Lonely Planet names surf spot Bells Beach in Victoria as Australia’s best
A stretch of coastline in Victoria known for some of the country’s best surfing has been named Australia’s best beach.
Lonely Planet has named the world’s 100 best places to enjoy sand and surf in a new book titled Best Beaches, with several Australian beaches in the mix.
And despite Sydney’s coastal hotspots being famous to beachgoers around the world, Lonely Planet researchers crowned Victoria’s relatively isolated Bells Beach – located about a 90-minute drive from Melbourne – as Australia’s best.
The travel experts praised the surf beach for the ‘red clay cliffs that frame this natural amphitheater’ and suggested the best time to visit was from November to March.
Lonely Planet added that Bells Beach is not for the casual swimmer and is frequented by surfers who walk down the weathered steps and paddle out to catch a wave.
Bells Beach (pictured) in Victoria, about 90 minutes from Melbourne, took first place in Australia in Lonely Planet’s 100 Best Beaches
The swell starts from April to October, making it a popular spot for experienced surfers.
“There are no swimmers here: just the cliffs where most pilgrims settle, eager to see Australia’s best surf spot and watch the surfers ride it,” according to the Lonely Planet website.
Australians can watch surfers compete at the Rip Curl Pro competition at Bells Beach, held every year during the Easter holidays.
With a coastline of more than 60,000 km, Australia has roughly 12,000 beaches, making it difficult for experts to choose the best spots.
Always popular The Pass in Byron Bay was voted number five on the list of family-friendly beaches.
New South Wales’ entries were rounded out with world-famous Bondi Beach, listed as the best beach for people watching.
Western Australia’s Cable Beach, located in Broome, made the list for its “blonde sands sandwiched between the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.”
The ever-popular The Pass in Byron Bay (pictured) was voted number five on the list of top family-friendly beaches
Unsurprisingly, Cable Beach (pictured) in Broome, Western Australia made the list of the best beaches to watch the sunset
Tasmania’s Wineglass Bay (pictured), on the Freycinet Peninsula, was called a ‘piece of heaven’ and was listed for its ‘pink granite mountains, azure bays and rugged coastal forests’
Cable Beach also made Lonely Planet’s list of best beaches for sunset viewing, where visitors often flocked for the famous sunset camel rides along the coastline..
Beachgoers are encouraged to visit Cable Beach between May and October, when the water is not deadly Irukandji jellyfish and crocodiles.
Lucky Bay, in Cape Le Grand National Park, near Esperance on the state’s south coast, also made the list of Australia’s best beaches.
“Imagine sand so white and so fine that it whistles under your feet, and water in shades of blue so beautiful that it is impossible to resist,” wrote Lonely Planet.
‘Cradle it between scenic granite outcrops linked by bushwalk trails and add a few kangaroos, and you’ve got Lucky Bay.’
Tasmania’s Wineglass Bay, on the Freycinet Peninsula, was called a ‘piece of heaven’ and was listed for its ‘pink granite mountains, azure bays and rugged coastal forests’.
The white sand beach in the Maldives (pictured) was also on the list
Greece’s Elafonissi beach on the island of Crete made the list for its symphony of fine pink-white sand and turquoise water
Antarctica’s St Andrews Bay was among the best beaches in the world. Needless to say, it is not a beach where visitors can swim, but it is considered one of the best beaches for wildlife spotting.
Squeaky Beach in Victoria was also named as one of Australia’s best, along with Queensland’s Tangalooma Beach on Moreton Island and Whitehaven Beach in the idyllic Whitsundays.
Each entry in Lonely Planet’s Best Beaches offers practical insights into how to get to each spot and explores the reasons that earned them the prestigious title of the best in the world.
Globally, other beaches that made the list included White Sandy Beach in the Maldives, Pink Beach in Indonesia, Ipanema Beach in Brazil, Awaroa Beach in New Zealand, Elafonissi Beach in Greece and even St. Andrews Bay in Antarctica!