Australia is blessed with thousands of beaches, some deserted and some more popular. So bring your cozzie (Australian for “swimsuit”) and take the plunge!
- The sea is turquoise, the sun is warm, the palms sway, and the low-rise hotels beside Four Mile Beach can’t spoil the feeling that it is a million miles from anywhere. But isn’t there always a serpent in paradise? In this case, the “serpents” are North Queensland’s seasonal, potentially deadly marine stingers. Come from June through September to avoid them.
- Azure water, islands dotting the horizon, and white sand edged by vine forests make Mission Beach a real winner. The bonus is that hardly anyone comes here. Cassowaries (giant emulike birds) hide in the rain forest, and the tiny town of Mission Beach makes itself invisible behind the leaves.
- Perth has 19 great beaches, but the petite crescent of Cottesloe Beach is the prettiest. After you’ve checked out the scene, join the fashionable set for brunch in the Indiana Tea House, a mock- Edwardian bathhouse fronting the sea.
