Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: with around 12,000 beaches, Australia has really favourable odds when it comes to having the world’s best beaches.
It’s still bloody nice to have the title of world’s second best beach go to one of the country’s sandy stretches though. The honour went to Turquoise Bay in Exmouth, Western Australia, beaten at the post by Costa Rica’s Playa Conchal.
How exactly do you compare one beach Down Under to another in Central America? It turns out there’s method to the madness. Big Seven Travel‘s countdown aggregates previous scores, looks at Blue Flag locations, and considers social media approval when it comes to making each year’s list.
Other Aussie beaches that performed well in the list include Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay, NSW, which reached a respectable 18th. New Zealand also made the list, with the remarkably rocky Koekohe Beach, famous for the Moeraki Boulders, just making it in at 49th.
There’s room for improvement in 2023 though, with Australia not used to being second best. Last year, Whitehaven Beach in the gorgeous Whitsundays triumphed over the rest of the world (somehow it fell to 11th this year – did everyone start disliking it on social media?).
You can check out the rest of the top 10 below, or go through the full top 50 here. Did Big Seven Travel miss out your favourite beach?
The Top 10 Beaches In The World (Big Seven Travel)
1 Playa Conchal – Costa Rica
2 Turquoise Bay – Exmouth, Australia
3 Grace Bay – Turks and Caicos
4 Siesta Beach – Florida, United States
5 Punta Mosquito – Holbox, Mexico
6 Secret Lagoon – El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
7 San Fruttuoso – Italy
8 Pedn Vounder – Cornwall, England
9 Boulders Beach – South Africa
10 Reynisfjara Beach – Vík í Mýrdal, Iceland
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Check out a view of Turquoise Bay, Exmouth, WA:
