From pink or black sand to wildlife on the beach and incredible surf, these are eight of the most incredible beaches in Australasia.
Cape Hillsborough, Australia
Hefty Queensland tides change the look every few hours, covering and uncovering a causeway leading out to an island that periodically becomes a promontory. Then, at dawn and dusk, the cavalry arrives at Cape Hillsborough Beach – and it’s hopping. The roos and the wallabies are generally quite happy to pose for that perfect Aussie postcard shot, too.
Turquoise Bay, Australia
With bone dry red dirt outback and a campsite to the rear, Turquoise Bay sits in splendid isolation on Western Australia’s North-West Cape. It does the white sand thing marvellously, but also has the considerable advantage of the Ningaloo Reef being about 100 metres off shore. It’s a ridiculously short swim before you’re in an aquatic wonderland.
The Ningaloo Reef also happens to be a hotspot for swimming with whale sharks.
Karekare, New Zealand
A winding creek leads through from the car park, and lush green hills suddenly give way to the moodiest and starkest of beaches. The black volcanic sand of Karekare and Piha, its neighbour on Auckland’s west coast, has a tendency to redefine ideas of what a beautiful beach looks like. And the surf crashes in on New Zealand’s North Island, sending guys in wetsuits carrying boards hurtling towards it.
Amedee Island, New Caledonia
Amedee is one of the islets in the giant lagoon surrounding New Caledonia. The snorkelling is impressive and it has a humungous lighthouse behind the beach. The trade off? Venomous sea snakes crawling up the sand – but don’t worry, they’re so pathetically non-aggressive that they’ve become a national emblem.
Les Sables Rose, French Polynesia
Upping the lagoon gimmicks thing somewhat is this remote stretch at the far end of the lagoon in Rangiroa, the largest of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. Here, the dazzling waters are taken as a given, but the sand tries to up the glamour stakes by being a weird pink colour.
Teewah, Australia
Stretching for over 40 miles, and often with whales swimming along the coast, Queensland’s Teewah Beach also has the novelty factor of being a gazetted road. So you can take the rental 4WD vehicle, head down it, and sent up a tent. Further on, the sands get distinctly rainbow-coloured, and the lighthouse at the northern end offers epic sweep views.
Vavau, Samoa
Approaching through the trees, this beach on Samoa’s main island, Upolu, looks like the daintiest of coves. It’s a mirage – a little green islet blocks the view of it as it goes around the corner. But the milky waters, the palm trees and the general presence of absolutely nobody else makes it the sort of beach you want to get, ahem, romantic on.
Bell’s Beach, Australia
The cliffs behind are spectacularly moody, but that’s not what people come to Bell’s for. At the start of the Great Ocean Road in the Australian state of Victoria, the crashing waves have made this one of the most legendary surfing spots on the planet. There’s no development, no cafés, no ice cream stands – just the ocean swell and dozens of people in wetsuits living out their Point Break fantasies.
