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It’s a globally accepted truth that Australia’s beaches are the kind that stop you in your tracks and make you wonder, “Is this even real?”, before peeling off your clothes and sprinting straight into the surf. After all, our beaches are one of the country’s biggest drawcards, with more than 12,500 stretches of shoreline to enjoy. If you’re after some local intel on the very best of them, Tourism Australia has just unveiled its highly anticipated top ten for 2026 – and one Victorian gem made the list.
To crown the top ten, veteran expert and Tourism Australia Beach Ambassador, Brad Farmer AM, assessed thousands of beaches across the country. He rated each against a rigorous 130-point scale spanning five key categories: natural integrity and aesthetics, safety and hazards, community, facilities and access, and weather and seasons.
Victoria’s beaches don’t tend to get as much clout as they deserve, but this year, one local spot made the top 10 – with the Mornington Peninsula’s Mount Martha ranking eighth in the country. At two kilometres in length, and with coloured bathing boxes perched on the edge of the golden-hued sand, it's a summer haven that fills up quick when the weather warms up. The calm, crystal clear waters are perfect for families with young kids, and it's also popular with boaters.
RELATED READ: This Victorian beach was named the best surfing beach in Australia
Wondering which stretches of sand beat our beautiful local swimming spots? Plot twist: Australia’s best beach for 2026 isn’t just one stretch of sand – it’s a whole collection. Taking the crown is Bate Bay in New South Wales, a string of beaches tucked away in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, less than 30 minutes from the airport. This run of nine beaches – Wanda, Elouera (Sydney’s longest), Cronulla and Oak Park, plus four ocean pools and Gunnamatta Bay – are some of the least crowded and most beautiful in the state.
RELATED READ: This Victorian beach was named the second-best in the world by Lonely Planet
“What truly sets Bate Bay apart is variety. There are sprawling, open surf beaches like Greenhills – at 4.8 kilometres, Sydney’s longest and of Puberty Blues fame – alongside sheltered ocean pools carved around the sandstone at the urban southern end. Gunnamatta Park’s tidal baths offer calm water and shaded grass areas, while the newly opened and fully accessible clifftop walk around Hungry Point delivers sweeping views across Port Hacking to Bundeena and pristine Jibbon Beach,” said Farmer.
This is the second year running Farmer has awarded the top honour to not just one beach, but an entire cluster – with Tasmania’s Bay of Fires taking out the win in 2025.
Claiming the runner-up spot for Australia’s best beach in 2026 is Pinky Beach on Rottnest Island/Wadjenup in WA. Like much of Rotto’s coastline, it feels plucked from a postcard: a small, sheltered cove with calm, clear water, perfect for long, lazy swims.
The rest of the top ten features more off-the-beaten-track gems, from the rugged cliffs of Tasmania to the tropical coves of Queensland and even a surprising inland beach in the Northern Territory. You can check out the full list below or read more here.
The 10 best beaches in Australia for 2026, according to Tourism Australia:
- Bate Bay Beaches, NSW
- Pinky Beach, WA
- Beachcomber Cove, QLD
- Tallow Beach, NSW
- Hellfire Bay, WA
- Godfreys Beach – The Nut, TAS
- Inskip Point, QLD
- Mount Martha, VIC
- Smoky Bay, SA
- Ellery Creek Big Hole, NT
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