Beach sights in Australia
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Great Ocean Road
This is one of the world's most spectacular coastal drives, especially between Anglesea and Apollo Bay. Contrasting the fabulous surfer-style beaches is the lush green of the Otway Ranges, the dramatic limestone cliffs of Port Campbell and the pretty and fashionable town of Lorne.
The incredible Great Ocean Road (B100) cuts its breathtaking path from Torquay to Warrnambool, every fresh twist and turn inspiring passengers to exclaim 'Oh!', and frustrated drivers to say, 'What? What's it look like?'. The stunning stretch of road attracts seven million snap-happy visitors annually and is one of the world's most spectacular coastal drives, especially between Anglesea and Apol…
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St Kilda Foreshore
There are palm-fringed promenades, a parkland strand and a long stretch of sand. Still, don't expect Bondi or Noosa. St Kilda's seaside appeal is more Brighton, England than Baywatch, despite 20-odd years of glitzy development. And that's the way Melburnians like it; a certain depth of character and an all-weather charm, with wild days on the bay providing for spectacular cloudscapes and terse little waves, as well as the more predictable sparkling blue of summer.
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Tamarama Beach
Surrounded by high cliffs, Tamarama has a deep tongue of sand with just 80m of shoreline. Diminutive, yes, but ever-present rips make Tamarama the most dangerous patrolled beach in New South Wales; it’s often closed to swimmers. When it earned its nickname ‘Glamarama’ in the ’80s, Tamarama was probably Sydney’s gayest beach. Reflecting increasing acceptance, the gay guys have migrated en masse to North Bondi, leaving the huge waves here to the surfers. It’s hard to picture now, but between 1887 and 1911 a roller coaster looped out over the water as part of an amusement park.
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Bronte Beach
A winning family-orientated beach hemmed in by sandstone cliffs and a grassy park, Bronte lays claims to the title of the oldest surf life-saving club in the world (1903). Contrary to popular belief, the beach is named after Lord Nelson, who doubled as the Duke of Bronte (a place in Sicily), and not the famous literary sorority. There’s a kiosk and a changing room attached to the surf club, and outdoor seating near the coin-op barbecues. Parking is hellish.
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Cronulla
Cronulla is a beachy surf suburb south of Botany Bay, it’s looong surf beach stretching beyond the dunes to the Botany Bay refineries. It’s an edgy place, with dingy fish-and-chip shops, insomnious teens and a ragged sense of impending ‘something’, which in 2005 erupted into racial violence. The ’70s cult novel Puberty Blues captured the local teen scene.
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Beaches
Up the coast, the beach options are varied and less crowded with fun beach breaks for surfing at Coledale and Bulli beaches and reef breaks at Sharkies (also at Coledale) and Headlands.
While Sharkies Beach is something of a misnomer in light of the minimal risk of meeting a finned friend here, surfers have occasionally come face to face with the odd humpback whale surfacing close to shore.
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Cairns Foreshore Promenade
The undisputed highlight of the Cairns Foreshore Promenade is the 4800-sq-m saltwater swimming lagoon, a feat in landscape architecture bringing the beach-cum-swimming experience to the heart of the city. Fitness enthusiasts blade, cycle or just walk the 3km Esplanade Walking Trail, and travellers meander lazily up and down the Esplanade, popping into restaurants and shops until the wee hours.
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Coogee Ocean Pools
If you’ve got kids, shark-paranoia, or surf isn’t your thing, Sydney’s blessed with a string of 40 man-made ocean pools up and down the coast, most of them free. At Coogee Beach’s northern end below Dolphin Point, Giles Baths is what’s known as a ‘bogey hole’ – a semiformal rock pool open to the surging surf. At the beach’s southern end, Ross Jones Memorial Pool has sand-castle-like concrete turrets. Up against the cliffs further south is McIvers Baths. Screened from passers-by, it’s been a popular women-only pool since 1876. Further south still, Wylies Baths is for serious lap swimmers. Closer to Maroubra, Mahon Pool is an idyllic rock pool where the …
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Coogee Beach
Bondi without the glitz and the posers, Coogee (locals pronounce the double o as in the word ‘took’) has a deep sweep of sand, historic ocean baths and plenty of green space for barbecues and frisbee hurling. Offshore, compromising the surf here a little, is the craggy, wave-battered Wedding Cake Island, immortalised in Midnight Oil’s 1980 surf-guitar instrumental of the same name. Between world wars, Coogee had an English-style pier, with a 1400-seat theatre and a 600-seat ballroom…until the surf took it.
