Grab your baes; your kini; your towel; and your surfboard; and get set for our Local’s Guide to the 46 best Beaches in Victoria!
Earlier this year in my Instagram stories, I shouted out to ask you all “what are the best beaches in Victoria?” Well, let’s just say the feedback was overwhelming! I received hundreds of replies, rounding up 46 different listed beaches… That’s a LOT of fun on the sand to experience.
Perhaps it’s a summer bucket list challenge? Tick off every one of these beaches?
If you do it, be sure to shout out in the comments at the bottom of the post, and let us know your faves!
Locals Guide to the 46 best Beaches in Victoria
In alphabetical order, here they are….
Altona Beach – Tucked neatly into Hobson’s Bay in Altona (around a half hour drive from Melbourne), the beach is well known for long central pier. Locals tip: stick to the eastern side of the pier (between the flags) for the safest swimming and aquatic activity.
Apollo Bay Beach – Apollo Bay is the southernmost town on the iconic Great Ocean Road. The main beach runs in an arc for around 4kms from the harbour to the mouth of Wild Dog Creek. Known as a relatively safe beach, it’s very popular for local and visiting families during the summer holidays.
Bells Beach – Bells was always going to make this list! With it’s international reputation as one of our country’s best surf beaches, Bells Beach is located 100km south-west of Melbourne, on the Great Ocean Road near the towns of Torquay and Jan Juc.
Black Rock Beach – Located in one of Melbourne’s most affluent suburbs, Black Rock beach is a narrow little stretch which sits 20m down the vegetated bluffs, below busy Beach Road. It’s a great place to swim in the summer and a it’s popular spot for beach fishing with deep water and reefs off the beach.
Bonbeach Beach – Bonbeach is a charming little beach (just 1.5 km long), running between the entrance to Patterson River and the adjoining adjoining Chelsea Beach. Follow the boardwalk towards the golden sand, spotting some of the iconic Bathing Boxes as you go. As the local saying goes – ‘so nice they named it twice’.
Brighton Beach – One of Melbourne’s most iconic beaches, Brighton Beach is best known as the city’s home of our brightly colourful, Victorian bathing boxes. Home to 82 of the famous beach huts (which were built in the early 1900’s), Brighton Beach is a must-visit for all locals and visitors, all year round.
Cape Bridgewater – The beach at Cape Bridgewater is both beautiful and secluded. Once a volcanic island, the beach is an easy 20 minute drive from Portland via Otway Street.
Cape Paterson – Cape Paterson beach and seaside village is located near the town of Wonthaggi, Phillip Island. A relaxing, golden beach situated in one of Australia’s best value beach towns, it’s a great spot for your next road trip getaway with the girls.
Cape Woolamai – Another one of Phillip Island’s most beautiful, golden beaches, Cape Woolamai is a hot spot for surfers being the longest and most exposed beach on the Island. It’s a great spot to stop for a lookout if you are on your way to the Penguin Parade.
Chelsea Beach – A beautiful, quiet and peaceful beach, Chelsea Beach is patrolled throughout the summer on weekends. During low tide, the beach is shallow for a great distance, making it a great spot for kids and families (always swim between the flags).
Dromana Beach – Dromana Beach is home to one of Victoria’s best foreshore reserves, as well as the Dromana Camping Reserve. It is an awesome spot for couples and families to camp, with perfect beach access and is a short stroll to the Dromana Pier and the town shops.
Eastern View – This beach is a long stretch of sand, reaching from Fairhaven to Spout Creek off the Great Ocean Road. The local surfers tell me that Eastern View has many sand banks that can form clean left and right handers, and on a good day you can get really clean waves that can hold up to 6FT.
Edithvale – Edithvale Beach is a 1.5 km long, straight section of sand located in Melbourne’s South-Eastern suburbs. It’s a good spot for swimming and beginner surfers, and fishing (during high tide when you can cast into or find the deeper rip holes and troughs). A heads up that parking is limited to the adjoining streets.
Elwood Beach – Undoubtably, one of my favourite things to do when visiting Elwood Beach, is to book in for a brunch session at Elwood Bathers. After a cheeky glass of rosé and a few seafood indulgences, it’s time to grab an umbrella and towel from the car and head out onto the beach with a takeaway coffee and chilled water. It’s a wonderful bayside beach and doesn’t get nearly as busy as some of the neighbouring sands.
