Western Australia is Australia's largest state, covering more than one-third of the continent and offering an extraordinary range of landscapes from pristine coral reefs and red outback deserts to verdant wine regions and cosmopolitan coastal cities. Home to Perth, one of the world's most isolated yet vibrant capital cities, Western Australia rewards adventurous travellers with World Heritage sites, unique wildlife, and some of the planet's most spectacular natural wonders.
Top beaches
A ranked editor’s shortlist of the coastline worth planning a day around in Western Australia.
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Cottesloe Beach
Perth's most iconic beach and the social heart of the city's coastal lifestyle. Cottesloe offers calm, clear water perfect for swimming, snorkelling at the limestone reef break, and an esplanade backed by Norfolk pines and the legendary Indiana Tea House. The annual Sculptures by the Sea outdoor art exhibition lines the foreshore every March.
Editor’s tip. Arrive early on summer weekends for parking. The reef area 50m offshore has good snorkelling among fish and sea dragons. Indiana Tea House is perfect for a sunset cocktail.
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Scarborough Beach
Perth's most popular surf beach, located 14km north of the CBD. A long, wide stretch of white sand facing the Indian Ocean with consistent beach break surf, a regenerated esplanade with restaurants and bars, beach volleyball courts, and a water park. The recently redeveloped Scarborough Beach Front has made this one of Perth's best beachside precincts.
Editor’s tip. The Scarborough Beach Front (esplanade precinct) has good dining options including bars, cafes, and restaurants with ocean views. North of the flags is dedicated surfing area.
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City Beach
A family-friendly beach 10km west of Perth CBD, popular for its safe swimming conditions, excellent facilities, large grassed areas for picnics, and a great beachfront kiosk. City Beach is sheltered from strong winds more than Scarborough, making it better for young children. The Odyssea City Beach restaurant has excellent ocean views.
Editor’s tip. City Beach has a large, safe calm water swimming zone marked by flags. Better for families with young children than Scarborough.
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Trigg Beach
A beautiful surf beach between Scarborough and Mettams Pool with consistent surf, a relaxed atmosphere, and less commercial development than Scarborough. The Trigg Point area has excellent reef breaks for more experienced surfers. Popular with the local surf community and SUP paddlers.
Editor’s tip. Trigg Bluff area to the north has excellent reef snorkelling on calm days. The Mettams Pool rock pool is 2km north — excellent calm snorkelling.
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Mettams Pool
A sheltered rock pool along the northern Perth coast, protected by an outer limestone reef that creates a calm, clear lagoon perfect for snorkelling. One of Perth's best snorkelling spots with sea grass beds, fish species, blue-ringed octopus (look but don't touch), sea dragons, and colourful reef fish all visible in crystal water.
Editor’s tip. Best snorkelled at high tide with an incoming swell for the best visibility. Bring your own snorkel gear. The adjacent North Beach is a long walking beach with good sea views.
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Cable Beach
Australia's most iconic tropical beach — a 22km stretch of brilliant white sand and deep red pindan cliffs meeting the turquoise Indian Ocean. Cable Beach's sunsets, watched from the back of a camel, are among Australia's most memorable experiences. The beach is at its best during the dry season (May-October). Named for the telegraph cable laid to Java from this spot in 1889.
Editor’s tip. Book camel sunset tours in advance — Red Sun Camels and Sundowner Camel Tours both operate from the beach. Check Staircase to the Moon dates at Broome visitor centre.
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Turquoise Bay
Possibly the most stunningly beautiful beach in Australia — a crescent of dazzling white sand meeting water in impossible shades of aqua and turquoise, backed by red rock hills. The natural drift snorkel along the northern end of the bay (where the current carries you along the coral reef) is one of the world's greatest free snorkelling experiences, with coral, fish, turtles, and rays visible without any charge.
Editor’s tip. Arrive early (before 9am) in peak season (April-October) as parking fills completely. Bring your own snorkel gear, water, and food — no facilities.
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Hamelin Bay
A sheltered bay 26km south of Augusta, famous for the large rays (whiprays, eagle rays, stingrays) that regularly cruise the shallows in front of the boat ramp — you can literally wade into knee-deep water and have rays swim around your feet. The bay also has a historic shipwreck site and beautiful swimming beaches. Cape Leeuwin lighthouse is 26km north.
Editor’s tip. The rays congregate near the boat ramp — sit quietly in the shallows and wait. Do not touch the rays. Best visited on a calm day for clear water visibility.
