Australia’s best beach: WA’s Misery Beach beats Qld contenders
It may have a bloody past and an off-putting name, but this little-known stretch of sand has been named Australia’s best beach, while only two Queensland beaches made the top 10. See the full list.
Lifestyle
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Some of Queensland’s most iconic stretches of sand have been beaten for the title of Australia’s best beach by a little-known West Australian bay called – wait for it – Misery.
Popular beaches on the Gold and Sunshine coasts, Fraser Island and Whitsundays made the list of Australia’s top 20 beaches, to be announced today by federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan.
But they were bested for the No.1 spot by Misery Beach, near Albany, which derived its name from a long-closed whaling station which once stained the white sands red with blood and gore.
Visitors today attest that the Misery name is definitely a misnomer, with its pink granite cliffs that plunge into pristine turquoise waters in King George Sound.
It was spectacular enough for Gold Coast-based beaches expert and Tourism Australia ambassador Brad Farmer, who compiles the annual best beaches report, to put it ahead of beaches in his home state.
They include the Southport Spit (which came in third), Blue Pearl Bay in the Whitsundays (seventh), Alexandria Bay at Noosa (15th) and Lake Wabby on K’Gari/Fraser Island (17th).
Mr Farmer said Misery’s name – and the fact it was “the beach you can’t reach” because of WA’s border closure – were ironic.
“The name Misery is definitely paradoxical because it’s one of the most beautiful beaches in Australia, if not the world,” he said.
“It looks and feels like a perfectly framed film set.
“There are probably 20 beaches in that Albany region that are equally as spectacular, but one had to get the gong, and one named Misery certainly stuck out.”
Mr Tehan said that with more than 11,000 beaches around the nation, choosing the top 20 was one of the toughest jobs in Australia.
He said his message to the world as the country reopened was “start planning your next holiday to Australia and include as many of our top 20 beaches on your itinerary as you can fit in”.
Mr Farmer, who has founded coastal environment groups including Surfrider Foundation Australia, called on the Federal Government to set up a national coastal commission to protect beaches from threats including development.
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