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This Australian beach has been ranked as the fifth best in the world

Plus our very own Hyams Beach cracked the global top ten

Maya Skidmore
Written by
Maya Skidmore
Contributor
Whitsundays Queensland
Photograph: Guillaume Marques via Unsplash
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Australians are very smug when it comes to anything to do with beaches, and honestly, for good reason. Our pristine coastlines regularly make global headlines for their white sands, turquoise waters and rugged beauty. Whether it’s this WA beach getting the world’s top spot in one list, or our very own Manly getting ranked in the world’s 25 best in another, it’s clear we don’t just come to play when it comes to our shorelines. 

And now, we’re topping the world’s best beaches list, once again. 

Travel site the Big 7 releases a ‘World’s 50 best beaches’ list every year. This year, two Australian beaches cracked the top ten – which is a big deal when every bloody beach in the world is part of the competition. 

First up, Whitehaven Beach was ranked as the fifth best beach in the world. This aqua oasis in the Whitsundays has been awarded many times before, and in 2023, it’s still taking home gold. Tucked away in the crystal waters of far north Queensland and fringed by the Great Barrier Reef, Whitehaven took out number 5 for its gorgeous isolation, bright blue waters and pure silica sand – with it being one of the whitest sandy beaches in the world. 

Hill Inlet view from seaplane Whitsundays
Photograph: Jason Hill, Tourism and Events Queensland

In fabulous news for all of us in Sydney and NSW, our very own Hyams Beach came in hot at number ten on the list. With its crazy blue water, pure white sand and abundance of dolphins and wildlife, Hyams is an undeniably very special place, and in our opinion very much deserves to rank in the world’s top ten. 

Hyams Beach. Booderee National Park & Jervis Bay Marine Park
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons

The winning beach this year was White Beach in the Philippines. Only accessible by boat or a very rugged four wheel drive, this isolated bit of coast is fringed by palm trees, turquoise water and backed by lush rainforest. 

The top ten in the Big 7’s best beach list for 2023 were: 

  1. White Beach, Port Barton, Philippines
  2. Cabo San Juan Beach – Colombia
  3. Jalousie Beach – St Lucia
  4. Kendwa Beach, Zanzibar
  5. Whitehaven Beach – Whitsunday Islands, Australia
  6. Source d’Argent – Seychelles
  7. Navagio Beach (Shipwreck Cove) – Zakynthos, Greece
  8. Grace Bay – Turks and Caicos
  9. Lang Co Beach, Vietnam
  10. Hyams Beach – New South Wales, Australia


You can peek the full 50 right here.

 

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