Fancy spending your next coastal getaway in Queensland's far north, splashing in the tree-lined waters of Palm Cove? If so, you'll be swimming in the best beach in the world. That's the verdict of Condé Nast Traveller, which has picked the Sunshine State locale near Cairns as the top patch of sand globally. While plenty of folks Down Under happily trade our own beaches for Hawaii's when it comes to enjoying a tropical holiday, Palm Cove pipped Honopu Beach in Kauai, which came in second. In fact, half of the top ten on the list of 34 beaches hails from Australia and New Zealand. Wategos Beach in Byron Bay took out fourth, Mona Vale Beach in Sydney sits at sixth, Noosa Beach in Queensland ranked eighth and Awaroa in Abel Tasman National Park in Aotearoa came in at ninth. Elsewhere in the top ten, Brekon in Shetland, Scotland placed third; Ora Beach, Maluku, Indonesia sits in fifth spot; Dune du Pilat, France ranked seventh; and Die Plaat, Walker Bay Nature Reserve, South Africa notched up tenth. [caption id="attachment_944619" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Palm Cove[/caption] Palm Cove was chosen for being a quieter spot that's "usually free of crowds", although that might change after topping this ranking. "The combination of leaning palm trees on powdery sand makes Palm Cove Beach the epitome of a tropical paradise," said Condé Nast Traveller, also pointing out its proximity to the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, as well as being able to see dolphins and whales from the Palm Cove jetty. Queensland's tourism bodies are already hoping for an influx of visitors thanks to the attention. "The Condé Nast Traveller selection of Palm Cove as the first in this curated list will bring international travellers to its coconut palm-fringed shore to dine in beachfront restaurants and cafes and relax at stunning resorts," said Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen. [caption id="attachment_944618" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Palm Cove[/caption] In total, seven Down Under beaches made the cut, with Western Australian beaches getting some love, too. Turquoise Bay in Exmouth placed 22nd and Gantheaume Point in Broome came in at 25. All Australian and NZ destinations included on the list were in the top 25. Palm Cove being named the world's best beach comes shortly after Sydney's Manly Beach was picked as the seventh best beach in the world for 2024 by Tripadvisor, and Victoria's Squeaky Beach was chosen as Australia's best beach for this year by beach expert Brad Farmer AM. Queensland keeps scoring attention as well, with Brisbane named one of the best places to go in 2024 by The New York Times, travel guide Frommer's also selecting the city as one of 2024's best spots to visit, TIME putting it on its world's greatest places list for 2023 and the World's Best 50 Hotels picking The Calile as its only Australian and Oceanic entry in its inaugural countdown in 2023. [caption id="attachment_944621" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Palm Cove, Emma Shaw[/caption] Condé Nast Traveller's Top 34 Beaches: Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia Honopu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii Brekon, Shetland, Scotland Wategos Beach, New South Wales, Australia Ora Beach, Maluku, Indonesia Mona Vale Beach, New South Wales, Australia Dune du Pilat, France Noosa Beach, Queensland, Australia Awaroa, Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand Die Plaat, Walker Bay Nature Reserve, South Africa Grand Anse, Grenada Keem Bay, Achill Island, Ireland Fakarava, French Polynesia Marathonisi, Zakynthos, Greece Praia do Sancho, Brazil Chesterman Beach, Vancouver Island, Canada Anse Source d'Argent, Seychelles Seagrass Bay, Laucala Island, Fiji Hidden Beach, Palawan, Philippines Ile aux Cerfs, Mauritius Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Turquoise Bay, Western Australia, Australia Pink Sand Beach, Barbuda Playa Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica Gantheaume Point, Western Australia, Australia Dolfynstrand, Namibia Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, North Carolina Rauðasandur Beach, Iceland Jibei Island beach, Taiwan Uig Sands, Isle of Lewis, Scotland Benguerra Island, Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique Al Mughsail, Salalah, Oman Playa Paraiso, Cayo Largo del Sur, Cuba Luskentyre, Outer Hebrides [caption id="attachment_651421" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mona Vale Beach[/caption] [caption id="attachment_944620" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Palm Cove[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835908" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Noosa[/caption] [caption id="attachment_791437" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Awaroa, Kiwi Canary[/caption] [caption id="attachment_844181" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Turquoise Bay, Tourism Western Australia[/caption] [caption id="attachment_897204" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gantheaume Point, Tourism Western Australia[/caption] For more information about Condé Nast Traveller's best beaches, head to the publication's website.