Tourism Australia judges Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island as the nation’s best beach

The remote beach at Stokes Bay on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island has been named as the nation’s best beach by Tourism Australia.

The newly published list of Australia’s top 10 beaches, which includes all states, the Northern Territory and Christmas Island, was curated by conservationist and Tourism Australia ambassador Brad Farmer.

Assessed from Australia’s more than 12,000 beaches, the award to Stokes Bay was the first time the accolade has gone to a South Australian beach.

Recognised for its ‘family friendly’ features and suitability for wading and snorkelling, the commendation comes as further proof of Kangaroo Island's rejuvenation, almost exactly three years after it was engulfed by devastating bushfires.

It also follows Kangaroo Island being named among the top 10 places in the world to visit this year by the New York Times.

Boomerang Beach in NSW and Queensland's Rainbow Coast were named second and third on the list.

Commenting on the list, Farmer told the ABC "South Australia's been the bridesmaid - it's underrated and it's overlooked so often.

"The New York Times last week called Kangaroo Island the seventh-best place to visit in the world.

Farmer joked that the task of visiting beaches to assess their merits was "a tough job [but] someone's got to do it".

Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said the task of reducing Australia's thousands of kilometres of coastline to less than a dozen top spots was not necessarily an enviable one.

Harrison noted "with about 12,000 beaches to explore across our country, including many of the best in the world, it is not easy to name a top 10.”.

Top 10 beaches

1. Stokes Bay, Kangaroo Island, South Australia
2. Boomerang Beach, NSW Mid North Coast
3. Rainbow Beach, Cooloola Coast, Queensland
4. Apollo Bay, Great Ocean Road, Victoria
5. Adventure Bay, Bruny Island, Tasmania
6. Hamelin Bay, Western Australia
7. Little Bondi Beach, East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
8. British Admiral Beach, King Island, Bass Strait, Tasmania
9. Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island
10. Balmoral Beach, Sydney Harbour

Federal Tourism Minister Don Farrell said every beach that made the list was “not just among the best in Australia, but the best in the world”, adding “Australia boasts the world’s best coastline and many international travellers, who are returning to our shores in growing numbers, want to explore the idyllic beaches we have to offer.”

Images: Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island (top), Boomerang Beach on the NSW Mid North Coast (middle) and Rainbow Beach on Queensland's Cooloola Coast (below). Credit: Tourism Australia.