town, stretches uninterrupted for 2.2 miles (3.5km) to Arakoon. Here the windswept headland is crowned by the haunting remains of Trial Bay Gaol, built by convict labour in the late 19th century. Ladies Reef, just off shore, is one of the most popular diving spots on this stretch of the coast.
The sweet little seaside town of Bicheno is a beauty of a base for exploring Tasmania’s stunning east coast. Just north of the Freycinet Peninsula, it’s well placed for sightings of some of the state’s curious creatures.
Visit East Coast Natureworld to see Tasmanian devils, wallabies and wombats, venture out on a glass-bottom boat tour of the Governor Island Marine Reserve to see myriad marine species, and join a dusk tour to see fairy penguins return to their burrows. Feast on fresh Tasmanian southern rock lobster and other regional seafood delights at the lovely Lobster Shack, run by a local couple.
A bustling fishing port, and the oldest in the state, Port Fairy lies at the end of the Shipwreck Coast. Potter around its characterful streets to admire 19th-century cottages and grand Georgian-style merchants' homes.
It's well worth following the Port Fairy Maritime and Shipwreck Heritage Walk to find out more about its past. Then go to the harbour to watch the fishermen bring in their haul – you can head out on a fishing trip yourself or take a cruise to see the seal colony on Lady Julia Percy Island (known as Deen Maar in the Gunditjmara language).
Famed for its surfing and alternative lifestyles, this boho beachside town has a spectacular setting – flanked by semi-tropical hinterland and perched on a craggy headland. Not only is Byron Bay blessed with beauty, but it also has some of the state’s best hideaways and places to eat.
After checking out the town's many delights and giving the waves a go on prime surf spot Wategos Beach, hike up to the historic lighthouse for sensational views – there’s a good chance you’ll spot dolphins in the surf below.
The bustling Gold Coast town of Burleigh Heads has a pretty pine-backed beach with plenty of lovely cafes, bars and restaurants a stone's throw from the sands. Surfers flock here to test their mettle at the headland's point break while Burleigh Head National Park has thrilling scenery.
Follow the path around the rocky headland from Tallebudgera Creek through the rainforest reserve for top views. Another must-visit is the Jellurgal Cultural Centre for an insight into the Gold Coast’s traditional custodians, the Yugambeh people.
This pretty town 249 miles (400km) southeast of Perth, sits on the state’s southern coast, backed by towering forests and looking out across the mighty Southern Ocean. It is one of the best places to see the state’s famous wildflowers. And the emerald waters of Green Pools (pictured) make for an idyllic dip.
The historic town centre is also home to artisanal bakeries, charming cafes and weekend arts markets. It is also a popular stop on the Great Southern wine route, dotted with family-owned wineries and their small, personal cellar doors.
Our number one has it all. Centred around the jewel-like waters of the Wagonga Inlet on NSW’s far south coast, Narooma offers long, deserted surf beaches, peaceful mirrored inlets and a breakwater where seals folic in the aquamarine water or sun themselves on rocks.
Narooma is also a haven for extraordinary seafood, enjoyed in world-class cafés and restaurants or bought fresh from the local fish co-ops. The town’s iconic oyster festival, held the first weekend of May, sits high on every local foodie’s bucket list.
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