If you partied a little too hard New Year's Eve, woke up in an awful state and just need to get away from it all, what better way to do it than by falling asleep on a warm bit of sand to the sound of the ocean?
Here's a collection of some of the best beach spots around Australia, and most especially, locations that are far away the hordes of people and other annoyances common on the more popular beaches. In other words, there's no Bondi Beach here.
Try one of these special spots to cure what ails you.
1. Bilgola Beach, New South Wales
You can feel like you're truly on holiday with a visit to the tranquil Bilgola Beach on Sydney's northern beaches. Here you'll be surrounded by tall cliffs and expanses of sand that make it an incredible, quiet place to relax.
Swimming off my late night #proudkiwi #wewon #allblacks #worldcup #worldcuphistory #bilgola #beach #sunday #happy #celebrating #soreheadafterthebigwin A photo posted by Jo Harvey Graham (@joharveygraham) on Oct 31, 2015 at 11:25pm PDT
2. Gordon's Bay, New South Wales
More big rocks than beach, Gordon's Bay makes it feel like you're back in the Mediterranean. Here you'll see a young crowd relax on the rocks, and they'll probably be just as hungover as you are.
one of the beaches along our 4 hour coastal walk from Coogee to Bondi A photo posted by Sandy Siu (@sandysiu) on Dec 30, 2015 at 2:29pm PST
3. Parsley Bay, New South Wales
A small park that crosses over into the sands of Parsley Bay Beach, this secluded spot in the suburb of Vaucluse is nice and close to Sydney's city centre. Plus, the bay is lovely to swim in.
Saturday afternoon delight! A photo posted by Alexandra Pinker. (@alexandrapinker) on Oct 16, 2015 at 9:36pm PDT
4. Burleigh Beach, Queensland
A safe distance from the madness that can be Surfers Paradise and other popular beaches on the Gold Coast, Burleigh Beach exemplifies everything great about Australia's more laid back beach culture.
What a difference half a day makes #bluesky #burleighbeach #goldcoast A photo posted by Michelle W (@amusingmichelle) on Dec 29, 2015 at 10:39pm PST
5. Brighton Beach, Victoria
Melbourne, unlike its rival city, Sydney, is arguably lacking on the beach side of things -- but small, colourful Brighton Beach is a great option in comparison to the very popular and thus very crowded St. Kilda Beach up the road.
여유로운 #brightonbeach #australia #melbourne #pic #travel A photo posted by @user_sy on Dec 30, 2015 at 4:45am PST
6. Darwin Waterfront, Northern Territory
It's basically the default option in the Northern Territory capital, but the Darwin Waterfront is the best seaside option to chill at -- that is, unless you want to swim with the crocodiles at other beaches around town.
It's a Territory kind of day! #darwinwaterfront #crocodiles #schooldayfun #teacherlife #darwin #northernterritory A photo posted by Caralyn Dea (@misscaralyn) on Nov 22, 2015 at 4:54pm PST
7. Sellicks Beach, South Australia
Okay, it's a bit of a drive from Adelaide, taking about 50 minutes from the city centre. If location is important, settle for Glenelg -- but for an exceptional experience, Sellicks Beach (or Aldinga Beach up the road) is an excellent place to visit.
And then there was this amazing sunset. So we drove down the beach (as u do in Australia), listened to the waves coming in and stuck our feet into the warm sand while the sun melted into the ocean. And we weren't the only ones. Many 4 wheel drives, camping chairs and relaxed looking people. #sellicksbeach #southaustralianbeaches #southaustralia #australia A photo posted by Cloudy (@cloudy_ya_) on Dec 30, 2015 at 4:03pm PST
8. North Cottesloe, Western Australia
A beach for the locals, you can sometimes have a decent patch of sand all to yourself compared to the many other popular spots around Perth.
One of my new 'local' / nearby beaches - absolutely no filter required. LOVE Perth! #nofilter #amazing #vitamind #vitaminc #beach #northcottesloe #perthisok #springinperth #beachdays #chillax #meditate #mindfulness #zoneout #biased #relax A photo posted by Alisha Moxon (@ish_moxy) on Sep 23, 2015 at 6:39pm PDT