Beach bliss: top 10 Australian beaches revealed

Daftar Isi

With waters as clean as a whistle, long stretches of sand and orange lichen-speckled rocky coastlines overlooking estuaries and lakes setting off the lush green landscape, a certain island beach has topped the list as Australia's most sought-after beach for beach lovers.

Australia's beach ambassador Brad Farmer AM rides through 130 individual points to give the nation's top gong to the beach and he's got it to a spot along the coast that's got vibrant blue ocean, bright white sand and rock outcrops that take your breath away.

The Bay of Fires in Tasmania, a 10 kilometre stretch of coastlines along the island's northeast corner, has beaten out the rest to become the top grommet's pick for the best beach in Australia for 2025, marking the first time a Tasmanian beach has taken the top spot.

It's not just about what we're doing today, where we're staying, it's what we're chowing down on as well.

Temperatures at the bay have been a crisp 14 to 17 degrees Celsius, with the experienced coastal locals reporting an increasing number of swimmers shifting to the cooler waters for their therapeutic benefits.

Woolgoolga Beach, just north of Coffs Harbour in New South Wales, came second, while Emily Bay Lagoon on Norfolk Island, situated between New Caledonia and New Zealand, wrapped up the top three.

This year's lineup proves to all what the people of Australia have known for a long time – that Bondi and Brighton are fantastic, but the real gems are hidden in the country's regional beaches.

Mr Farmer is one of four global experts on beaches and adopts a qualitative approach to his research through his world-first 130-point evaluation criteria for the best beaches globally.

With more than 12,500 beaches, rivers, lakes and lagoons in Australia, conservationists do their research online before getting in touch with various stakeholders in the area, including fishermen, tourism operators and local councillors.

He then travels to the location and spends a day right through to a week exploring the area.

But the role's not just about knocking off at the beach, with a major and detailed process of getting endorsement from external sources, and getting a feel for the local vibe and quirks.

"I'll stop what I'm doing, take a break for lunch, go for a swim, have a go on the skateboard, have a yarn with the fishermen, head down to the local council and do some interviews with the visitors so I can get a really broad cross-section of opinions and get a true sense of what's going on at that specific spot," Mr Farmer said.

Seventy per cent of overseas visitors come to Australia to enjoy its beaches, so Mr Farmer's research is held to the highest standards, given that his findings are released internationally from Tourism Australia's 35 offices throughout the country.

But the beach ambassador has noticed an increasing "Not In My Back Yard" attitude from some locals who don't want their beaches recorded due to concerns about over-tourism sparked by social media influencers.

TOP 10 FAVE AUSTRALIAN BEACHES 2025

Tazmania's Bay of Fires

2. Woolgoolga, NSW

3. Emily Bay Lagoon, Toldera Island

4. North Kirra Beach, Queensland, is a top spot for catching waves by the Gold Coast.

5. Little Lagoon, Western Australia

Fishery Bay, South Oz

7. 1770, Queensland

(Original text bracketed: [Note: The actual name of this beach is Scarborough Beach, not Bentley Reserve])

9. Caves Beach, NSW

10. Cowes Beach, Victoria