Australia's 5 best beaches - Great Barrier Reef

UNESCO listed On the World Heritage List, the Great Barrier Reef is a natural treasure stretching over 2 km along the east coast of Australia.

Tourists from all over the world go there every year, especially in Queensland to dive, to observe whales or to enjoy postcard-decorated beaches ...

But when taking a road trip along the Great Barrier Reef, it's hard to know where the most beautiful beaches are on the coast ... Here are my top 5 of the most beautiful beaches in Queensland easily accessible. They are presented below following the order of my road trip from South to North Queensland.

Best beaches in Australia - Fraser Island

I had programmed in my circuit to spend several days in Hervey Bay in particular to be able to observe the humpback whales off the coast of theFraser Island sand island. What a great surprise to discover immense wild and almost deserted beaches of incredible beauty. They face Fraser Island just as beautiful as Fraser Island and very easily accessible by road.

To get there, you have to go to Rainbow Beach (1h30 south of Hervey Bay) and follow the road that turns into a track and leads to Inskip Point.

Fraser Island Beaches Australia

Best beaches in Australia - Hillsborough cape

Hillsborough Cape is known for its kangaroos that you can approach up close to stroke them ... It is true that it is a place where you see a lot of them and where they are not at all wild. Some say they would be fed by the owners of the campsite next door. But Hillsborough is also a huge and magnificent beach that is worth a detour!

Hillsborough Beach is located after Mackay and just 2 hours before arriving at Airlie Beach.

Australian beaches on Hillsborough Cape

Best beaches in Australia - Whitsunday Islands

Here is where the most beautiful beaches in Australia and I would say in the world (on par with the Tuamotus beaches in French Polynesia) are found on the Whitsunday Islands.

Composed of 74 islands, this archipelago is extraordinarily beautiful with white sand beaches and lagoons of water with multiple shades of intense and wonderful blue. You can first climb up to Hill Inlet Lookout to enjoy a sublime panoramic view.

Whitsundays: Whitehaven Beach

Then, you will discover the most famous of all the beaches of the Whitsundays: the Whitehaven Beach where boats and helicopters drop off for tourists to spend the day there.

Australia's most beautiful beach Whitehaven Beach

To get there, you have to go to the seaside resort of Airlie Beach and more precisely to its port from where the half-day, full-day or multi-day sea cruises depart around the other islands of the Whitsundays (to be reserved in advance).

Best beaches in Australia - Green Island

In my list of most beautiful beaches of the Great Barrier Reef, I have to cite the green island beaches. Indeed, they are sublime and can only appear on this top 5 of the most beautiful beaches in Australia. However, you should know that the mass of tourists dumped by dozens of boats on this tiny piece of island really spoils the fun ... But by looking carefully, I still found a quieter beach where I could fly the drone and take full view !!!

To get to the green island beaches, you must book a crossing from Cairns (far north of the East Coast).

Green island Beach in Australia

Best beaches in Australia - Fitzroy Island

This island is larger than Green Island and much quieter. It has 2 main and beautiful beaches:

  • Welcome Bay beach which is magnificent but with coral and therefore not very suitable for beach towels…
  • La Nudey beach which is a real slice of paradise (see below).

Just like going to Green Island, we have access to Fitzroy Island beaches 45 minutes by boat from Cairns (Reef Terminal). To reserve: 0499 009 939

Australia's best beaches on Fitzroy Island

Road trip along the beaches of the Great Barrier Reef

If, like me, you want to discover this magnificent Australian coast for yourself, it is very easy to organize a road trip. You will find all my advice for the route, the rental of a car or a van in my article:  My 2 week road trip from Brisbane to Cairns.

Note also that to enter Australian territory, you will not need to apply for a Visa but you will still need present an ETA (see how to ask and what is the price of the tourist visa "ETA" for Australia).

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