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Clovelly Beach
It might seem odd, but this concrete-edged ocean channel is a great place to swim, sunbathe and snorkel. It’s safe for the kids, and despite the swell surging into the inlet, underwater visibility is great. A beloved friendly grouper fish lived here for many years until he was speared by a tourist. Bring your goggles, but don’t go killing anything… On the other side of the car park is the entrance to the Gordons Bay Underwater Nature Trail, a 500m underwater chain guiding divers past reefs, sand flats and kelp forests.
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Redleaf Pool
Not really a pool at all (it’s a fenced-off section of Seven Shillings Beach), Redleaf is the closest swim spot to the city – as such, it attracts an urbane collection of inner- eastern locals. A boardwalk runs around the top of the shark net, and two floating pontoons are sought-after posing platforms for those who confuse beaches with catwalks. The pool is popular with families; the beach’s eastern end is colonised by gay lads.
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Stromatolites
A lot of places talk about 'stepping back in time', but here, you really are! Stromatolites are, in essence, living fossils. In fact they're a perfect example of the earliest life on earth (one of only two in the world). The water is twice as saline as seawater, making these rock-like outcroppings (sole) kings of the pool. The best time to visit these mind-boggling microorganisms is between June and October.
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Shell Beach
Picture a snow-white beach bordered by azure water stretching to the horizon; just don't imagine walking on it barefoot. Billions of coquina bivalve shells have been washed up by the surf to stunning effect. Make sure you have enough memory in your camera because you're going to want to take umpteen pictures. You could even go for the snow effect - tossing up handfuls of shells into the air!
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McIvers Baths
Perched against the cliffs at the southern end of Coogee is the womens only McIvers Baths. Well screened from passers-by, this spot has been popular for women's bathing since before 1876. Its strictly women-only policy has made it popular with an unlikely mixture of nuns, Muslim women and lesbians. Entry is via the honesty/donation system and small children are permitted.
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Orchid Beach
Orchid Beach is the last settlement on the island. Many tracks north of this are closed for environmental protection. The 30km of beach up to Sandy Cape, the northern tip, with its lighthouse, is off-limits to hire vehicles. The beach from Sandy Cape to Rooney Point is closed to all vehicles, as is the road from Orchid Beach to Platypus Bay.
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Four Mile Beach
You're likely to put in at least a few hours or days on the gorgeous Four Mile Beach: a band of white-sand beach backed by palms that goes as far as your squinting eyes can see. Hire a jet ski or go on a reef snorkelling foray or just lie there for hours - the Munch buggy plies the length of the beach selling ice creams and snacks.
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Bondi Pavilion
More cultural centre than boat shed, the Mediterranean/Georgian-revival Bondi Pavilion (1929; aka ‘The Pav’) offers change rooms, showers, Bondi Openair Cinema, restaurants, exhibitions, and a plethora of courses and live performances.
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Elwood Beach
A short drive or concerted foreshore walk will take you to this swimming beach. It tends to be less windswept, though often no less crowded, than St Kilda and is surrounded by leafy Elwood Park and Point Ormond Reserve. There are playgrounds and kiosks.
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Sunshine Beach
Sunshine Beach is perfect for a windswept walk - keep the kids occupied counting the number of bluebottles washed up on the beach. Sunshine Corner, at the northern end of the beach, has an excellent year-round break (it also has a brutal beach dump).
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Bells Beach
The powerful point break at Bells Beach is part of international surfing folklore and is the site for world championship surfing contests every Easter. You can hire surf gear or, for newcomers, take a lesson or two.
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The Pass
For the famous breaks, walk from Main Beach past Clarks Beach to The Pass, which leads onto Watego's and Little Watego's Beaches. Dolphin sightings are common at these spots.
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North Beach
North Beach has beach breaks suitable for all visitors and is walking distance from the city centre. Look for the Acids Reef break for more of a surfing challenge.
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Tallow Beach
South of Cape Byron are the hallowed sands of Tallow Beach, which stretch 7km down to a rockier section around Broken Head (named appropriately).
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Mahon Pool
Coogee Beach, towards Maroubra, Mahon Pool is an idyllic rock pool where the surf crashes over the edges at high tide.
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Watego's & Little Watego's Beaches
East of Main Beach, The Pass leads onto Watego's & Little Watego's Beaches. Dolphin sightings are common at these spots.
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