The Best Beaches in Oceania

Squeaky sand

Three of the four Australian beaches have fine white sand that squeaks underfoot, and Little Beach near Albany is one of them. At Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island it is silica and stays cool, and at Lucky Bay near Esperance it is quartz.

Whitehaven by boat

Whitehaven Beach has no road access. Visitors come by boat, seaplane or helicopter from Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island, mostly on tours, and wear stinger suits in the water during jellyfish season. The beach is 7 km long and gets quieter further along, and a walk leads up to the Hill Inlet lookout.

Western Australia's south coast

Wharton Beach and Lucky Bay are both drives from Esperance, and Little Beach is about 30 minutes from Albany in Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve. Two Peoples Bay and Cape Le Grand National Park, where Lucky Bay lies, charge an entry fee. Vehicles drive onto the sand at Wharton Beach and Lucky Bay. At Lucky Bay kangaroos come onto the beach, mostly early and late in the day, and a coffee van parks on the sand. Little Beach is a small crescent between two headlands with granite boulders and rock pools, and it has waves and rips on windy days.

Vanuatu

Champagne Beach on Espiritu Santo is about an hour's drive from Luganville, with rough roads at the end. Entry is usually 1000 vatu per person. Bubbles rise through the seabed in the bay, and the beach is often nearly empty unless a cruise ship is visiting.