Salty yarns and seafood: Tassie has it all according to beach expert researching for top 10 list

Australia’s “beach ambassador” is in Tasmania with his budgie smugglers packed looking for Tassies top spots. Will your beach make the list?

Love the contrast between the red lichen on these rocks and the turquoise color of the water on Tasmania's amazing East coast. Photo - Getty

Could your local beach be one of the top 10 beaches in Australia?

The nation’s beach ambassador and judge of Australia’s Best Beaches is currently in Tasmania with his budgie smugglers packed, assessing beaches across the state ahead of the release of Tourism Australia’s annual beach study early next year.

Brad Farmer named Cockle Creek in Southern Tasmania number three on the best beaches 2024 list and he said all of the state’s 1,617 beaches were in contention for the next list, as cold water was no longer a deterrent for beach visitors.

Best beaches - Brad Farmer at Bellerive Beach. Picture: Caroline Tan

“Tasmania has the potential to rival other states given the pristine nature of its beaches, the new cold water therapy movement, and that many visitors, including overseas born Australians now travelling, simply don’t swim,” he said.

Mr Farmer said what is most attractive about Tasmanian beaches are the welcoming and friendly communities that live there.

“You can strike up a conversation which is part of what people want to do when they visit from overseas,” he said.

“They want to have a cultural touch point with Australia, not just pat a kangaroo — but feel the real Australia – authentic communities with plenty of salty yarns and seafood are all part of the beach experience.”

Tasmania has never taken out the coveted title of ‘best beach’.

Mr Farmer will focus on the East Coast, while he finalises the shortlist.

Red rock coastline seen at Bay of Fires on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. Picture: iStock

He said Australia has a unique selection of beaches that are free of visual and noise pollution and provide a natural experience for visitors, 70 per cent of which come here for the beaches.

“Australia is incredibly unique and I think of all the Australian states … Tasmania is the most blessed with its level of pristine beaches and authentic communities,” Mr Farmer said.

Mr Farmer has 138 assessment criteria he ranks beaches on, including accessibility and proximity to emergency services, which means many spectacular beaches like those he has a soft spot for on Flinders Island miss out on top marks.

Mr Farmer will assess the beaches through community interviews, from the air with the help of drones, from the ground and from the water when he has his obligatory swim “leaving no grain of sand unturned”.