Travelbeat Editorial Review Favourite Beaches of Australia A Personal View Story and photos by Kerry Hennigan I've always believed that to really appreciate a beach it pays to be a non-swimmer. Seriously! How else can you focus on the quality of the sand beneath your feet, the breeze on your skin, the trees that provide necessary shade, or, for that matter, the kiosk on the pier, if any? Water babies will doubtless scoff and insist that the temperature of the wet stuff and size and shape of the waves is equally important. The only time you're likely to see big surf at Broome's world-famous Cable Beach is in cyclone season. At other times it is perfect for the more sedentary beach lovers like me. While there is an absence of shelter fringing the actual beach, there are umbrellas for rent, and an early morning walk at the lowest tide of the year can lead you to 'discover' the footprints of a dinosaur below the red rocks of Gantheume Point. At dawn and late afternoon/early evening, the camel trains appear (at left) for those who want to witness sunrise or sunset from atop a 'ship of the desert'. The beach and lawns adjacent to the Cable Beach Club Resort are popular gathering places to view nature's enduring end-of-day spectacle, which, it must be said, is even more spectacular if there's a bit of cloud about. Cable Beach is also a good place to view a storm front sweeping in - so long as you allow yourself plenty of time to get back to your hotel room! On the other side of the continent, Port Douglas' Four Mile Beach in Far North Queensland is a typical palm-fringed tropical delight at the end of Macrossan Street with its many cafes and shops. Even Bill and Hillary Clinton enjoyed a stroll along the sands here. Further down the coast-hugging Captain Cook Highway that links Port Douglas to Cairns, lies exclusive Palm Cove. By 'exclusive' I mean expensive. But for an out and out indulgence, this is the place. A room with a beachfront view is a must here. If you can afford the stunningly located Angsana Resort and Spa you won't even be separated from the beach by a road. Otherwise just treat yourself to an al fresco meal or a coffee on their boardwalk café which is just the other side of the palm trees from the beach. Some of the other beaches and sheltered coves bordering the highway are quiet and cultured (Trinity Beach) while some are downright popular hangouts (Ellis Beach). All have their particular charms. Still on the Queensland coast but in the more temperate southern climes there are some beautiful beaches, the most famous of which is Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast (pictured below). Surfers' beach at sunset is still rush hour for tourists, particularly the overseas variety. (This is despite the sun setting behind the lush hinterland here on the east coast of the continent!) As with Town Beach on Roebuck Bay in Broome and Mindl Beach in Darwin (another great spot for sunsets) at Surfers there is a night market along the waterfront to add even more colour to the lively Gold Coast holiday scene. The cooler waters of the southern Australian coastline also have some stunning beaches, even excluding the spectacular Coorong National Park with its abundant birdlife and Aboriginal heritage sites. South Australia's coastline is punctuated by peninsulas that harbour countless beaches, some at the base of dramatic cliffs, some that seemingly stretch forever from suburban esplanades. Those that fringe LeFevre Peninsula, a tiny pinprick of land extending northward from Port Adelaide, are broad white sand beaches perfect for walking, jogging, sandcastle building, or sailing model yachts on tidal pools. These beaches, especially those of Largs Bay and Semaphore, have retained much of their summer time appeal, particularly with the revival of Semaphore as a summer playground for kids and adults. The train that used to run down the centre of Semaphore Road is long gone, as is the band stand on the lawns where concerts were held on summer evenings. But the old Semaphore Palais has been restored magnificently as a dining and social events venue, complete with bar and gaming lounge, and Semaphore Road has once again come alive with shops, cafes and boutiques, most of which are open for weekend trade. The National Railway Museum based in Port Adelaide operates a 2 kilometre steam train ride along the dunes from Semaphore jetty to Point Malcolm and back from September to April, daily during school holidays and on weekends and public holidays. (Refer to the Museum's website for further details: www.natrailmuseum.org.au) Largs Bay is a quieter option to Semaphore, with a handful of shops, a restaurant/café, the historic Largs Pier Hotel Motel (below right), and the famous dine-in or out kiosk on the jetty at the head of appropriately named Jetty Road. The Largs jetty has a fascinating history, having once provided access to grain ships unloading their cargo onto trains that ran right out onto the (then much longer) jetty. After the demise of the train, the Jetty Road railway station became the Largs Bay Post Office, and is now a restaurant. At Largs another option is to enjoy a Sunday brunch under the Norfolk Pines on the lawns above the beach where there are coin-operated gas barbecues available and a few adjacent tables and benches. Many people just set up their own folding chairs in the shade of the pines and kick back with cool drinks, ice creams or a bucket of hot chips from the kiosk. From the cool of the shade they can enjoy the view or settle into a good book to the accompanying sounds of the surf. It doesn't get much better than this! For information on the various locations in this story visit these official websites: www.westernaustralia.com www.queenslandholidays.com.au www.portenf.sa.gov.au Back to Front Page