It's official: This beach three hours from Sydney has the calmest waters in Australia

If you ask us, the beaches on the New South Wales coast are the best in the world. And according to a recent study, the beach with the calmest waters in Australia is one of our very own – with Jimmy’s Beach (just north of Newcastle) claiming the top Aussie spot in a list of the world’s most serene stretches of shore.

The method used by Hawaiianislands.com involved analysing millions of publicly available reviews, calculating the amount of times the phrase “calm waters” was used, and tallying up the top spots. Unsurprisingly from a website dedicated to touting the merits of Hawaiian islands, a beach in Hawaii came in at number one. And though the method might be more of an accurate reflection of the review-readiness of travellers than the actual serenity of the beaches themselves, we’re willing to believe that there’s something in it. 

While no Aussie beaches made it to the top ten according to this study, Jimmy’s Beach in New South Wales firmly secured its place as the calmest on the Australian coast – with 12.28 per cent of traveller reviews mentioning calm waters. Though NSW may have taken the gold medal, the list of Australia’s top ten calmest beaches is dominated by our neighbours over in Western Australia – with five of the top ten being over in WA. Shelly Beach in Manly came in at number nine, with 6.82 per cent of reviewers of the sheltered cove mentioning the calm ocean (we’re yet to confirm the percentage who mentioned the excellent fish and chips from The Boathouse).

And though this study might not be the most scientifically rigorous, we’re still willing to put a certain degree of faith in our fellow travellers. According to the people, these are the beaches in Australia with the calmest waters.

1. Jimmy’s Beach, New South Wales
   
   
2. Yanchep Lagoon Beach, Western Australia
   
   
3. Greens Pool, Western Australia
   
   
4. Rockingham Beach, Western Australia
   
   
5. Meelup Beach, Western Australia
   
   
6. Emily Bay, Norfolk Island
   
   
7. Lagoon Beach, Lord Howe Island
   
   
8. Bulcock Beach, Queensland
   
   
9. Shelly Beach, New South Wales
   
   
10. Mettams Pool, Western Australia

You can check out the findings and plan your global tour of the world’s most peaceful swimming spots over here.

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