Does Sydney or Melbourne have better beaches?
Melbourne has some pretty good beaches, but Sydney’s beaches are unquestionably better. There’s a great mix of surf beaches and harbour coves.
Australia’s biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, have a long-standing rivalry. So much so that a new capital, Canberra, had to be built somewhere in between them.
One area that this rivalry is pretty one-sided on is beaches. Sydney has much better beaches than Melbourne, and if beaches are your priority, allocate more of your time to Sydney.
Are Melbourne’s beaches any good?
This isn’t, however, to say that Melbourne’s beaches are terrible. By the standards of most international cities, Melbourne has some pretty good beaches.
The best known of Melbourne’s beaches is St Kilda, which is wide and full of activities. However, St Kilda is really better known for its live music scene, cake shops and the Luna Park amusement park than the beach.
14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne
- Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
- See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
- Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
- A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
- The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
- Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
- Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
- Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
- Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.
There are several better beaches further round Port Phillip Bay. These include Brighton Beach, Carrum Beach, Mordialloc Beach and Sandringham Beach.
Surf beaches in Melbourne
However, to get the properly impressive surf beaches, you need to head beyond Port Phillip Bay to regional Victoria. That might mean south-east to the likes of Sorrento Back Beach or Gunnamatta Beach on the Mornington Peninsula. It might mean south-west to Bells Beach, Anglesea Beach and Lorne Beach on the Great Ocean Road.
👇 7 great day trips while you’re in Melbourne 👇
- Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
- Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
- Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
- Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
- Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
- Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
- Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.
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Sydney beaches
Sydney, however, has plenty of excellent surf beaches. And not just the well-known Eastern Suburbs beaches such as Bondi Beach, Bronte Beach and Maroubra Beach.
There are also several great surf beaches north of Sydney Harbour, such as Avalon Beach, Bilgola Beach and Whale Beach.
Where Sydney’s beach scene is so underrated, however, is the dozens of small beaches around Sydney Harbour. The likes of Castle Rock Beach, Milk Beach and Camp Cove are all lovely in their own way.
13 brilliant experiences in Sydney you should book
- (💲Great value 💲) Tick off several bucket list items on a highlights-packed Blue Mountains day tour.
- Get perfect views of the world’s most beautiful city on a Sydney Harbour helicopter tour.
- Save money with a multi-attraction pass.
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoy the romance of a tall ship cruise on Sydney Harbour.
- Eat all you can at the Skyfeast at the top of Sydney Tower.
- See migrating humpbacks – on a whale-watching cruise.
- (Highly recommended ✅) Go behind the scenes of Australia’s most famous building on an Opera House tour.
- Dine as the city lights up on sunset dinner cruise around the harbour.
- Combine beers and stories on a historic pubs tour through the convict-era Rocks district.
- Stand on your board and catch waves during Bondi Beach surfing lessons.
- Go to wombat and kangaroo-spotting hotspots on a Southern Highlands tour.
- Enjoy Sydney’s wild side on a Manly snorkelling & nature walk.
- (🥇Top choice in Sydney) And, best of all, paddle to hidden beaches on a harbour kayaking adventure.
More Sydney beaches
Eastern Beaches: Bondi Beach | Bronte Beach | Clovelly Beach | Maroubra Beach.
Harbour Beaches: Camp Cove | Castle Rock Beach | Chinamans Beach | Clontarf Beach | Collins Beach | Flat Rock Beach | Little Manly Beach | Milk Beach | Parsley Bay | Quarantine Beach | Shark Beach | Store Beach | Watsons Bay.
Northern Beaches: Avalon Beach | Bilgola Beach | Long Reef Beach | Queenscliff Beach | Whale Beach.
Pittwater Beaches: Resolute Beach.
Botany Bay Beaches: Yarra Bay Beach.
Royal National Park Beaches: Garie Beach | Jibbon Beach.