Top Queensland beaches to swing a cricket bat on

With more than 7000 kilometres of coastline and 2000 islands to explore, Queensland is home to some of the world's most iconic beaches.

While there's no shortage of Queensland beaches to swing your cricket bat on, you'll want to find a spot with soft sand, big open spaces, and the ocean at your heels for when the game gets a little heated. 

To help you find the perfect patch of sand, here are the best beaches in Queensland to play an innings or two. 

Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast

Surfers Paradise is one of Australia’s most famous beaches as there’s a non-stop family party atmosphere from dawn till dusk (and beyond – if you have the energy after your day on the beach).

You’ll find two kilometres of golden sand beach patrolled by three lifeguard towers right beside Queensland’s most lively beachside scene. As soon as you leave the sand, enjoy endless entertainment and dining options – from family restaurants and cafes, to amusement arcades, avenues of souvenir shops and thrilling fun parks.

You might prefer to cook your own barbeque at one of the many free beachside sites after cricket, or just a few metres from the beach, you'll find plenty of accommodation choices with sea views in high rise apartments.

Whitehaven Beach, The Whitsundays

The Whitsundays is home to a group of 74 idyllic islands – that’s a lot of empty beaches for beach cricket. If we had to pick one, fly directly into Hamilton Island and take your pick of budget family rooms or one of Queensland's most prestigious luxury resorts, qualia.

Many of the activities on Hamilton Island are free. The use of catamarans, kayaks, stand-up paddle-boards, windsurfers, tennis, gym, sauna and snorkelling equipment is included with your accommodation – and there are no cars on the island – just golf carts.

It’s only a short boat ride to Australia’s most famous beach (and one of the world’s top five beaches), Whitehaven Beach, a seven-kilometre-long strip of silica sand beach fringed by turquoise waters (what a dream cricket pitch). You can also access boat trips to Whitehaven Beach from lively Airlie Beach - the other gateway to the Whitsunday Islands (fly into Whitsunday Airport).

Moreton Island

Where better for a game of beach cricket than on one of the world’s largest sand islands? Just a short ferry ride from Brisbane, Moreton Island lies waiting for you to step into its natural wonder.  

Take a day tour from Brisbane and bring your cricket set for its kilometres of empty beaches. There’s everything from sand tobogganing down sand dunes to banana boat rides and para-sailing. Or stay overnight at Tangalooma Island Resort – it’s just a short walk from your waterside room to feed dolphins (Moreton Island is home to the largest population of resident bottlenose dolphins on the planet) which come to the beach next to the resort every evening.

Noosa Main Beach, Sunshine Coast

There’s no prettier beach in Australia to swing a cricket bat on than Noosa’s Main Beach. Bordered by a national park and a slow breaking wave (regarded as the safest and most consistent wave in Australia to learn to surf on), it's the ideal beach to learn to ride a wave with the whole family, in between your cricket innings.

In Noosa, you'll also find Hastings Street, one of regional Queensland’s hippest shopping streets, right beside the sand. Here there are endless alfresco dining options and ice cream shops – perfect for a cool-down after cricket. Noosa Surf Club is an ideal place to take the family for lunch or dinner, with a view out over the water.

Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas

Port Douglas is where celebrities have come to holiday – and yet not many took advantage of Port Douglas’s stunning, horseshoe-shaped Four Mile Beach for beach cricket.

But you can – this beach is lined with palm trees and rainforest as it’s the only place on Earth where two World Heritage-listed sites meet – the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.

There’s a large collection of family-friendly resorts built along the beach and Port Douglas is one of the best (and easiest) places to access boat tours to the Great Barrier Reef – one of the planet’s best snorkelling and diving locations.

After cricket on the beach, explore this quintessential Far North Queensland beach town as its main street (Macrossan Street) is lined with boutique stores and restaurants, though it’s as just as much fun meeting friendly locals at barbeques in parks which overlook the Coral Sea (also great spots for impromptu games of cricket).

Cape Hillsborough Beach, Mackay

Could there be a more quintessential Queensland beach than a wide white sandy stretch framed by rainforest, where kangaroos come to feed each morning and evening? Located 45 minutes drive north of Mackay, Cape Hillsborough Beach is the perfect beach cricket setting as you can play and swim beside a national park, surrounded by wildlife.

Book a family cabin at nearby Cape Hillsborough Nature Tourist Park and you’ll sleep right on the beach. In between games of beach cricket, take hiking trails through the national park to places like Hidden Valley, home to thousands of tiger blue butterflies, while the jagged volcanic headlands make a striking backdrop for your beach days.

Looking for more places to swing your bat? Here are the most beautiful beaches in Queensland.