Australia's Top 10 Best Beaches

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Where are Australia's Best Beaches?

 



There are an awful lot of beaches in Australia and most of them are deserted. Australia boasts some of the best beaches in the world and the huge coastline stretches for nearly 37,000 km, which includes 11,011 beaches, more than any other nation. Most of Australia’s cities and towns are situated on the coast, within a few kilometres of the ocean, which amounts to 12 million people, or 85% of Australia’s population living within one hour’s drive of the coastline. The following is a list of the most popular beaches from around Australia.

Bells Beach

 




Bells Beach located between Anglesea (my town) and Torquay on the Great Ocean Road, is the surfing mecca of Australia. Home to the 'Rip Curl Pro' World Surfing Championships it serves up the biggest and best waves in Australia. Everything about Bells Beach is geared for surfing. From the shops, to the number of major surf goods manufacturers who base their global operations there, to the chilled-out disposition of the locals themselves, it’s clear that Bells Beach is a surf town.

Bondi Beach

 


 Bondi Beach


Australia’s most famous beach, Bondi Beach is a mecca for tourists, lifesavers, surfers and sun worshippers. Bondi is a definitive example of Sydney’s city beach culture being only a few minutes drive from the city. Bondi Beach is home to the Bondi Surf Bathers, the oldest life saving club in Australia established in 1906. When I go Sydney, this is where I like to hang out - it has a great 'beachy' vibe!

Byron Bay

 


 
Byron Bay is the easterly most point of the Australian continent, and one of the most popular surfing beaches in New South Wales. In the last 40 years, Byron Bay has transformed into a popular beach resort and alternative lifestyle. Renowned for its surfing beaches and beautiful rainforests, Byron Bay enjoys a relaxed and informal lifestyle that has become a favourite for many travellers. I have had some fun times here with the girls in my single days!

Cable Beach

 



Cable Beach is renowned as one of the most stunning beaches in the world, with twenty-two kilometres of pristine white sands fringing the tropical turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Washed clean every day by tides, Cable Beach provides the ideal safe environment for swimming and relaxation. They say that the sunset at Cable Beach is the one of the most magnificent you can see in the world. The blazing red orb of the sun sets the sky alight as it sinks below the boundless horizon of the Indian Ocean. I got married on the beach here so I am huge fan of this part of the world. The beach and the colour of the water are simply breathtaking! And yes ... the sunsets are amazing!

Cottesloe Beach

 



One of Perth’s most popular beaches, Cottesloe is a wonderful spot to visit. Swimming, surfing, snorkelling, fishing and just sitting in the sun are all favourite pastimes at this premier beach location. I love this old colonial restaurant that sits proudly on the beach. Norfolk Pine trees, some more than 70 years old, line the streets. This is my favourite place in Perth.

Four Mile Beach





Four Mile Beach, aptly named for the four miles of clean white sand, curves around one side of Port Douglas. Located just an hour north of Cairns, along one of Australia’s most scenic coastal routes, against a backdrop of rainforest mountains with a foreground of the Coral Sea, Port Douglas is the perfect base to explore the exceptional World Heritage areas of the Daintree and the Great Barrier Reef. We head up here once a year for a week's holiday - this is my favourite 'chill out' place in Australia - great hotels, food and restaurants, warm water and beautiful scenery!

Hyams Beach

 



Hyams Beach is renowned as having the whitest sand in the world, the sun seems to reflect off of the water and sand even more so at this beach than others because it is so brilliant. It is an excellent holiday area for families. Staying at Camp Paperbark at Jervis Bay is on my bucket list!

Manly Beach





A visit to Manly by ferry provides you with the quintessential Sydney experience. The thirty-minute cruise across Sydney Harbour puts you in a relaxed mood to enjoy this easy-going and cosmopolitan suburb. With the famous surf beach on the Pacific Ocean side and a serene inner harbour beach on the other, Manly has the best of both waterfront worlds and is a popular place to swim, windsurf, parasail, snorkel, kayak, surf and scuba dive.  I had a great time here dining on seafood at a waterfront restaurant.

