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One of my favourite parts about living on the coast in Australia is knowing that I'm never far from the sea – and I'm not talking about any ordinary patch of water. Australia’s beaches are the kind that stop you in your tracks and make you wonder, “Is this even real?”, before peeling off your clothes and sprinting straight into the surf.
It’s no surprise our beaches are one of the country’s biggest drawcards, with more than 12,500 stretches of shoreline to enjoy. If you’re after some local intel on the very best of them, Tourism Australia has just unveiled its highly anticipated top ten for 2026 — and the list is packed with hidden gems.
To crown the top ten, veteran beach expert and Tourism Australia Beach Ambassador, Brad Farmer AM, assessed thousands of beaches across the country. He rated each against a rigorous 130-point scale spanning five key categories: natural integrity and aesthetics, safety and hazards, community, facilities and access, and weather and seasons.
Plot twist: Australia’s best beach for 2026 isn’t just one stretch of sand – it’s a whole collection. Taking the crown is Bate Bay in New South Wales, a string of beaches tucked away in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, less than 30 minutes from the airport. This run of nine beaches – Wanda, Elouera (Sydney’s longest), Cronulla and Oak Park, plus four ocean pools and Gunnamatta Bay – are some of the longest, least crowded and most beautiful in the state. As a Sydneysider who's spent multiple dreamy days there this summer, I can confirm they’re very worthy of the crown.
“What truly sets Bate Bay apart is variety. There are sprawling, open surf beaches like Greenhills – at 4.8 kilometres, Sydney’s longest and of Puberty Blues fame – alongside sheltered ocean pools carved around the sandstone at the urban southern end. Gunnamatta Park’s tidal baths offer calm water and shaded grass areas, while the newly opened and fully accessible clifftop walk around Hungry Point delivers sweeping views across Port Hacking to Bundeena and pristine Jibbon Beach,” said Farmer.
This is the second year running Farmer has awarded the top honour to not just one beach, but an entire cluster – with Tasmania’s Bay of Fires taking out the inaugural win in 2025.
Claiming the runner-up spot for Australia’s best beach in 2026 is Pinky Beach on Rottnest Island/Wadjenup in WA. Like much of Rotto’s coastline, it feels plucked from a postcard: a small, sheltered cove with calm, clear water, perfect for long, lazy swims. I visited this 250-metre-long gem in 2024 and can vouch that it’s every bit as dreamy as the photo (above) suggests. I particularly loved strolling from the sand up to the iconic Bathurst Lighthouse and watching kids snorkel over the shallow, seagrass-dotted reefs.
The rest of the top ten features more off-the-beaten-track gems, from the rugged cliffs of Tasmania to the tropical coves of Queensland and even a surprising inland beach in the Northern Territory. You can check out the full list below or read more here.
The 10 best beaches in Australia for 2026, according to Tourism Australia
- Bate Bay Beaches, NSW
- Pinky Beach, WA
- Beachcomber Cove, QLD
- Tallow Beach, NSW
- Hellfire Bay, WA
- Godfreys Beach – The Nut, TAS
- Inskip Point, QLD
- Mount Martha, VIC
- Smoky Bay, SA
- Ellery Creek Big Hole, NT