Australia has between 10,685 to 11,761 recorded beaches – the exact number varies depending on what defines a “beach”. A lot of these beaches can get quite crowded so you’ll have to go hunting to find ones less frequented. Fortunately we’re spoiled for choice with some unspoilt coastland. New South Wales alone has over 892 beaches you can visit!

Here are a few beaches you’ll have to work for to get to – the journey to paradise isn’t easy.

Make sure to start early, pack a bag with some lunch and your cozzies, put in the work and get rewarded with a clean, empty beach all to yourself. Bliss. 

PSA: Because these beaches are secluded, they are not patrolled, so be mindful of changing tides and beach water safety.

Snake Bay, Shoalhaven

Pretty Beach to Snake Bay. Image credit: Mikhail Zenon

Located in Murramarang National Park, this is a medium grade 7-kms return walk. There’s a fair bit of rock scrambling you have to do, but it’s a very pretty walk that blends the forest and ocean beautifully. 

You can extend this walk into a full blown hike-and-camp adventure. Pretty Beach to Snake Bay makes up the first part of the 3-day Murramarang South Coast Walk. The walk starts at the ever popular Pretty beach shoreline, along the sand and south along the coastline.

Pretty Beach can get packed, and not just with humans – there are loads of kangaroos and wallabies – the Murramarang National Park sign has a massive kangaroo on it, so the beach is basically theirs. 

Because the walk is on the coastline, plan your walk at low tide and avoid the trail during days with rough surf or strong winds.

The trail is so picturesque and you surprisingly don’t come by a lot of people. You’ll see a few surfers walking the trail to get to several good surf spots along the coast only the locals know.

As if the trail isn’t a treat already, once you get to Snake Bay you’ll have this gorgeous, small beach all to yourself.

Maitland Bay Beach, Bouddi National Park, Central Coast

Maitland Bay Beach, Bouddi National Park. Image credit: Mikhail Zenon

Located in the Central Coast in Bouddi National Park, the Maitland Bay Track is one of the national park’s most popular bushwalks but it doesn’t get too crowded.

It’s a short 2km return walk, but it’s steep. The walk down is fine with some stairs, but what goes down… must come back up again. Give yourself an hour to do the return walk.

Up for some beach hopping? You can walk another 3-kms to Putty Beach and get picked up there or retrace your steps back.

The walk starts at the Maitland Bay Information Centre and takes you through gullies, the Bouddi Grand Deep rainforest, and rock landings before taking you to Maitland Bay Beach which you’ll have all to yourself. Laze around and have a nap on their beautiful sand, and take a dip in its usually calm water because the bay is protected from larger waves.

Time your visit to stay around low tide. In the bay’s eastern end you can see the remains of the P.S Maitland which was shipwrecked from gnarly winds in 1898. The winds were so bad it was nicknamed the “Maitland Gales”. The P.S Maitland sunk pretty quickly, sadly out of 63 on board, 24 died.

At low tide you can see a section of the hull and a boiler. A replica of the ships bell has been errected next to the info centre. 

One of the survivors was a baby who lived to the age of 90. When she passed away her ashes were scattered over the wreck site.

Resolute Beach, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park

Great Mackerel Beach to Resolute Beach. Image credit: Mikhail Zenon

I had to add one of my favourite beaches and walks. The Resolute Loop Walk is a 6km moderate walk that should take you about 3 hours to do because of its steep sections and multiple stairscases.

It starts at the Resolute Picnic Area in the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park and ends at the stunning and remote Resolute Beach. We always have the entire beach to ourselves when we’re there. You can even walk to Resolute Beach from Great Mackerel Beach nearby. Getting to Great Mackerel Beach is a nice hike through some private property before continuing onto Resolute Beach 

Great Mackerel Beach is a beautiful tropical-island-esk beach. Totally worth the stop over as well.

While you’re there, along the Resolute Loop Walk you can take another trail that branches off to the West Head Lookout; a sandstone viewing area that gives you views across Pittwater, the Hawkesbury River, Broken Bay, Lion Island and the Barrenjoey Headland. The lookout itself is a World War 2 site.

You can also do The Red Hands Track. A 800m walk to the Red Hands Cave, a famous Aboriginal heritage site.

If you want to take public transport you can catch the ferry to Great Mackerel Beach, or you can drive to Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park.