Oceania's Top 50+ Beaches
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Tunnel Beach // New Zealand
Jakub Šimáček Less than eight kilometres southwest of the centre of Dunedin, close to St Clair on New Zealand's South Island, Tunnel Beach is hidden from view by rugged sandstone cliffs rising 150 metres above the waves. Shaped by the might of the Pacific Ocean over millennia, the beach is studded with naturally-formed rock arches, caves, and a hand-hewn sloping tunnel… read more »
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Whangapoua Beach // New Zealand
Whangapoua Beach is located in the northeast of Great Barrier Island off Auckland.
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Eighty Mile Beach // Australia
Linear77 Located between Port Hedland and Broome, Eighty Mile Beach parallels the Great Northern Highway and is Western Australia's longest uninterrupted beach.
Despite its name, it actually extends for 137 miles (220km) and was formerly known as 90-Mile Beach, so it's probably got a bit of an identity crisis.
However you look at it, this endless sandy beach is a paradise for… read more »
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Middleton Beach // Australia
Daryle Phillips Middleton Beach takes its name from Captain Middleton who brought Governor James Stirling to Western Australia back in 1934. Interestingly, he was an ancestor of Kate Middleton, better known as the Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Prince William, the future king of England.
Protected by the islands and headland in King George Sound, waves are gentle and ideal for… read more »
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Kirra Beach // Australia
© Nathan Cowley An urban beach found in the neighbourhood of Coolangatta, part of Queensland's Gold Coast, Kirra Beach is a relaxed and down to earth destination that continues to exude the surf vibe that made it famous around the world.
Beyond its globally-renowned breaks, suitable for intermediate and expert boarders, protection from southerly winds means Kirra Beach is also a great place to… read more »
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Jibbon Beach // Australia
VirtualWolf Located at the point at which the southern Sydney suburbs rub up against the Royal National Park, Jibbon Beach and the nearby Little Jibbon Beach face north into the outer reaches of Port Hacking.
Jibbon Beach is approximately 700 meters in length and made up of clean yellow sands dotted with occasional flat rock protruding up from beneath the surface. Part… read more »
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Baragoot Beach // Australia
Steve Bittinger 3 km of sand stretching from Cuttagee Point and backed by a section of the Biamanga National Park.
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Birdie Beach // Australia
Ray Hayward Birdie Beach is located within Munmorah State Conservation Area between Sydney and Newcastle. For much of its length it is nothing more than a pristine stretch of sand backed by low dunes and grasses before giving way to Elizabeth Bay Drive.
The exact length of Birdie Beach is difficult to determine since it runs without break into Mackenzie Reserve Budgewoi… read more »
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Flint and Steel Beach // Australia
© Martin7d2 Situated close to the northernmost point of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park north of Sydney, Flint and Steel Beach is an area of sand just a few tens of metres in length. Overlooking the Hawkesbury River, it can only be reached on foot or by boat. The nearest car park is located approximately one kilometre away in either direction along a… read more »
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Miners Beach // Australia
Brian Tolagson Backed by grassy bluffs, Miners Beach is a blend of large pebbles and fine light sand. An unofficial nudist beach on the Port Macquarie coastline, it can be reached via the steps leading down from Green Point car park. Its unofficial nature means that police crackdowns on naturist bathing sometimes takes place, although there's rarely large numbers who congregate here.
Part… read more »
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Turimetta Beach // Australia
© Maurice van Creij / CC BY Turimetta Beach is something of a hidden gem in Sydney's Northern Beaches neighbourhood. At about 350 metres long and with an average width of only 2 metres, it is not the largest beach in the area, but that doesn't make its soft clean sands any less attractive.
Ringed on its landward side by sheer cliffs that rise between 20 and 30… read more »
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Duranbah Beach // Australia
Dee-bah as it's known to the locals is the most northerly of New South Wales' many beaches. In fact, it's so close to the Queensland border that you can walk up to the headland here in just a couple of minutes, and find yourself in a different timezone.
The beach is a bit of a geographical lash up; set on the… read more »
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Belongil Beach // Australia
© Bex Walton Byron Bay's Belongil Beach sits on a sandbar which runs for 2.5 kilometres from Main Beach car park to the mouth of Belongil Creek. On its opposite side is Tyagarah Beach.
Less crowded than Main Beach, Belongil Beach is generally considered a good place to swim and otherwise enjoy the water, with lifeguard patrols at its southern end between the… read more »
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Alexandra Headland Beach // Australia
Martin7d2 Known simply as "Alex" to the locals, Alexandra Headland is a laid back, surfy town in the heart of Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Set just north of Mooloolaba the sandy beach here forms a continuous stretch with Maroochydore up the coast.
This section of the Sunshine Coast is quite built up but you don't really notice that from the beach. The… read more »
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Kings Beach // Australia
thinboyfatter Marking the southerly limit of the Sunshine Coast is the town of Caloundra. Home to a number of great beaches, Kings Beach is the pick of the bunch.
The beach here is a good sized stretch of soft, golden sand backing onto a well-manicured park complete with bandstand and fountain. There's also no shortage of eating options with a choice of… read more »
