A hidden Aussie bay lands on world’s best beaches list

The World’s 50 Best Beaches list is out – and three Australian beaches have made quite the splash.

Each year, The World’s 50 Best Beaches team surveys thousands of travel experts, asking them to vote for their top beach in the world and explain what makes it special. The team then reviews submissions to compile the final list, considering a unique mix of natural beauty, wildlife presence, remoteness, tranquillity, water accessibility, calm conditions, low crowds, and consistently idyllic weather.

Three Aussie beaches appeared on this year’s list, further showcasing the breathtaking allure of our coastline. Whitehaven Beach and Lucky Bay are also featured on The World’s 50 Best Beaches’ Best of the Best list – a collection of beaches that have previously been ranked No. 1 in The World’s 50 Best Beaches and are considered worthy of continued recognition.

Here are the three Aussie coastal spots that made a splash as some of the best beaches in the world.

#11 Turquoise Bay

An aerial shot of the white sand at Turquoise Bay. — Turquoise Bay is a snorkeller’s paradise. (Image: Tourism Western Australia/@saltywings)

Topping the list of Australian beaches at no.11 is the aptly named Turquoise Bay in Western Australia, located on the traditional lands of the Baiyungu, Thalanyji and Yinigurdira people. Situated near Exmouth in the Ningaloo Marine Park, it’s a snorkeller’s paradise, renowned for its gentle currents that make it ideal for drift snorkelling. Marine life such as fish, turtles, rays and vibrant coral reefs thrive in the bay’s crystal-clear waters, which lap against pristine white sand.

The World’s 50 Best Beaches cited the beach’s incredible wildlife, serenity and natural beauty as key reasons for its high ranking – you won’t find crowds at this untouched piece of coastline.

Visiting Turquoise Bay during the dry season – from April to October – is recommended to see it at its best, with early mornings in April to August offering the calmest waters.

#21 Wharton Beach

An aerial shot of Wharton Beach. — This unspoiled stretch of coast offers easy-to-wade-in waters. (Image: Wirestock)

The second Aussie beach to make the list is another remote Western Australian gem. Wharton Beach is nestled on the other end of the state, an hour’s drive from Esperance in the Duke of Orleans Bay. Sprawling white sand meets sparkling azure water where snorkellers can relish an underwater world teeming with marine life, and surfers can enjoy the rolling waves. The World’s 50 Best Beaches emphasised the lack of crowds and easy-to-wade-in water as reasons for Wharton Beach making the list.

#37 Nudey Beach

The white sand and turquoise water of Nudey Beach. — Jewel-toned waters meet a white coral and sand beach. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Despite its name, swimming costumes are in fact required at this tropical paradise. Located on the South-West shores of Fitzroy Island, Nudey Beach boasts shimmering jewel-toned waters and a white coral and sand beach surrounded by lush rainforest. Part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, visitors can enjoy snorkelling off the shore in its year-round warm waters. A 1.2-kilometre walk along a rainforest track leads beachgoers to this hidden gem, which The World’s 50 Best Beaches acknowledged for its untouched beauty, tranquil atmosphere and lack of crowds.

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.