Australia's most amazing beaches: The 194-kilometre long World Heritage-listed Coorong in SA is Australia's second-longest continuous beach and one of its wildest. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com Source: Supplied
FEATURING 35,876 km of magnificent mainland coastline, Australia has more beaches than any nation on Earth. Here are the best as viewed on Google Maps.
Australia's mainland has a total coastline length of 35,876 km with an additional 23,859 km of island coastlines.
Australia's most amazing beaches: Silica Beach is an enigma. Located on uninhabited Hidden Island in the remote western Kimberley, it is a pure white beach composed of silica, on a coast dominated by beaches composed of carbonate material shell and coral fragments. The source of the silica remains a mystery, but there is no doubt of its purity and clarity. Like most Kimberley beaches this beach is short, just 150 m long and occupies a the mouth of a small valley with ragged tree covered sandstone bluffs rising to 20m on either side, and two ragged mangrove-fringed headlands extending 500 m seaward forming a sheltered north-facing bay. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com
Text from 101 Best Australian Beaches by Andy Short and Brad Farmer 101bestbeaches.com
Australia's most amazing beaches: Wineglass Bay in the magnificent Freycinet National Park is Tasmanias most photographed beach. The beach forms the eastern side of a 1.5 km wide low vegetated isthmus that connects Freycinet Peninsula to the mainland. All this is part of Tasmanias first national park, established in 1916. The areas fascinating history is also reflected in the names given by the early Dutch (Schouten and Maria islands) and French explorers (Freycinet, Cape Tourville and Point Geographe) and early Welsh settlers (Swansea and Glamorgan). The beach curves symmetrically for 1.7 km with low waves washing up against the steep beach face, and deep clear water filling the bay. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com
Australia's most amazing beaches: Frangipani Beach is located at the very northern tip of Australia at the end of a torturous two to three day, 750 km trek. The Cooktown to Cape York road terminates amongst the trees at the eastern end of the beach, where most trekkers park then either cross the beach at low tide, or walk along the rocky cape at high tide to reach the tip, where they have their photo taken besides the sign proclaiming that you are at Australias northernmost point. The cape forms the eastern boundary of this beautiful cream coloured sand beach backed by a fringe of casuarina trees, which overhang the high tide sand. As the tide retreats it reveals a 250 m wide stretch of clean sand capped by several subdued sand ridges. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com
Australia's most amazing beaches: Emily Bay on historic Norfolk Island lies adjacent to be more sinister named Slaughter Bay, which is backed by the ruins of the old gaol. Emily however is a delight, a curving beach tied to two low points and sheltered by a reef which blocks all waves at low tide forming a quiet lagoon. So placid is the bay a swimming pontoon is anchored off the beach. A row of the ubiquitous Norfolk Island pines rings the low dune at rear of the beach behind which lies then the stunning golf course. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com
Australia's most amazing beaches: Gibsons Steps is a cliff-hanging walkway on a heart pounding sweep of coast, set in the spectacular Port Campbell National Park. The steps lead from a small car park just off the Great Ocean Road, down to a beach set between the base of the sheer cliffs and those the relentless rock shaping seas of the Southern Ocean. This is one of the best spots to pull up on your drive around the coast to experience close up the high surf, and its impact it has on the beach and backing sheer eroding cliffs. This is not a swimming beach, even in apparent calm conditions rip currents remain. Do however walk along the beach and see the eroding cliffs, the flotsam washed ashore, the wild surf, and admire the two sea stacks close to shore locally known as Gog and Magog. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com
Australia's most amazing beaches: The shoreline here is composed entirely of shells millions of them, several metres deep. It is the only beach of this type in Australia and one of only two shell beaches like it in the world. Shell Beach is an example of the amazing environments that have evolved in the arid, high salinity environment of Shark Bay. The beach is located deep in the bay at the base of Lharidon Bight, so far from the entrance and fresh seawater that the high evaporation results in salinity reaching twice that of sea water (70 parts of salt per 1000 parts of sea water). Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com
Australia's most amazing beaches: Agnes Water boasts the northernmost surf in Queensland, although it's usually on the gentle side. Explore the superb estuary, neighbouring national parks or head offshore to the southern outposts of the Great Barrier Reef. Until the 1970s, this isolated outpost was a well-guarded secret: a few lonely beach shacks stood at the end of the rough 50-kilometre-long track cut by creek crossings. It's a bit easier to get to today, but this stretch of coast still feels remarkably isolated and pristine. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com
Australia's most amazing beaches: Cape Peron lies at the very tip of the central Peron Peninsula, located in Sharks Bays Francis Peron National Park. Its worth the 50 km long drive from Denham, much on dusty red tracks, to explore both the peninsula and the beaches at its apex. The track ends at the cape, with the 200 m long white cape beach located at the base of the bright red pindan bluffs. Longer beaches are located to either side of the cape, with the kilometer long eastern beach the more accessible. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com
Australia's most amazing beaches: Fraser Island is the worlds largest sand island, site of Queenslands longest beach and home to ancient coloured sand dunes. It has bubbling freshwater springs, pure-bred dingoes, rainforest-covered dunes and pristine freshwater lakes high in the dunes, including the world's largest. Its also a national park and World Heritage Area. Aboriginal people call this place Kgari paradise. It was named Fraser Island after Eliza Fraser, the sole survivor of an 1836 shipwreck who lived with local Aboriginal people before being rescued. Photo: Google Maps. Text: 101bestbeaches.com
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