Great Southern beach crowned Australia’s best
In exciting news for the Great Southern region in Australia’s South West, a little-known beach near Albany was recently named as Tourism Australia’s Best Beach for 2022. Described as ‘picture perfect’, Misery Beach was one of 20 beaches judged by Australian coastal veteran and beach expert, Brad Farmer AM.
The winner of the Best Australian Beach for 2022 comes straight from the pages of a beachscape artist’s sketchbook. Here lies a dramatic feast for the senses with the look and feel of a perfectly framed fi lmset. Crystal clear, turquoise water, virgin white sand, bounded by spectacular granite outcrops, Misery Beach belies its grim name. Australia’s last active whaling station nearby closed in 1978 and its historical past of slaughtering the giant Sperm Whale now seems a distant memory. For decades, this shoreline was often awash with whale off al, staining the beach blood red. These days, you’ll fi nd only a handful of beachcombers, swimmers or kayakers availing themselves of its sublime surrounds. Home of the Menang Noongar First Nations peoples, this is a pristine beach deserving of cultural reverence. Five hours south-east from Perth, yet only 15 minutes from WA’s historic fi rst European settlement, Albany, this 200-metre-wide bay welcomes seals, dolphins and returning migratory whales, seeking its calm shelter. Neighbouring Isthmus Hill, a former whale lookout point, provides spectacular views of the surrounding coast, which is well worth exploring for other glistening treasures in this truly special region.