Monkey Mia

 

 


Monkey Mia is located on a unique section of World Heritage coastline only the Western Australian coastline. It has a relaxed atmosphere and those who love nature will delight at the huge variety of animal and bird life. This place is famous because you can stand in the water and hand feed fish to the dolphins who swim in every day for a feed. I would love to hire a Kombi Van and drive it up to Monkey Mia to see the dolphins.

Ninety Mile Beach

 



Ninety Mile Beach itself is the ocean-facing edge of one giant sand dune and is the perfect place to stretch your legs and go for a short stroll. Located just over 250 kilometres from Melbourne, Ninety Mile Beach is home to some of Australia’s biggest surf fishing and provides ample opportunities for swimming, fishing, boating and sailing. 

Noosa Heads

 




Visitors flock to Noosa from all over the world, many as frequent visitors and some returning to live in this exceptional coastal village. Noosa attracts a broad mix of sun-seekers from surfers and families to fashionable foodies and executive couples wanting to get away from it all. This is where I will be spending Christmas this year ... can't wait!

Palm Beach





Palm Beach is the exclusive, high-end of Sydney’s long stretch of the northern beaches; it’s everything you’d expect from the insular-peninsula amid the playground of the nation’s rich and famous. Palm Beach still retains traces of its early character; although mansions dominate the southern corner. Barrenjoey Head looms over North Palm Beach, which is unpatrolled at its furthest tip. I love this pocket of Northern Sydney - I'm dying to get back there and spend a week to explore and really soak up the atmosphere.

Scarborough





Scarborough is located on the west coast, just a short 15 minute drive west from the heart of Perth and is famous for its sunny weather, popular beaches and relaxed lifestyle. I had a girls holiday to Perth in my younger days. We stayed in Scarborough on the beach and had a heap of fun!

Surfers Point





When surf fanatics find a good thing, they stick to it. That’s why they return to Margaret River’s Surfers Point in droves. The people who named Surfers Point weren’t joking. This place looks like it was made for wave riders. The massive, powerful waves can carry for up to 500 metres on a good day. The surf can be daunting to the novice, but if you’ve got a bit of experience on a board, then you’ll find most likely find the surf the best you’ve ever come across. 

Whitehaven Beach

 


 


On uninhabited Whitsunday Island near Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, Whitehaven Beach is a four-mile (6km) expanse of pure white silica sand sloping into azure water. The beach, so dazzling that it hurts to look at without sunglasses, can be reached on a day-trip from Airlie Beach on the mainland. Whilst holidaying at nearby Hayman Island we booked a seaplane trip to have a gourmet picnic on Whitehaven Beach but sadly it was cancelled due to shocking weather so it's still on my 'To Do ' List!

Which is your favourite beach on the list or do you have another one? 

Melissah xox


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Friday Favorites

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Stuff is so inspiring! I know that's a particularly general statement...but I guess it's meant to be. The things that inspire me on a daily basis are so random and range across such a broad spectrum of categories, genres, and mediums. I could never box them up for safe keeping...to pull out on a rainy day when I'm feeling especially dull. Yeah sure, I've got Pinterest etc...but sometimes I find it's best to let stuff find you when it's ready to find you. And that's what so many of my Friday Favorites are...wonderful things that travel through space and find me in just the right mood with just the right eyes for seeing them. I hope this week's Friday Faves find you in a blissfully receptive state.

Starting with Ohhh goodness!! This dress I spied over at Hello Holiday. Pair this with black tights and a cardigan and look out! I could decorate a room around this dress.


 

These tights  embellished with "love text" are so fab! I love when texture and pattern aren't merely texture and pattern...it's what I love about art journaling.



The Art of Louis Boudreault  absolutely floors me. The layers, the color...and jeez, the large format of them! Again, it's impossible for these not to find their way into my creative process. 



It's so simple and yet so easy to forget. As the studio starts to come together I could see this print occupying some wall space in there.



