BEACH HOLIDAYS

Sandy beaches. Golden beaches. Paddle Pops. There's nothing quite like an Australian summer - or an Australian summer house. Here, 16 chic retreats to spend the season in...from $145 a night. By Alissa Jenkins   Under $200 Sunset Villa, QLD Beach Huts Middleton, SA Koda Beach Bungalow, QLD Le Soleil, SA Three Hummock Island, Tas Hyams Beach Seaside Cottages, NSW Sorrento Cottage, Vic Millers Rest, Vic   $200 - $300  Adventure Bay Retreat Cottage, Tas Happy Shack, NSW Gidget goes to Culburra, NSW Bear Gully Coastal Cottages, Vic Windsong Beach House, SA Lantana Cottage, WA   $300 -$400 Sunsan's Beach...

Surf journalist Tim Baker checks out the swell in each state that every surfer lusts after. You don’t need to be a waxhead to enjoy these beautiful beaches. BELLS BEACH Where is it?  Torquay’s Surf Coast, an hour’s drive south-west of Melbourne, Vic. Why is it the state’s most iconic surf destination? It’s where organised competition, the surf industry and professional surfing was born in Australia, and where the world’s longest-running surf contest, the Rip Curl Pro, still goes down every Easter. Why I love it: When the famous Bells Bowls is firing it’s one of the most exhilarating rides...

Make a temporary sea change at one of these idyllic coastal holiday rentals. They promise the ultimate Aussie lifestyle: instant access to surf, sand and sea complete with outdoor entertaining and indoor comfort. ROCKPOOL BEACH HOUSE Dongara, WA Dongara is 360km north of Perth along the scenic Indian Ocean Drive. The area is known for its pristine sand and bright blue sea. The fishing is wonderful – you can take a charter boat out to catch tailor, mackerel and snapper or catch your own lobsters and crabs in traps. Rockpool Beach House is located opposite Denison Marina, just south of...

AT reader Blake Roet unwinds on the Indian Ocean island paradise that still calls Australia home.   It was time to escape the pressures of city life, recharge my batteries and fill my lungs with sea and scuba air. After hearing exciting stories from fellow travellers about the Cocos (Keeling) Islands I decided it was time for me to experience them first hand. Referred to by the locals as Cocos, the islands are located in the Indian Ocean, 2950km north-west of Perth and 3700km west of Darwin. The 27 islands in the group include the southern atoll islands, which surround a...

21 secret beaches to escape the crowds this summer. By Lee Atkinson  You can’t get more fun than surf, sand and sun. With more than 50,000km of coastline on offer, there’s no shortage of places to enjoy Australia at its best. But some beaches are wilder than others, plenty are inaccessible, and at this time of year a fair few are too darn overpopulated. Here are our tips on where to get a beach to yourself this summer… on the proviso you keep them to yourself (and your loved ones)! QLD Secret Beaches NSW Secret Beaches VIC Secret Beaches TAS...

As a travelling nation, there’s no question that we do like to be beside the seaside. And from triple-decker beach bungalows to booking out your very own island, there are plenty of ways to get sand between your toes in a luxurious fashion. // // Around the world, and certainly across Australia, our idea of luxury in a beach setting differs wildly. For some it’s more of a bare-bones Wilson Island experience – a tiny coral cay southeast of Cairns – where lodgings are simple and the focus is on the surrounds, the snorkelling and diving, and the back-to-nature sense...

AT Reader Jocelyn Pride heads to Port Douglas to chart the evolution of one of Australia’s premier holiday spots. A Day in the Life of Four Mile Beach    AT Reader Jocelyn Pride heads to Port Douglas to chart the evolution of one of Australia’s premier holiday spots. Images by Jocelyn Pride Over the past 20 years, Port Douglas has been transformed from a sleepy village into a favourite holiday destination, not just for Australians but also international visitors. From May to October, southerners make the pilgrimage up north to escape the winter weather. Despite the metamorphosis that has taken place...

 FIVE TOP SPOTS FOR DOLPHIN ENCOUNTERS 1. Glenelg, Adelaide, SA Temptation Sailing dolphinboat.com.au or 0412 811 838 Adults $98, kids $88, three-and-half hour cruise, including swimming with a local pod of dolphins. 2. Port Philip Bay, Sorrento, Vic Polperro Dolphin Swims polperro.com.au or (03) 5988 8437 $95, three to four-hour cruise, including swimming. 3. Rockingham, WA Rockingham Dolphins dolphins.com.au or (08) 9591 1333 $165, four to six-hour dolphins swimming cruise, including lunch and refreshments. 4. Byron Bay, NSW Dolphin Kayaking dolphinkayaking.com.au or (02) 6685 8044 Okay, so you can’t swim with them here - but you can kayak amongst them....

Looking for a close encounter of the marine kind? Sharks, dolphins, seals, whales . . . AT shows you which spots to avoid, when to dip the toe, and where it’s safe to dive right in.  By David Whitley SNORKELLING WITH SEA LIONS We have a curious mental image of seals. As a general rule, they’re thought of in two contexts. The first is dying. Let’s face it - when we’re talking about mass culls, is there any other animal for which we get into specific detail by naming the particular instrument used to kill them? Try sitting on a therapist’s couch...

The ultimate referential cruise directory containing contact details for 100 operators Australia-wide No point reading dozens of boating holiday stories without being able to get out there and do it yourself! So we’ve spent the better part of two months gathering the details of every keen-eyed cruising operator out there. It’s your one-stop shop!  We really struggled to find a concise directory of Australian-only boating holidays, so we decided to make one for you. We had to set some basic criteria: to be included in this directory you must be able to sleep onboard the vessel. There are many fine...

There are a multitude of in-water animal encounters to be had in Australia, of varying quality – some take place in aquariums, some in cages (that’s sharks), others in knee-deep water just offshore and usually with dolphins. But there’s nothing quite like meeting a wild and curious creature, especially one as playful as a sea lion, on its own terms. “THIS IS NO THEME PARK SPLASH-ABOUT WITH HIGHLY TRAINED, ANIMALS. IT REALLY IS ONE OF THOSE EXPERIENCES WITH ANIMALS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!” – Lee Atkinson Completely non-manipulated, the experience of paddling around with a frolicking sea lion in...