Where To Find Victoria's Secret Beaches

Any Victorian worth their coffee beans knows you’d be silly to go north during summer… not with that stunning local coastline to explore.

Here is our list of 10 of the best secret beaches in Victoria:

1. Point King Beach – Portsea

It’s certainly not obvious that there is a pretty sandy beach tucked below Portsea’s mansions. But if you walk to the end of Point King Road, you’ll find a hidden path leading to wooden stairs down to Point King Beach. Before joining the rich and famous on the sand, though, check out the monument commemorating the first hoisting of the Union Jack in 1802 as Britain took possession of the area (now Port Phillip Bay). Then take a peek at the homes and gardens on the cliff-top Millionaires Walk.

2. Betka, Quarry and Secret Beaches – Mallacoota

This plucky little beach community in Eastern Gippsland, surrounded by water and national park, has a trio of gorgeous beaches just outside of town that most tourists don’t know about. Betka Beach, located where the river meets the ocean, is perfect for kids to paddle in the shallow river and play on the lawns while dad barbecues. Quarry Beach has colourful rock strata, while Secret Beach, accessible via a staircase on Betka Road, has clean white sand, rockpools and a small sea cave.

3. Sealers Cove, Refuge Cove and Little Waterloo Bay – Wilson’s Promontory

Refuge Cove from above, Wilson Promontory National Park

If you are a hiker (or boater) you can find pristine, uncrowded beaches on the eastern side of the Prom. Mountains plunge into the sea at Sealers Cove, while tiny Refuge Cove offers a terrific, safe little harbour for boats. At Little Waterloo Bay you’ll discover a landscape akin to Tassie’s Bay of Fires: granite boulders covered with orange lichen, which the heavy surf from Bass Strait pulverises into a fine white sand. You’ll need to camp to enjoy the beaches; each has camping facilities.

4. Waratah Bay

Sunrise over Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, Australia as seen from Waratah Bay.

Stretching from Sandy Point to Walkerville, Waratah Bay is a stunning sweep of white sandy beach with panoramic views across to Wilson’s Promontory. You can walk for miles here without seeing another soul – even in summer. Better still, with its flat sandy bottom, the surf is generally very safe. Up the Sandy Point end, you’ll find Shallow Inlet, which is not only an amazing bird habitat but also a popular windsurfing and kite surfing site. In fact a speed sailing record was set here in 1993. (There are lifeguards during summer at Sandy Point.)

5. Half Moon Bay – Black Rock

‘Sunset over Port Philip Bay, Melbourne, Australia. View from Half Moon Bay, near Black Rock.’

From the bike path at the top of the cliffs, you can look down at the pretty little Half Moon Bay nestled into a cove in Port Phillip Bay. The beach itself is a perfect spot for sunbathing, while the bay gets deep quite quickly making it a good spot for swimming laps. In the bay is National Heritage-listed HMVS Cerberus, which was scuttled here to make a breakwater. Finish the day with Mediterranean-inspired fare from Cerberus Beach House restaurant, a perfect spot to watch the sunset. (There are lifeguards during summer.)

6. Point Addis

The Point Addis Marine National Park is a protected marine national park located near Anglesea on the Surf Coast region of Victoria, Australia.

Just around from Bells Beach’s famous point breaks is Point Addis, a sandy crescent rimmed by a dramatic sweep of ochre sandstone and limestone cliffs. The lookout next to the road offers panoramic views, before you walk through a section of national park down to the beach. If it’s low tide, walk along the rockpool ledges to Southside and Bells Beach, or just stroll up the northern end to the stretch of ‘clothing optional’ sand, if that’s your thing. There’s also an Aboriginal interpretive trail, the Koori Cultural Walk, with incredible views from the cliffs.

7. Aireys Inlet

Split Point Lighthouse on a warm summer’s day in Aireys Inlet, Victoria, Australia.

Want to escape the crowds at Lorne? Hidden below the red-roofed White Queen Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet is your answer: a collection of picturesque pocket beaches and rockpools beneath rugged red limestone cliffs. You can access them via the Cliff Top Walk, which has terrific ocean views. The locals have quirky names for these beaches, such as Sunnymeade, Smelly, Steppe and Sandy Gully. Turquoise pools offer hours of beachcombing, whilst at one headland you’ll find ‘the grotto’ – a pretty limestone arch, home to local nesting starlings.

8. Aire River

In the heart of the Great Otway National Park, where the Aire River enters the Southern Ocean, lies Aire River beach. Here you can enjoy fine fishing, kayaking on the river, bird watching, and see koalas, kangaroos and wallabies in the coastal scrub. Since it’s smack bang on the Great Ocean Walk, you can hike along the coastal trail for spectacular views in either direction. Ambitious souls can also tackle the 12.4 kilometres to wild and beautiful Johanna Beach. There’s free camping, with composting toilets but no running water.

