The 10 Most Beautiful Beaches in Victoria, Australia

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Victoria is home to some of the most beautiful beaches and coastlines in Australia, with many different beaches to explore. We’ve compiled a list of the best beaches in Victoria, Australia, with the help of travel experts, so you can plan your next getaway along the coast!

Whether you are taking an Australian road trip along the Great Ocean Road while visiting Victoria or if you are a local who is looking for a new beach to explore, you are sure to find somewhere special to fall in love with!

Australia is home to some breathtaking stretches of coastline. Be sure to check out the best beaches in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania too!

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The Best Beaches In Victoria

When it comes to finding beautiful beaches and stretches of postcard-worthy coastline, Victoria certainly delivers.

With one of Australia’s most famous road trip routes, the Great Ocean Road, it’s no surprise that you will find some incredible beaches in Victoria.

So, if you’re looking for a place to explore and enjoy the best Victoria has to offer, then make this one of your next destinations.

During summer in Australia, many beaches will be packed with tourists while others remain relatively quiet, but when those hot days arrive, you might be quite happy to battle it out for a small space of sand on one of the most popular beaches in the state.

If not, there are plenty of beautiful Victorian beaches that don’t get the huge crowds as well!

If you’re looking for the best beaches in Victoria Australia, then look no further. Here are ten of the most beautiful stretches that we could find. Hopefully they get your toes tingling and make you want to pack up and hop on a plane!

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Torquay Front Beach

torquay front beach

Contributed by Chantae from The Salt Sirens

Torquay’s Front Beach is one of the best beaches in Victoria thanks to its wide, sandy shoreline, waves, and proximity to the centre of Torquay.

Torquay Surf Academy offers kayak, surfboard, SUP, and boogie board rentals for anyone who wants to play in the waves.

The town of Torquay is one of the first stops on a Great Ocean Road road trip if you’re venturing from Melbourne. Here, you’ll find supersized surf shops, boutiques, restaurants, and bars.

The Australian National Museum of Surfing in town highlight’s the region’s surfing heritage through interactive exhibits and an interesting display of surfboard shape progression.

For those who want to soak in the town’s beach culture, beginners can learn to surf on Torquay’s Front Beach while more experienced surfers can head to nearby Bell’s Beach, an iconic stop on the World Surf League Championship Tour.

Accommodation within walking distance of Torquay Front Beach range from quirky backpacker hostels to luxury villas, though the standout stay of the bunch is the Foreshore Caravan Park, where you can pitch a tent or check into a cabin just steps away from the sand.

The perfect day in Torquay could easily include a morning surf lesson at the beach followed by a big brunch and shopping session within Torquay’s town centre. Then, it’s back to the beach in the afternoon—there’s no better place to be when the sun goes down.

Bells Beach

bells beach drone photography

Contributed by Tom from The Travelling Tom

If you’re looking for a great beach to visit in Victoria, Bells Beach is among the best.

The beach is located near the town of Torquay, which is 100km from Melbourne. It’s one of the best day trips from Melbourne you can do and a great place to visit on a warm summer’s day.

Bell’s Beach is well-known as the home of surfing’s longest-running competition, the Rip Curl Pro. As such, it has a reputation as a surfing beach and is the place to go if you’re looking to catch waves in the area.

That said, if you’re a beginner it might not be the best place to learn surfing as the waves can be brutal. However, if you’re experienced, you’ll love the rough and tumble.

YouTube video
Check out our Bells Beach drone video from our Great Ocean Road trip

Even if you’re not into surfing, the beach is great to relax at. You can explore the surrounding area too which offers some spectacular views. You can also explore nearby Torquay after you’re finished at the beach.

You’ll find lots of cafes and restaurants, as well as multiple surfing shops should you need to stock on supplies for your board! 

This part of Victoria is home to some fantastic beaches and Bells Beach is up there with the best!

St Kilda Beach

st kilda beach at sunset

Contributed by Shireen from The Happy Days Travel

St Kilda Beach is one of Victoria’s best beaches because it is home to a majorly popular seaside resort of St Kilda and is the closest beach to Melbourne CBD so is a great escape from the bustling city.

The beach is a fairly small stretch of sand with an adjacent boardwalk where you’ll regularly see rollerbladers, skateboarders and dogs.

Next to the beach, you will find Luna Park, because no seaside town is complete without a fairground (make sure you snap a picture outside its impressive entrance). 

The best thing about St Kilda Beach is at the very end there is a long pier and around 8 pm you’ll start to notice an influx of people walking the length and crowding at the end.

