The Best Beaches On East Coast Australia

Last Updated on 6th December 2022

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For the longest time, I was never really a big fan of the beach, or in fact, summer in general. I don’t like being too hot and sweaty, the sand gets everywhere, and the salty sea always makes my hair and skin feel gross. However, when we started our road trip in Australia, it was hard not to appreciate all the beautiful beaches along the East Coast of Australia.

During our 36-day road trip, we managed to hit some of the very best beaches in the country and while I’d argue that I’m probably still more of a mountain and city girl, I do have a newfound love for the beach thanks to Oz.

If you’re looking to plan a road trip Down Under and want to know where the best spots are to get your tan and surf on, or you’re just looking for some serious Aussie wanderlust, here are the best beaches along East Coast Australia.

P.S. Let me know in the comments if I’ve missed any out; I’ve only included the best beaches along the East Coast that we went to but I’m sure there are plenty more!

1. Hyams Beach – best beaches on East Coast Australia

Hyams Beach was one of the first beaches we stopped at in New South Wales and it’s also one of my favourites along the East Coast.

We didn’t actually do any sunbathing or swimming in the sea while we were there, but we did enjoy a lovely, leisurely walk along the sand.

The sand at Hyams Beach is some of the purest and whitest in Australia and the beach itself was actually remarkably quiet, considering how beautiful it is. It might have only been quiet because we were there in Australia’s “winter”, but it was still a beautifully sunny day and temperatures were around 20° so there really wasn’t much excuse for it not to be busy!

2. Byron Bay

Byron Bay is one of the most popular places along the East Coast of Australia and while I can totally vouch for its beauty, it was just a tad too superficial and elitist for me.

However, the beach itself is so beautiful and a great place to go surfing. It’s a decent stretch of beach so even though it was pretty busy, there was still plenty of room to set up for the day.

I imagine that it gets really busy during the summer months, but I still don’t think you’d struggle too much to enjoy the sun, sea, sand and surf!

Byron Bay is definitely a “young person’s place” and most of the people we saw were aged from around 16-35. However, that doesn’t mean to say you can’t enjoy it if you’re slightly older; just be prepared for an intense influx of youths!

3. Bondi Beach – best beaches along East Coast Australia

best things to do near Bondi Beach Sydney Australia

Probably the most famous beach in Australia, and one of the most iconic beaches in the world, Bondi Beach resides just outside of Sydney and is a must-visit beach while driving along East Coast Australia.

It was exactly how I imagined it to be; with the stretches of sand, the hundreds of people surfing and the iconic lifeguard station right at the hub.

Bondi Beach is also home to the Icebergs ocean pool and while we, unfortunately, didn’t have the chance to have a dip, I can definitely vouch for its Instagrammability.

We did enjoy a delicious pink sherbet ice cream while we were there, however, and just the chance to stand on one of the most famous beaches in the world felt like a real ‘pinch me’ moment!

4. Noosa Heads

Noosa Heads is an incredibly popular seaside town in Queensland, just north of Brisbane and is the perfect place to enjoy coastal walks where you can spot a whole variety of wildlife.

It’s notorious for being an excellent place to see whales breach (we saw three while we were there and it was incredible!), as well as koalas and dolphins too!

There are numerous beaches in and around the Noosa Heads vicinity including the Fairy Pools, Coolum Beach and Sunshine-Coolum.

We stopped to make lunch in our campervan at Coolum Beach and it was such a stunning place to eat and enjoy the view. There weren’t many people swimming or surfing when we were there as I think it’s intended more for a leisurely stroll along the sand, rather than an intense, action-packed day at the beach.

It is home to some fantastic beaches along East Coast Australia however, and I really wished we’d had the chance to spot some wild koalas while we were there too!

5. Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays

Whitehaven Beach Whitsunday Islands Airlie Beach

One of my absolute favourite beaches along the East Coast and incidentally also one of the top 5 places I fell in love with in Australia is the Whitsunday Islands; more specifically, Whitehaven Beach.

It’s a place that you’ll have probably seen crop up on the Instagram Explore page dozens of times and it’s not hard to see why; the vibrant blue of the ocean and the dazzling white sand really are that bold in colour.

It’s a paradise beach unlike anything I’ve ever seen before and it’s hard to imagine that a place like that really exists.

As soon as I saw it for the first time from the viewing platform on the island, I felt like I was looking at it through a mega-intense Instagram filter; those colours are just out of the world and if there’s one beach in Australia I implore you to visit, it’s without a doubt Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays!

6. Gold Coast beaches

The Gold Coast was another place that I fell head over heels in love with in Australia so it’s no surprise that I’m struggling to narrow it down to one particular beach out of the 860km stretches of sand, sea and surf in the Gold Coast.

Surfer’s Paradise is arguably the most popular area of beach on the Gold Coast as it’s ideal for (you guessed it) surfing! We stayed one night in an area called Nobby’s Beach which is where we began our insanely long walk up to the city’s skyline.

There’s something so magical and enigmatic about having hundreds of kilometres of sand and sea, right next to towering skyscrapers. It combines everything I love about a place that I’d want to live in; which is exactly why the Gold Coast in Australia has made its way firmly into my list of places I want to live one day!

7. Coffs Harbour – best beaches along East Coast Australia

Coffs Harbour is another one of the best beaches along East Coast Australia for spotting whales and the occasional dolphin.

It’s a relatively quiet area in New South Wales but it’s beautiful and charming nonetheless. There are plenty of seafood restaurants and cafes in Coffs Harbour, right on the seafront, which makes it a truly idyllic place to stop for lunch.

We didn’t spend ages here, but we did park up in front of the sea and make fish finger sandwiches in our van (we were going to eat at a restaurant, but we decided to make our own instead!).

While you definitely can go swimming in the sea here, not many people were when we were there, and it does seem more of an elderly generation seaside town. That’s not to say that you can’t enjoy it regardless of your age, but just from what we saw, it tended to be more families and grandparents.

8. Hervey Bay

Hervey Bay is apparently one of the best places along the East Coast for whale watching but unfortunately, I can’t really vouch for that as we didn’t spot a single one while we were there!

The bay itself is really lovely and there’s a great boardwalk you can saunter along to get to a viewing platform of the ocean in order to spot some whales.

9. Palm Beach, Sydney – best beaches along East Coast Australia

One thing I didn’t realise before we headed out to Australia was just how many beaches there are in and around Sydney!

Aside from the iconic Bondi Beach, Sydney is home to a plethora of brilliant beaches. While we were visiting Matt’s distant relatives, they took us on a mini tour of the best beaches in Sydney in their 1967 Mustang which was a definite highlight of our entire trip!

We paid a visit to Palm Beach, which is where they film a lot of the beach scenes in Home and Away (apparently – I’ve never actually seen it!).

Sydney was also on my list of places that I fell in love with in Australia and it’s without a doubt the one place that I’m desperate to go back and explore more one day!

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