There's no single "No. 1" beach, as it changes yearly with different awards, but Whitehaven Beach (QLD) is consistently voted Australia's most beautiful, while the Bay of Fires (TAS) won Tourism Australia's 2025 title, and Manly Beach (NSW) was TripAdvisor's 2024 top pick for its vibe and accessibility. Other favorites include WA's Lucky Bay and WA's Turquoise Bay, known for stunning white sands and clear waters.
Best Australian beaches for 2025 revealed
While "top" beaches are subjective, consistently highly-rated beaches include Grace Bay (Turks & Caicos) for stunning turquoise waters, Whitehaven Beach (Australia) with its pure silica sand, Anse Source d'Argent (Seychelles) known for unique granite boulders, Baia do Sancho (Brazil) for dramatic scenery, and Navagio (Shipwreck) Beach (Greece) with its iconic wreck.
1. Elafonissi Beach – Crete, Greece. Climbing 23 ranks to score the top spot, Elafonissi Beach on the Greek island of Crete is the best beach of 2025. Travelers are drawn to its gentle turquoise waters and uniquely pink sands created by eroded shells.
While there's no single "official" cleanest beach, Whitehaven Beach (QLD) is globally renowned for its pure, white silica sand and turquoise water; other top contenders for clarity include Parakeet Bay (WA), Hyams Beach (NSW), and Lucky Bay (WA), known for their pristine conditions and clear waters, with various reports highlighting different locations based on water quality metrics or visual appeal.
Did you know, Australia has its own Hawaii! 🌸 beautiful, relaxed and remarkable- this is Lord Howe island, the perfect bucket list destination, just 2 hrs from Sydney!
While Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay, NSW, is famous, scientific studies by Australia's National Committee on Soil and Terrain found Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park, Western Australia, has the whitest sand, followed by Hellfire Bay (also WA) and Whitehaven Beach (Queensland). Lucky Bay is known for its pristine white sand, often shared with lounging kangaroos, and is part of a national park near Esperance.
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Antigua has 365 beaches, one for every day of the year.
There's no single "clearest" beach, but top contenders for crystal-clear water globally include Prassa Beach (Greece), Palawan (Philippines), Maldives, and Australia's Parakeet Bay (WA) and Hyams Beach (NSW), often praised for their stunning clarity and vibrant blue hues, with Greece and Australia frequently topping lists for sheer number of clear-water locations.
Australia boasts stunning beaches like Whitehaven Beach (silica sand, swirl patterns), Hyams Beach (whitest sand), Turquoise Bay (clear waters), Wineglass Bay (pink granite, pristine curve), and Cable Beach (camel rides, sunsets). Other top picks include Bay of Fires (Tasmania), Lucky Bay (kangaroos), and Sydney's famous Bondi Beach, each offering unique beauty from pure white sand to vibrant surf and wildlife.
Summary Imagine an isolated beach of endless white sand, seashells and turquoise waters, stretching so far it would take more than a week to walk its length. Aptly named, Eighty Mile Beach is indeed long, stretching 220 kilometres and renowned as Australia's longest uninterrupted beach.
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Welcome to Bondi beach, Australia's most famous (and busiest) beach 🏖️ This 1km beach can sometimes pack up to 40,000 people!
Whitehaven Beach
Sailing through blue waters, snorkelling above gardens of coral and coastal views more beautiful than a postcard – it's all waiting for you in the Whitsundays.
Tucked away in the Tasman Sea, Lord Howe Island offers a strikingly similar experience — and more — with luminous blue-green waters, idyllic shores, world-class snorkelling and postcard-perfect beaches, minus the long-haul flight.
With more than 10,000 beaches stretching along its coastline, Australia has more beaches than any other country on Earth.
Praia do Cassino Beach in Brazil is the longest beach in the world. Key facts include: It stretches for approximately 254 km (158 miles) along the Atlantic coast. Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's longest continuous sand beach.
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Be amazed by these beaches
Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue, Seychelles: World's most photographed beach is the epitome of paradise.
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NSW so far has the largest quantity of nude beaches in the country. These beaches and resorts in New South Wales are legally nudist or clothing optional: Armands Beach, Bermagui, Sapphire Coast. Birdie Beach, Lake Munmorah.
Sharks are found all around Australia, but hotspots for diversity and activity include the Coral Sea (Queensland) for biodiversity, Western Australia's South West (Geraldton to Victoria) for great whites, and the NSW/QLD coastlines (like Byron Bay/Ballina) for higher shark attack numbers, often linked to bull sharks and river mouths. Major populations of great whites are concentrated in WA's waters, while the warm Coral Sea teems with many species.
However, Reynisfjara beach lying in the southernmost part of Iceland is undoubtedly Iceland's, and one of the world's most beautiful black sand beaches.