That’s because there are waddles of penguins coming to the shore and they are the cutest sight in Melbourne.

The penguins are protected by a fence and volunteers to ensure the safety of the wildlife but you can definitely spot them and take pictures (without the flash).

After you’ve visited the penguins, enjoy a gorgeous Australian sunset over the beach and Melbourne city skyline. This is the perfect choice if you’re looking for one of the best beaches in Melbourne!

Loch Ard Gorge

view of loch ard gorge from top of stairs

Contributed by Alana from Family Bites Travel

Australia has some of the best beaches in the world! We live in Victoria, and our favourite Victorian beach is Loch Ard Gorge along the Great Ocean Road.

The world-famous 12 Apostles are a 2-minute drive away and located within the Port Campbell National Park.  

Loch Ard Gorge is named after the Loch Ard ship that crashed into Mutton Bird Island in 1878.

It is hard to believe anyone could survive in those waters, yet Thomas Pierce and Evelyn Carmichel survived the shipwreck. Tom not only survived, but he also saved Eve from the ocean. The story of survival adds to the romance surrounding the beach. They were able to survive simply due to the presence of the gorge. 

The walk to try to see the Loch Ard shipwreck is well worth the effort.  

What makes Loch Ard Gorge so memorable is seeing the shipwreck history laid bare by the coloured glass found on the sand. The smooth glass fragments found on the sand are from shipwrecks found in the region.

The kids loved beachcombing and searching for glass. The most common glass is green; if you are lucky, you can see clear, blue, and red glass.

The combination of naturally beautiful, fantastic history and a story of survival make Loch Ard Gorge the best beach in Victoria. 

Portsea Beach

portsea beach

Contributed by Monique from Trip Anthropologist

If you live in Melbourne you know that there are two kinds of beaches – bay beaches and ocean beaches.

If you head to the Bellarine Peninsula and along the Great Ocean Road, you’ll find wonderful beaches. But even more popular with Melburnians is the Mornington Peninsula.

The Peninsula is only 90 minutes from the centre of Melbourne and has what are known as ‘front’ and ‘back’ beaches.

Front beaches line Port Phillip Bay, and back beaches face the southern ocean. Portsea is one of the most popular, exclusive and beautiful parts of the Mornington Peninsula.

The Portsea back beach is simply known as Portsea Beach. It is a long and sweeping swathe of golden sand with an open beach excellent for surfing.

Walking along the beach on calm days is very popular because of the long views along the coastline. You can extend your walk along the paths through the sand dunes to Sphinx Rock and the London Bridge rock formation.

There are several layers of car parks and a Surf Club. The beach is reached from the car parks by sets of steps to the sand.

The weather can be fierce here, and the tide can be strong. Rips can appear in the water. Swimming between the flags and knowing how to surf or swim are important if you choose this beautiful long beach for a day out.

Brighton Beach

brighton beach with huts

Contributed by Fiona from Travelling Thirties

Brighton Beach is without a doubt one of the best beaches in Victoria. Brighton Beach is located just 14km from the heart of Melbourne’s CBD.

To access Brighton Beach you can take an Uber or a taxi from anywhere in the CBD and reach the beach within 20 – 30 minutes or you can take the train from Flinders Street station to Brighton Beach station.

One of the most notable things at Brighton Beach are the Brighton Beach Boxes. These colourful beach boxes date back to the 1860s. They were originally built as places for women to get change at the beach.

Today there are over 80 boxes that are considered historical landmarks. The boxes are used as storage for beach gear and also as a little oasis from the hot Melbourne sun.

The beach boxes have become historical monuments and their owners are unable to make changes to the boxes including adding electricity. Overnight accommodation is also not allowed in the boxes.

Many of these boxes are passed down from one generation to another. However, when they are sold they sell for a similar price to a small apartment (upwards of $350,000AUD!)

If you would like to photograph the beach and the beach boxes it is advised to arrive early in the morning as the beach gets very crowded later in the day.

Squeaky Beach at Wilsons Promontory 

squeaky beach victoria

Contributed by Kate from Bags Always Packed

Located at the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, Wilsons Promontory National Park has been one of Victoria’s best-kept secrets for many years.

More and more people have recently begun flocking to this magical stretch of protected forest and coastline for its beautiful scenery, great hiking, and incredible beaches!

Squeaky Beach stands out as a popular favourite among them all, earning a well-deserved spot as one of the best beaches in Victoria. 

