lissysarah

Please could anyone tell me where there are nice beaches in & around the Melbourne area? What suburbs are they near?

thanks for your help

anya4oz

It's all a matter of personal taste, but I liked St Kilda best - lovely sand, clean beach, cafes etc, streetful of diet-busting cakeshops nearby (Acland St) also Luna Park & fab Art Deco Palace Theater. Reasonable length pier to walk along. Boat trips. Great newly-restored 1920s Swimming baths & veggie restaurant above with great views of the bay. Something for everybody. Easy tram ride from city center, too. Only drawback - expensive place to live.

Safety Beach, down on Mornington is also lovely - had a great picnic there in May. I expect property down that way is a bit cheaper, too.

Anya.

Hels

Not to mention a gorgeous Art & Craft market on the weekends along the Esplanade....I could spend a fortune there....

wombat42

Melbournes beaches are all crap, almost as bad as the UK,
crowded, polluted with garbage, broken glass, cigerete butts,
used syringes infected with who knows what, dog turds and the water has no waves for surfing.
However if you travel one hour west of Melbourne past Geelong
you get some of the best beaches in Australia, with no pollution
and fantastic surf , such as Bells beach, Anglesea, Apollo Bay,
Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Bridgewater Bay, Torquay etc.

Marakai

How far a drive is the 90 mile beach(es)? They're eastward, IIRC.

Mike

Badge

I have to admit, I find the St Kilda beach (and suburb) MASSIVELY overrated. It doesn't seem right. It reminds me of a pommy beach like Brighton. There's something just wrong about it. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's not a fun or laid back beach, kind of more pretentious...

St Kilda was the only place in Australia which reminded me of say Camden in N London - lots of pretence, weirdo grungies ..

BM

Caroline G

If you describe what you classify as a 'nice beach' we may be able to help more. Are you looking for a family day out beach? A surf beach?

We like quiet beaches that are sandy & not spoilt by too many people, no litter & not too many cafes etc. Some we saw were undergoing rejuvenation.

We did the Gt Ocean Rd drive and saw loads of great beaches. Some where the sea was pretty rough & good for surfing i.e. Lorne, but probably less appealing if you want to go paddling with the kiddies.

helinuk

I'd say it depends on the time of year as well. I had a lovely time in November on all the beaches with only a few or no people around, I drove all the way round Port Phillip Bay . I stopped at many of the "city" beaches . I would say that if you lived in the city and just wanted a beach to walk along they were ok. An hour away you have Morntington Peninsular, it was lovely and quiet , but come Dec-Jan it becomes a busy seaside location. Again an hour plus away GOR was fantastic the beaches and scenery were stunning. As another poster said great for surfing. (Not dissimilar to Cornwall) .
If you need more help Ask for more detail or be more specific with your question. There are heaps of people here to answer your questions on Melbourne

MarkMyWords

Geat place, Camden. Well it was 20 years ago.

But I agree with wombat42 about the detritus. A walk along the high-tide line at St Kilda was a nasty disgusting vile eye-opener.

lissysarah

Sorry ....

'nice' beach doesn't really tell you much!

I was thinking of a clean, attractive beach (sandy preferably). Safe to swim (not worried about surfing).

Somewhere to walk, maybe with the dog, and admire & enjoy scenery.

Maybe some bars where you can sit, relax and look out over the ocean.

Cheers

Caroline G

We visted the beach near Hampton (Bayside). Bearing in mind it was May & was rainy, windy & cold I could see it's potential. Had a lovely warming coffee in the nearby cafe which had a lovely fire place and views over the bay. Would image that it does get busy in high season.

We also like the beach at Carrum, wasn't crowded (again as Autumn in Oz when we went) It was sandy, water shallow & went on for miles. It was a bit littered however under rejuvenation & you do have to be careful not to swim too near the gates that feed the river running through Patterson lakes to the National Water sports club.

As our visit was short we missed out on Sorento & Mornington Penisula but have heard these are really nice places with great scenery & beaches....

lissysarah

thanks Caroline for your help

Neil S

I read in Gregory's 200 km around Melbourne, yesterday that the beaches around Mount Martha 'are the prettiest on the Mornington Peninsula'