It’s a well-known fact that NSW is home to some truly stunning stretches of sand – with 2024 seeing Bondi and Wategos ranking in Lonely Planet’s World’s Best Beaches guide, Manly ranking among the top ten beaches in the world according to Tripadvisor, and Mona Vale ranking as the sixth best beach in the world according to Conde Nast Traveller. Now, Tourism Australia has released their official guide to the best beaches in the country for 2025, and a quiet beach on the Coffs Coast has ranked at number two. It’s a big call made by Brad Farmer AM, Tourism Australia’s official beach ambassador, who annually assesses 130 key factors – from aesthetics and safety to history, facilities and weather – to decide the nation's best (and second-best) beaches.
RECOMMENDED: Here's Time Out's guide to Sydney's very best beaches
It’s not the first time a NSW gem scored the silver medal, with a gorgeous surfing beach just south of Sydney ranking in second place in Farmer’s 2024 list. And though this year’s highest ranking NSW spot is a little further from Sydney, it’s worth a visit on your next road-trip en-route to Byron or Port Macquarie. Woolgoolga (also known as Woopi) is a gorgeous long stretch of sand – with the nearby park and extensive stretches of shade making it the perfect place to set up camp on a summer day.
The southern corner of Woopi’s wide and sweeping beach is patrolled seasonally, while the surrounding lagoons, waterways and headlands provide endless opportunities for snorkelling, surfing, fishing and whale spotting. When explaining why this particular NSW spot scored so high this year, Farmer explained "Whether you’re a freewheeling beach bum, a full family, a bushwalker or a keen angler or surfer, there’s an abundance of options here."
Woopi was just beaten in top spot by the breathtaking Bay of Fires in Tasmania, which was named Australia’s best beach for 2025. Third place was awarded to Emily Bay Lagoon, a remote piece of paradise on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific Ocean.
Farmer’s list spreads the love all around Australia, with Queensland’s North Kirra Beach ranking fourth, Western Australia’s Little Lagoon ranking fifth, South Australia’s Fishery Bay ranking sixth and Victoria’s Cowes Beach ranking tenth. The other NSW beach to score a spot on the top ten was Caves Beach: a stunning stretch of sand flanked by a network of magnificent caves, just under two hour’s drive from Sydney. You can check out the full rankings below.
The 10 best Australian beaches for 2025:
- Bay of Fires, TAS
- Woolgoolga, NSW
- Emily Bay Lagoon, Norfolk Island
- North Kirra Beach, QLD
- Little Lagoon, WA
- Fishery Bay, SA
- 1770, QLD
- Scarborough Beach, WA
- Caves Beach, NSW
- Cowes Beach, VIC
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.