I adore this necklace from Pygmy Hippo Shoppe. One of the cutest shops on the face of the earth that I vow to visit in real life one day! 


Oh jeez...these are just too cute! Our bathroom has a vintage boardwalk theme...well I should say HAD...thanks a lot Hurricane Sandy. Right now it needs to be gutted. The floor fell in... the walls, ceiling, shower, tiles, vanity, all need to be replaced...yeah, so pretty much evvverything. So I guess we'll be starting from scratch. I'm not sure if we'll stick to what we had or try something brand new. Either way these would really make me happy! 


Ohh man: neeed! If you know me you know that I've been all about GOLD forevs...like when most peeps thought gold was only "still worn" on Staten Island. I've been rocken' my gold bamboo door knockers since I was 14! And my first crush was Mr. T. yep! The mass of gold necklaces, the camo pants rolled up, the combat boots, and the best haircut in the business! Well, that said...I need this set.

Ok, hope you were inspired to do the thing you do. (and bless you if Shopping is your thing!) Happy Friday!
xo, Jenny

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How to Burn the Most Fat: Exercise in a Fasted State!

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If you're looking to burn the most fat, try exercising first thing in the morning without eating.

In grad school I did a lot of research on exercise and energy metabolism, and learned that for the most fat burn, it is best to exercise on an empty stomach. Yet another recent study out of the UK confirms this school of thought (2). This study followed 12 physically active men and found that the men burned 20% more calories from fat in a fasted state compared to when they ate breakfast. Furthermore, they did not overcompensate by eating more calories later in the day nor had an increased appetite compared to when they ate prior to exercise. One of the researchers was quoted as saying: "Our results show that exercise does not increase your appetite, hunger or food consumption later in the day and to get the most out of your session it may be optimal to perform this after an overnight fast” (1).


My recommendations:  I am hesitant to recommend exercising without eating to people who have never tried for fear they might faint. If weight loss and fat burning is your main motivation for exercising, you may want to try working out first thing in the morning. However, I advise you to bring a glucose-containing drink or piece of fruit with you in case you start to feel light headed. Some people may also find that they have no energy when working out hungry which could negate the benefit of increased fat burning. If you have less energy, your workout will be weaker, so you will end up burning fewer calories than if you had eaten (and therefore, fewer calories from fat). 

Furthermore, I never recommend exercising without eating first for diabetics or those with blood-sugar issues. For those athletes who are most concerned about getting a good workout in- as opposed to just burning calories and fat- always eat or consume something with glucose before a workout to get the most out of it. Personally, I would rather have enough energy and a good workout than be feeling hungry and tired when I'm exercising. If I'm exercising early in the morning, I am always sure to eat at least a piece of fruit like a banana beforehand (see post below on the benefits of bananas!), but usually also coffee made with a protein-containing milk (soy or cow) and a hearty meal containing carbs and protein afterwards. 

Product Shout out!: This past weekend I gave out CLICK espresso protein drink samples at our open house. For most of my clients, I do not advocate the need for protein shakes and would rather have them make their own. However, this stuff is delicious and is a quick and convenient way to get in caffeine, some carbs, and protein before an early-morning workout when time to prepare food is limited. So, if you are looking for a good pre-workout protein drink, I recommend this product. I tried the vanilla latte flavor before I did kettlebell and spinning on two different days and had an amazing workouts both times- tons of energy and felt great! Another benefit is CLICK is a milk-based protein (casein) so it can actually be heated and not chunk up like whey protein based supplements.

Note: I do not receive any monetary compensation from CLICK, and this is an actual recommendation based on my experience with the product.


References:
1. Northumbria University. "Lose fat faster before breakfast." ScienceDaily, 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.

2. Javier T. Gonzalez, Rachel C. Veasey, Penny L. S. Rumbold, Emma J. Stevenson. Breakfast and exercise contingently affect postprandial metabolism and energy balance in physically active males. British Journal of Nutrition, 2013




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