Travel update: ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred latest travel information for South East QLD and Northern NSW
Nude Solstice Swim, Dark Mofo, Hobart, Tasmania © Dark Mofo
The best nude beaches in Australia
Do you dare to go bare? Ditch your inhibitions – and clothes – at these cheeky beaches around the country.
If you’re keen on a city skinny dip, secluded nudist-friendly spots like Obelisk Beach and Lady Bay Beach offer liberating escapes in the heart of Sydney. Off the beaten track, Little Jibbon Beach is an isolated and wild stretch of sand nestled in the Royal National Park. Join fellow naturists, but be sure to head to Little Jibbon; its larger neighbour, Jibbon Beach, may leave you feeling a little overexposed.
The Fleurieu Peninsula is synonymous with ocean activities – surfing, fishing, snorkelling – and on Maslin Beach, you can add swimsuit-free swimming to the list. You can park right next to the sand at this easy-to-access beach before stripping off at the southern end, known as the first designated nudist beach in Australia. When you’re not basking in your birthday suit, explore shipwrecks, spot a Leafy Sea Dragon and admire the towering cliffs that frame one of South Australia's prettiest beaches.
On the shortest day of the year, Hobart’s Long Beach puts on a show – of 2,000 brave, bare bottoms. For one morning only, the typically family-friendly beach fills with thousands of unclad participants taking an icy plunge. The Nude Solstice Swim is a bold tradition of Dark Mofo, a subversive annual arts festival by the masterminds behind Mona (Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art). Who else could dream up this brilliant, buck-naked event?
Fancy going bare for a whole weekend? At Sumurai Beach, located in Port Stephen’s Tomaree National Park, you can pitch your tent without a stitch on. This wildly beautiful clothing-optional beach and campsite is loved for its mammoth sand dunes, crowd-free surfing, whale watching and 4WD beach drives. With no running water or electricity, this self-sufficient campsite is the perfect place to connect to nature – in the truest sense.
Exmouth is renowned for its sparkling beaches and the clear, turquoise waters of the Ningaloo Marine Park, where an array of marine life swim just metres from the shore. But before you strap on your snorkel, you can sit back and relax on the sand of the clothing-optional Mauritius Beach. Then, go snorkelling on the reef just offshore and look out for nesting turtles on the beach.
Australia’s laid-back vibe is well and truly felt at Kings Beach, tucked away in the Broken Head Nature Reserve, just a 15-minute drive from Byron Bay. This isolated patch of sand is the place to strip off your material possessions and embrace life’s simple pleasures. Flanked by rocky headlands, you’re likely to share it with only a few naturists or surfers chasing the perfect wave. Lay beneath pandanus palms and let your inhibitions fall away, just like your clothes.
Less than a 30-minute drive from the city of Perth, North Swanbourne Beach is a popular spot to immerse in nature from top to toe. Whip off your kit and feel the freedom of the sea breeze as you wade into the sparkling sea. Those feeling a little more reserved can duck between white sand dunes to rest in the sun with a little more privacy.