Overview
With international travel still limited, jetting off to wherever you'd like around the globe isn't currently on anyone's agenda. But if you'd like to while away a few days or weeks at the best beach in the world, you can — because it's right here in Australia.
In Tripadvisor's just-announced 2021 lineup of the planet's best beaches, which ranks 25 idyllic locations, two Aussie spots made the cut. In news that will come as no surprise to anyone, the Whitsundays' Whitehaven Beach took first place. It's the latest accolade for the picturesque Queensland favourite, which has placed second twice in Flight Network's list on the same topic, and was also named Tripadvisor's best Australian beach for travellers back in 2017.
Turquoise Bay in Exmouth, Western Australia made the list as well, coming in at number six. And if you're wondering which overseas spots you should think about visiting when global travel begins to return to normal, Cuba's Santa Maria Beach placed second, Brazil's Baia do Sancho came in third, Grace Bay Beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands placed fourth, and Florida's Saint Pete Beach in the US was named the fifth best beach. Also in the top ten: Eagle Beach, Aruba; Spiaggia dei Conigli in Lampedusa, Italy; Ka'anapali Beach in Hawaii; and Baía dos Golfinhos in Brazil.
Alongside the best beaches in the world, Tripadvisor also released a list of the ten best beaches in the South Pacific — with Whitehaven and Turquoise Bay in first and second spots. Places three, four and five all went to WA locations, with Cape Le Grand National Park in Esperance sitting at third, Greens Pool in the town of Denmark at fourth and Cable Beach in Broome coming fifth. After sweeping up the top half of the list, Australia gave way to Bora Bora's Matira Beach, Piscine Naturelle in New Caledonia, and Ohope Beach, Kaiteriteri Beach and Mt Maunganui Main Beach in New Zealand for spots six through to ten.
Damien Dempsey via Wikimedia Commons
The winners were chosen as part of Tripadvisor's Traveller's Choice awards, which is based on reviews and ratings left on the online platform — as well as the number of saves (where users bookmark places they like, or they'd like to visit) — across 2020.
To check out the full list of top beaches for 2021, head to Tripadvisor.
Thinking about taking your own trip to Whitehaven Beach? Check out our Outside Guide to the Whitsundays.