Flinders Beach – The perfect beach for a leash-free walk with your pooch. This is a beach you need to experience: amazing views, a peaceful atmosphere, and a great history; all wrapped up in a beautiful country town called Flinders.
Gunnamatta Beach – Warning, this beach is exposed, a rip dominated surf zone! Great for those who can call themselves an avid (and strong) surfer.
Half Moon Bay – Half Moon Bay aptly receives its name from its crescentic-like shape. Situated in Black Rock, in the protected area of Port Phillip Bay, it has long been a site for boating. It’s home to a 100 metre long jetty (boat launching ramp), and off the jetty is a ship wreck – the remains of HMVS Cerberus, which sunk in 1926.
Inverloch Surf Beach – This 1km sandy beach runs along the front of the town of Inverloch, south-east facing into the mouth of the inlet opposite Point Norman. A secluded spot for families and people looking to have some fun in the sand.
Jan Juc Beach – Located south of Torquay (the iconic surf culture capital of Victoria), Jan Juc beach is best known for its larger waves and rougher beaches, perfect for all the surfers out there chasing some waves – receiving waves averaging 1.4 m.
Killarney Beach -Need a weekend escape? Located a stones throw from Port Fairy, Killarney Beach is both and great for fishing. There is a Camping Reserve at the beach, the perfect location for anyone looking for a city escape – don’t forget to pack your rod – the fishing is great and a boat ramp is nearby.
Koonya Back Beach – This open sandy beach in Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula is very popular for surfing, fishing and for locals who are indulging in a vitamin D injection. There are two handy carparks close by, but beware, the water can sometimes get very wild, never swim alone!
Lorne Beach – Lorne is one of Victoria’s favourite holiday spots, with this popular beach paralleling the Great Ocean Road. A great spot for swimming and surfing, with generally safe beach conditions during summer. As always, be careful of rips and groynes up the beach, with the safest place to swim in the southern patrolled corner between the flags.
Moggs Creek Beach – Formally known as Fairhaven Beach, this 6km length of shore is the longest beach on the Great Ocean Road. The beach runs due west from the mouth of Moggs Creek and is easily accessible, as the road backs the entire beach. Great for surfing – be sure to note, this is a potentially hazardous beach, with usually moderate waves and persistent and often strong rips.
Mordialloc Beach – Mordialloc Beach is the southern section of a 4 km long beach running from Mordialloc Creek to the bluffs at Mentone. The beach has three sections, each with a lifesaving club, at Mordialloc, Parkdale and Mentone. An easily accessible beach, well worth a visit any time of the year. Offering great views of Port Phillip Bay and the ample reserves and parks nearby.
Mornington Beach – Also known as Royal Beach, this is a secure and peaceful, designated year-round off lead dog beach. To access the beach, use the pathway leading down to the beach is opposite the Royal Hotel.
Ninety Mile Beach – A peaceful sandy stretch of beach near Lakes Entrance (on the south-eastern coastline of the East Gippsland region of Victoria). The beach faces Bass Strait and backs the Gippsland Lakes.
Point Leo Surf Beach – A relatively safe patrolled beach, perfect for families looking for a summer dip. The beach is home to a public park, camping area and surf lifesaving club, with the chance of some good point and reef breaks for surfers during higher winter swell.
Port Fairy East Beach – One of the safest beaches in Victoria, East Beach is a great spot for families as well as body surfers and surfboards. With ample free street side parking, East Beach is home to the Port Fairy Surf Life Saving Club and during the summer season this beach is fully patrolled, so be sure to swim between the flags.
Port Melbourne Beach – A great place to spend a day with your friends and family. Round up your squad and enjoy an afternoon of beach cricket, soccer or volleyball with some tunes playing under your umbrella. It’s a regular hot spot for me and my family, as the calm bay water is ideal for toddlers including my kids, who love to take along their kites and buckets and spades each time we visit.
Portsea Beach – Portsea Beach is one of Victoria’s most popular and iconic beaches. Home to many annual ironman contests, Portsea is a popular summer beach for families and surfers, and can often be overrun with holiday makers in the Christmas and New Year’s period.
