Holiday guide
Australia’s best beaches & islands
In a country with 34,000 kilometres of coastline, you’re likely to find a lot of beaches. Here our experts’ reveal some of their favourites.
Australia’s 15 greatest island beaches
Australians often head to the Pacific or Asia to find the perfect island escape, but our own island offer beaches as good, or better, than anything overseas.
Australia’s 10 greatest beaches you (probably) haven’t heard of
The map of Australia has 12,000 beaches, and some are so remote that they are yours to enjoy virtually alone.
- Craig Tansley
Australia has 8222 islands, but these 15 are among the best
Australians are spoilt for choice when it comes to island getaways, but they are not all about blue waters and coral: there’s an island type for everyone.
- Emma Shaw
WA’s barefoot paradise just got easier to visit
The Mackerel Islands – the sort of isles likely to be cast for an episode of Alone or Survivor – now have simple mod-cons for visitors.
- Julia D'Orazio
Queensland’s ‘least likely paradise’ is not your standard resort island
Craig Tansley discovers that the McDonald’s and Bunnings outlets on Bribie Island just add to its unusual and secret charm.
- Craig Tansley
- ★★★★
The only resort located on one of Australia’s most famous beaches
A stay at the finest resort in Broome makes me wish I had more time to spend in this remote town.
- Kristie Kellahan
Captain Cook gave this island the wrong name, but somehow got it right
This Queensland island seems a likely candidate to revert to its original name, even if its current name does (unintentionally) seem fitting.
- Craig Platt
How to do Queensland’s dreamiest islands without breaking the budget
Let Airlie Beach be the launchpad for your affordable island-hopping escape. Here’s where to eat, stay and play without spending a fortune.
- Riley Wilson
10 beach towns that are better than Byron
Byron Bay may get the headlines, but there’s a lot more beach towns out there with far less traffic, and much lower prices.
- Craig Tansley
How to pack for a beach holiday: The 11 essential items you should bring
It's time to hit the road for a beach holiday. Here are the items you should bring.
- Sheriden Rhodes
Remote Aussie spot is a bucket-list item for fishing fans
Few visitors and plenty of fish in the waters of the coastal creeks and reefs and the Arafura Sea make this remote resort a prized destination.
- Sue Williams
Australia is home to the world’s most beautiful puddle
Think blue-tinged water clear as a gin cocktail, pure white sand, and one of the world’s most unusual landscapes. This is a puddle for the Instagram age.
- Brian Johnston
There are few overseas destinations that can match this paradise
When the pandemic kept Australia’s luxury travellers within our borders for almost two years, it was here they flocked.
- Craig Tansley
Ten amazing, hard-to-reach Aussie beaches worth the effort
Australia is home to some of the world’s best beaches – but 43 per cent of them aren’t accessible by road.
- Craig Tansley
Nine must-do highlights of Lord Howe Island
Stunning Lord Howe Island is home to the world's most southerly coral reef.
- Elspeth Callender
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