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Eagle Bay
A beautiful sheltered bay 12km north of Dunsborough with calm, clear turquoise water and a long sandy beach backed by coastal banksia forest. One of the south-west's most popular family beach destinations, with excellent swimming and often calmer water than ocean-facing beaches.
Editor’s tip. Combine with a visit to Meelup Beach 3km south — both bays together give a perfect Dunsborough beach day. Eagle Bay Brewing Co is nearby for excellent craft beer and food.
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Meelup Beach
Often voted one of WA's most beautiful beaches, Meelup is a small, sheltered bay near Dunsborough with extraordinarily clear water and a white sandy beach backed by limestone headlands. Excellent snorkelling along the rocky edges of the bay, with calm and safe swimming conditions ideal for children.
Editor’s tip. Arrive early on summer weekends — the small car park fills quickly. Bring your own food and drinks. The Rocky Point snorkelling area at the eastern end of the bay is excellent.
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Greens Pool
Arguably WA's most beautiful swimming spot — a sheltered lagoon formed by massive granite boulders that create a natural sea pool of astounding clarity and colour. The turquoise water sits perfectly still behind the granite formations, giving swimming conditions unlike anywhere else in WA. The Elephant Rocks nearby are equally spectacular.
Editor’s tip. Visit on a windless day for mirror-calm water. Combine with Elephant Rocks walk 500m south. Very popular in January-February — arrive early.
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Lucky Bay
Regularly voted Australia's whitest beach, Lucky Bay has dazzling white quartzite sand of extraordinary purity and water in vivid shades of turquoise and deep blue. The beach is famous for wild kangaroos that regularly sun themselves on the sand — one of Australia's most surreal and endearing wildlife encounters. Part of Cape Le Grand National Park.
Editor’s tip. Book the Lucky Bay campground months in advance through the Parks and Wildlife Service — it's one of Australia's most sought-after campsites.
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Coral Bay
A small, perfectly shaped bay with Ningaloo Reef starting just 20 metres from the beach — the only beach in Australia where visitors can walk directly into a coral reef from the shore. Swimming, snorkelling, and glass-bottom boat tours over the coral are all available directly from the beach. The small Coral Bay village is the southern gateway to Ningaloo.
Editor’s tip. Snorkel gear hire available in the village. Glass-bottom kayak tours are excellent for non-swimmers. Manta ray snorkel tours depart from the beach — book in advance.
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Blue Haven Beach
A gorgeous arc of white sand on the Esperance foreshore, easy to access from the town centre and popular with locals and visitors for swimming and relaxed beach days. The Esperance Esplanade foreshore walk connects Blue Haven to Town Beach, Wylie Bay, and other local beaches along a scenic coastal path.
Editor’s tip. Walk the Esperance Esplanade Coastal Pathway north and south from Blue Haven for excellent views and multiple beach access points. The Pink Lake lookout is 5km from town.
What to bring
A short packing list for a comfortable beach day — adjust for season and the specific spot.
- Sun protectionHigh-SPF sunscreen, hat, polarised sunglasses, light long-sleeve cover-up.
- HydrationReusable bottle, salty snacks for longer days, electrolyte sachets if it’s hot.
- FootwearWater shoes for pebble or rocky entry, flip-flops for sand, dry pair for the trip home.
- Swim & coverQuick-dry towel or sand-resistant mat, change of swimwear, light cover-up for restaurants.
- Cash & valuablesSmall notes for beach clubs and rentals; waterproof pouch for phone, keys, cards.
- ExtrasReef-safe sunscreen near protected coastline, a book, a small first-aid kit for jellyfish or scrapes.
Beach safety
Hard-earned guidance — read this before you swim, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the coast.
Critical
Swim where lifeguards are posted and follow flag warnings — green is safe, yellow is caution, red means no swimming. Rip currents are the leading beach hazard worldwide.
Caution
Watch for tide changes and marine life — jellyfish blooms, sea urchins on rocky entries, occasional shark or stingray advisories. Don’t swim alone, especially at dawn or dusk.
Tip
Reapply sunscreen every 90 minutes and after every swim. Take shade between 11 am and 3 pm — the sun is harsher than people expect, even when the air is cool.
Practical
Keep valuables out of sight or back at the accommodation. Beach theft is a small-but-real risk at busy beaches; never leave bags unattended while you’re in the water.