Point King Beach – Next time you are in Portsea, be sure to walk all the way down to the end of Point King Road. Here you’ll discover a hidden pathway (known only to locals) leading to a wooden staircase stretching down to Point King Beach. It’s a beautiful spot to relax in the summer air, so pack you towel and umbrella and settle in with a great read for the afternoon.
Red Rocks Beach – This beach on Phillip Island is a great alternative when tourists flock to Cowes Beach in the high-season. About a 10 minutes drive from Cowes, Red Rocks Beach lies in a long sweeping bay, with nice sand, and fairly flat water throughout the year.
Rye Beach – Rye’s main beach on the coast of Port Phillip is a safe, sandy, family friendly beach, which is ideal for swimming and boating. Home to a jetty, many boat ramps, and a wonderful foreshore with picnic areas, playgrounds, shelters, and great walking tracks.
Safety Beach – Perfected positioned between between the coastal suburbs of Mount Martha and Dromana, Safety Beach takes it’s name from the calm and shallow waters of Dromana Bay. The beach is a great spot for families and children, with panoramic views to the peak of Mount Martha and some of the Peninsula’s prettiest coloured bathing boxes, creating a colourful backdrop to afternoon swims and lazy beach sessions, all summer long.
Sandridge Beach – The 500m stretch of Sandridge Beach in Melbourne, is uniquely surrounded by piers and port facilities, recently redeveloped to include attractive new beach amenities and landscaping. The beach is very accessible, with good parking, and is a wonderful spot for a picnic and a swim in the warmer months.
Sandringham Beach – Paralleling Bleach Road, Sandringham Beach is a 2.5 km long, straight stitch of beach which is usually calm, however strong south-westerly winds and waves will produce a break over the bar and reefs. A great spot for amateur surfers!
Smiths Beach – Smiths Beach on Phillip Island is a popular beach for families and surfers. It has consistent, quality waves which are ideal for all surfers of all abilities, bodyboarders, swimming and paddle boarders. It’s amongst my top five beach spots for rock pooling, a spot of snorkelling, sunset beach strolls, and beach games.
Squeaky Beach – Squeaky Beach’s famous white sands and turquoise waters make it one of Wilsons Promontory’s most iconic beaches. Offering spectacular coastal views and insta-worthy photo opportunities, the beach is accessible via a range of short walks including the Lilly Pilly Gully car park, Picnic Bay or Tidal River.
St Kilda Beach – During the summer months, the St Kilda foreshore lawns are just as popular as the beach sand… Both areas are in hot demand for sun chasers, so get there by mid-morning to secure the perfect all-day picnic posy.
Surf Beach – If nothing else, be sure to catch the sunset at Surf Beach on Phillip Island… It is incredible! Who I visited last, we were lucky enough to see a glorious pink sunset and locals proclaim they’ve never seen anything like it in the past five or ten years. I may have to keep going back for more!
Torquay Back Beach – This beach is the perfect location for the whole family to learn to surf! With several local surf schools operating on the foreshore and regular patrols by the local Surf Life Saving Club, this iconic beach is a great beach to visit all year round.
Torquay Front Beach – Torquay Front Beach is the perfect day out for people of all ages. The beach is well sheltered in the bay, with calm waters for swimming and paddling. Home to sparse grassy areas for picnics and BBQs, the Front Beach is Torquay’s most popular family beach.
Venus Bay Beach – A beautiful 24km stretch of sand located on the east coast of Victoria, 180km south-east of Melbourne. Whilst it is a beautiful spots for families, beware as potentially hazardous high waves and strong rips are common, so stay on the inner bar and in the patrol area between the flags.
Waratah Bay Beach – An exposed 15 km long beach in South Gippsland, with high waves (averaging 1.6m) and a wide surf zone, making it a great spot for riders of the wave!
Whisky Bay Beach – Whisky Bay is a small sheltered beach in Wilsons Promontory, with iconic rock formations at each end. A great spot for fishing, with good permanent rip holes at either side of Picnic Point and along the Beach.
Wilsons Promontory Beach – Fondly known as ‘The Prom’, Norman Beach can be found in one of Victoria’s most loved National Parks, located approximately 200km from Melbourne. This crystal clear beach is a short walk from Tidal River campground and is fantastic for kids to splash and paddle in the water, also a perfect spot for beach cricket or other sand games.
Ultimate Australian Beach Style