9. Bridgewater Bay – Portland

Rock formations at Cape Bridgewater, Australia.

This four-kilometre crescent of fine white sand rims the aqua waters of Bridgewater Bay and is a great spot for beachcombing and all types of surfing: surfboarding, surf casting and windsurfing. The 130-metre cliffs of Cape Bridgewater (the rim of an ancient submerged volcanic crater) shelter the beach from the Roaring 40s while a good swell generally lines up to form long, gentle waves. Walk the Cape Bridgewater trail to see Australia’s largest permanent fur seal colony, a petrified forest and blowholes. (There are lifeguards in summer.)

10. Pea Soup Beach, Port Fairy

Bearch called Pea Soup Beach near Port Fairy Victoria Australia.

The charmingly-named Pea Soup Beach is a wide and pretty beach fronting the Southern Ocean, west of the historic seaside fishing village of Port Fairy. If you walk west along the coastline from the town you’ll discover this surprising 500-metre-long white sandy beach protected by a continuous basalt reef lying offshore. Many a local kid has learned to swim here in the shallow, sheltered lagoon and rockpools – it’s also a great spot for some beachcombing.

Need to know: Because these beaches are well-kept secrets, most aren’t patrolled by lifeguards. For more info and a full list of Victoria’s lifeguard-friendly beaches, head to beachsafe.org.au

The Mornington Peninsula is a coastline of contrasts, where convict and military history meets shipwrecks, wild seas and adventures above and below the surface.

The Mornington Peninsula can be the kind of place where salt-tangled hair feels like a badge of honour – proof you’ve been somewhere wild, raw and real. Peel back the layers and you’ll discover stories that anchor this region to something other than its famed food and wine.

This land is the traditional Sea Country of the Bunurong/Boon Wurrung people. Long before grapevines were planted and artisanal goods were crafted, the Bunurong Traditional Owners lived in deep connection with the land and sea. Today, places such as Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary echo that tradition, with families exploring its rockpools in search of colourful sea stars and crabs at low tide and learning how these fragile ecosystems have been cared for across countless generations.

a group of people visiting the Port Nepean National Park — Take in the rugged coastal landscape at Port Nepean National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

A visit to Point Nepean National Park feels like stepping back through time. The fort, built in 1882, protected the narrow entrance to Port Phillip Bay until the end of the Second World War. It was here that the first Allied shot of the First World War was fired – at a German cargo ship trying to escape just hours after war was declared. Nearby, the old Quarantine Station, one of Australia’s first permanent quarantine facilities, established in 1852, still stands. Walking through the hospital and disinfecting complex evokes stories of those who arrived from faraway shores.

Not far from here is a story of survival that inspired the Aussie phrase ‘you’ve got Buckley’s chance’. In 1803, escaped convict William Buckley vanished into the bush near what’s now Sorrento. Everyone thought he had no hope of surviving, but he reappeared 32 years later, having lived with local Aboriginal people.

Even the waters here hold history. The infamous stretch known as The Rip, just three kilometres wide at the entrance of Port Phillip Bay, is among the most treacherous waterways. Countless ships were lost here in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and in 1967, Australia’s own Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming off the coast, never to be found.

a seal swimming in Port Phillip Bay — A seal swimming in Port Phillip Bay. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

But for all its danger, the sea here also holds extraordinary beauty. Dolphins are often seen near Sorrento’s cliffs, while below the surface, seagrass meadows and rocky reefs teem with life. Marine tours offer a viewing to this underwater wonderland, while back on terra firma, walking trails lead along beaches, through coastal scrub, and over rock pools.

And if you think you’ll forget about the Mornington Peninsula once you’ve left? You’ve got Buckley’s chance.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the suite interior at InterContinental Sorrento — Luxury interiors at the historic InterContinental Sorrento. (Image: Greg Elms)

Point Nepean Discovery Tents is immersive glamping beside the historic Quarantine Station. Or upgrade to luxury at the 1875-built InterContinental Sorrento .

Playing there

an aerial view of Cape Schanck Lighthouse — Make your way to the Cape Schanck Lighthouse. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

Bayplay Adventure Tours offer eco-adventures from snorkelling with sea dragons to kayaking with dolphins and cycling Point Nepean. Cape Schanck Lighthouse is fascinating to explore on a guided tour, which takes you into the lighthouse and keeper’s cottage.

Eating there

Portsea Hotel is a beautifully restored 1876 Tudor-style pub right on the beach, serving seasonal local fare.

10 of the best secret beaches in Victoria