If you’ve noticed a lot of stories about award-winning beaches popping up over the past few months, you’re not imagining things. We've just come out of summer in the southern hemisphere, and it’s still beach award season. Already this year, we’ve seen a beach south of Sydney crowned the second best beach in Australia by Tourism Australia, Manly appear on Tripadvisor’s list of the top ten beaches in the world, Bondi and Byron make Lonely Planet’s list of the world’s best beaches, and Jimmy’s Beach near Newcastle awarded as the beach with the calmest waters in all of Australia. Now, the thought leaders in global travel Conde Nast Traveller (CN Traveller) have released their list of the 34 best beaches in the world, and two NSW beaches came in the top ten.
In news that will surprise precisely nobody who’s spent time in Byron Bay, Wategos came in at number four – the second Aussie beach to make the list, after a beach close to Cairns gained the top spot as Conde Nast’s best beach in the world. More remarkably, Sydney’s Mona Vale was listed as the sixth best beach in the world – recognised for its long stretch of sand, consistent surf and large ocean-fed lap pool. The neighbouring café - Armchair Collective – also got a mention, as did the joggers who choose Mona Vale for their morning run. CN Traveller described Mona Vale as “the unsung hero of the famed northern beaches” – though we believe there are some other incredible beaches in that particular corner of Sydney who could give Mona Vale a run for its money.
Of all 34 beaches listed by CN Traveller in their round-up of the world’s best, six were located right here in Australia – two (Wategos and Mona Vale) from within NSW. The other Aussie beaches listed were Palm Cove Beach and Noosa Main Beach (both in Queensland) and Turquoise Bay and Gantheaume Point (both in Western Australia).
You can read CN Traveller’s list of the 34 best beaches in the world over here. And for more 2024 beach award updates, don't go anywhere – we'll keep you posted.