Are you planning a beach holiday this summer? Check out the first ever authoritative list of Australia’s best beaches, www.101bestbeaches.com which identifies 101 best Australian beaches that are worth visiting. The site and the book are proudly supported by Tourism Australia, and are definitely a useful resource if you’re planning a coastal trip.
The island-continent of Australia boasts arguably the world’s best beaches with its 11,761 mainland beaches along its 30,000-kilometre coast. The oceans provide clear water over its clean white-yellow sands and natural forces deliver the waves which provide much of the drama and recreational opportunities upon the Australian beaches. Australia does have a few very long beaches, but primarily the coastline is dominated by thousands of small bays, headlands, reefs and islets creating attractive seascapes along most parts of the coast.
Elephant Rocks
The authors Andy Short and Brad Farmer have visited every one of 11,761 mainland Australian beaches, making them qualified to tell us which is the best. Marine scientist Prof. Andrew “Andy” Short OAM is widely regarded as the world’s foremost authority on beaches. Author of 12 books and hundreds of scientific publications, he is the beach expert’s expert, he is sometimes called Professor Coast. While Brad Farmer a surfer activist has spent a lifetime exploring the best beaches – and doing everything he can to protect them. After growing up on Queensland’s Gold Coast, he co-wrote the first Surfing Guide to Australia in 1985. A pioneer advocate for coastal preservation, he founded Ocean Care Day, the Surfrider Foundation, and co-founded the National and World Surfing Reserves movements.
It took Andy 14 years in total to investigate every beach. Brad has been to every accessible beach travelling over the past 30 years. Both authors have been researching the coast all their lives – collectively that’s over 80 years! They’ve been to every 11,761 beaches; many were revisited many times over. In this book, they’ve taken on the difficult task of identifying the very best of Australia’s beaches.
Do you want to know which Australian beaches is made entirely of shells, several metres deep?
Which beach has the biggest waves?
Where is the world’s biggest sand dune?
Where do loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs?
Why does Australia have the best beaches on the planet?
The book answers all of these questions and more. It provides useful information on beach safety and fascinating stories about Australian beaches. This superbly illustrated and thoroughly researched book will encourage locals and visitors to explore the Australian coast.
The best beaches were selected by looking at every beach and the factors that make beaches special – the views, the sand, surf, bordering headlands and a range of supporting amenities, natural experiences and fascinating historical or human stories. And then the authors debated which of the thousands wonderful beaches should make the final list. They came up with the final list that both represent the best of the best.
The only beach they both agreed on in the top 10 was Crescent Head in Sydney, NSW. You may not agree with the selection. You probably have your favourite beach and maybe outraged to find your favourite has been overlooked. But the 11,660 runners-up are also worth exploring. Whether you’re a surfer, angler, beachcomber, or you just like building sandcastles with the kids, the beach has something for everyone.
101 Best Beaches Asia – The Region Best Beaches Coming Soon!
Asia’s beaches include some of the most pristine and undiscovered in the world, despite being home to some of the world’s best dive spots, scenery and surrounding cultural attractions. Coming soon, 101 Best Beaches Asia will reveal the first authoritative list of the region’s best beaches.
Got your own favourite that did not make the list? Tell us about it!
