Stokes Bay, Kangaroo Island ranked number one on Tourism Australia’s Best Australian Beaches list for 2023

A South Australian beach has taken out first position in Tourism Australia’s annual Best Australian Beaches top 10 list. In a country with 11,671 beaches, it’s no mean feat!

Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island has beaten nearly 12,000 Australian beaches to be crowned the best in the nation.

It is the first time a South Australian beach has taken out first position on Tourism Australia’s annual Best Australian Beaches top 10 list.

Curated by expert Brad Farmer AM, who travelled to beaches across the country, the list includes at least one in every state.

Boomerang Beach in NSW was placed second on the list, ahead of Queensland’s Rainbow Beach in third position.

Stokes Bay was crowned best of the 11,671 beaches on Australia’s mainland and islands — more beaches than any other country in the world.

Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island has been named Australia's best beach for 2023. Picture: Tourism Australia

Look at these stunning photographs, there’s no surprise why. Picture: Tourism Australia

It comes after Kangaroo Island, which was ravaged by bushfire during the summer of 2019-20, was recently ranked seventh on the New York Times list of destinations for 2023.

Federal Tourism Minister Don Farrell said every beach that made the list was “not just among the best in Australia, but the best in the world”.

“Australia boasts the world’s best coastline and many international travellers, who are returning to our shores in growing numbers, want to explore the idyllic beaches we have to offer,” he said.

State Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison has welcomed the global attention that Kangaroo Island has received.

“We know South Australia has the best beaches in the country, if not the world, so it is incredibly exciting to have Kangaroo Island’s Stokes Bay officially crowned as Australia’s best beach,” she said.

Mawson MP Leon Bignell MP said the inclusion of Stokes Bay was another acknowledgment that KI is a “major international tourism drawcard”.

“Stokes Bay is a place that gives you an amazing entrance then serves up golden sand, a safe rock pool for the little kids and waves to body surf for the big kids,” he said.

“It is nature at its best and a place all Australians should visit,” he said.