We spent 18 months driving around Australia and visited hundreds of beaches. There’s said to be over 10,000 beaches in Australia, and while we can’t say we’ve seen them all, we’ve seen our fair share.

Perth beaches really hit like nowhere else: the water is ridiculously blue, the sand is soft enough to nap on, and there’s a beach for every mood. Want waves? Got it. Prefer calm, crystal-clear water?

Sydney — Hundreds of mysterious black tar-like balls have washed up on two popular Sydney area beaches, prompting lifeguards to close the strands to swimmers. "Mysterious, black, ball-shaped debris" ...