You may be wondering why it is called Squeaky Beach. Its name is actually very fitting as the sand here consists of such fine pieces of quartz that it squeaks when you walk on it. No joke!

This impeccable sandy beach is one of the brightest beaches you will ever see. The brilliant white of the sand beautifully contrasts with the turquoise waters and bright orange colours of the giant boulders found along the shore on the northern part of the beach.

These rocks also provide climbing opportunities for many ages and ability ranges. Kids and adults alike will love climbing up and around this natural, scenic playground, and in fact, many rock climbers come here specifically for the boulders! 

Squeaky Beach has a mix of calm, clear waters and small waves suitable for surfing depending on the tides, so it’s a great place to bring your family for a few relaxing days.

What’s more, you will likely have the beach all to yourself if you come in the off-season!

Besides the beach, there are plenty of walking trails for all abilities, friendly wildlife, and a multitude of other beaches for you to explore around the area in Wilsons’s Promontory National Park. 

Sorrento Back Beach

sorrento back beach

Contributed by Yulia from Miss Tourist

Many people will have heard of Sorrento, the sleepy beach town found at the tip of the Mornington Peninsula, but if you don’t know the area well, you may think the calm, shallow bay beach that runs parallel to the town is the whole attraction.

Hidden on the backside of Sorrento, you will find an incredible surf beach with many interesting aspects to explore. 

This hidden gem is locally known as the Sorrento Back Beach or Sorrento Surf beach but don’t be scared off by its tides.

While it’s a great place to grab a surfboard and catch a wave, you will find shallow rock pools of varying depths at the northern end of the beach, perfect for anyone looking for a relaxing dip (youngsters included).

There is everything from small pools teeming with life, to larger, deeper pools, with rocky boulders standing above, perfect for some cliff jumping. Spending a day here is one of the best things to do on the Mornington Peninsula!

The beach itself is vast and has lots of space for families and friends to set up camp. Surrounded by an amphitheatre-like cliff face, this beach is also somewhat protected from the wind making it an excellent choice for less than ideal days.

Sorrento Back Beach is home to a surf lifesaving club and is patrolled on summer weekends and public holidays. 

Take a surf lesson, build a sandcastle, take a walk along the cliff-top trails or spot some marine wildlife in the rock pools.

Once you’ve spent an entire day enjoying this wonderful beach, you also have the opportunity to enjoy the shops, cafes, and restaurants of the town of Sorrento. 

Eastern Beach

eastern beach

Contributed by Audrey from See Geelong

Victoria’s rugged coastline is home to some of the best surf beaches in the world. But if
you’re looking for safe swimming and sparkling clear water then head to Eastern Beach one of the best beaches in Victoria, Australia.

Located at the eastern end of the Geelong foreshore its grassy slopes and strip of golden sand has been a popular spot since the 1930s.

It has everything a beachgoer needs for a great day out, with diving boards, water features, and a 200-metre-long wooden promenade with a shark-proof barrier that surrounds 8 ½ acres of salty seawater.

The area is perfect for families with kids who spend hours jumping, diving, and swimming in the stunning Corio Bay. Littlies love the playground, children’s pool, and the Thomas lookalike train.

A fun feature of Eastern Beach is the Baywalk Bollards that represent unique personalities from the city’s past. Created from old wooden pier pylons, these quirky characters are in demand with selfie-takers.

The precinct is serviced by a beautiful art deco pavilion that houses a change room, lifeguards, and an excellent café and kiosk.

Ninety Mile Beach

ninety mile beach gippsland

This is one of the most popular beaches in Victoria and rightfully so. It is the 3rd longest beach in the world, so expect to see a lot of people during summer.

But with it stretching so far, you will easily get yourself a great spot on the sand and may feel like you’re the only one there!

The Ninety Mile Beach is a sandy stretch of beach on the South-Eastern coastline that leads to the Bass Strait. It stretches over 151 kilometres, or 94 miles, giving the beach its name, starting at Port Albert and ending near the man-made channels of Lakes Entrance.

Ninety Mile Beach offers a variety of activities that draw the crowds, making it a popular beach destination for holidaymakers with camping, picnicking, whale watching and water-based activities.

Got more time? Head to Phillip Island for the penguin parade and explore even more of the beautiful beaches Victoria has on offer!

So, whether you’re planning a family vacation, an adventure-filled swim, or a peaceful seaside retreat, these best Victorian beaches offer something for everyone. Want to know our personal favourite? Bells Beach and Loch Ard Gorge are equal favourites from our Great Ocean Road driving itinerary!

Which of these Victoria beaches are you most eager to visit?

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