Look, Australia, it’s no state secret that our island home has some bloody delectable beaches on offer. About 12,000 of them actually, to be exact. But out of that 12,000 (fun fact: it would take you 32 years to splash around in them all), a singular chosen one has been selected by the travel lords over at global travel site, the Big Seven, as the nation's best beach, and it also ranks second in the whole entire world.
Turquoise Bay in Exmouth, Western Australia has taken the sandy cake as the world’s (almost) best beach, with its brilliant azure waters, pure white sand and proximity to the wild beauty of Ningaloo Reef making it a worthy pick for international beachy recognition.
Also, it should be noted that we haven’t always been second best. Last year, Whitehaven Beach won the coveted global top spot, while this year it’s been ranked eleventh. Also, not to brag, but NSW scored a pretty epic mention on this year’s best beaches list, with Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay coming in hot at a very honourable number 18.
Before you ask how exactly something this subjective gets decided, Big Seven have an answer, with their incredibly diverse list (that includes a legitimately pink beach in the Greek Islands and a sea turtle paradise in Mozambique) being the product of aggregated scores from previous results, official Blue Flag locations, social media and contributions from their own varied travel team.
That being said, the absolute best beach in the world in 2022 (according to them) is Playa Conchal in Costa Rica – a pristine tropical cove covered in tiny crushed seashells, whose clear turquoise water, eco-friendly ethos and staggering biodiversity have all meant that this year, they deserve to take the prize.
Stay tuned for next year though folks. Maybe Resolute Bay is next.