This beach looks like the Seychelles but it's near a major Aussie city

Posted on : 05/12/2021
This beach looks like the Seychelles but it's near a major Aussie city
Travel 

A winding coastal walk on the top of a cliff face leads to one of Victoria’s most beautiful beaches.

Fairy Cove at Wilson’s Promontory has been attracting adventure-starved tourists while Australia’s international borders remain shut, with any reopening beyond New Zealand’s trans-Tasman and other ‘safe’ travel bubbles now unlikely until mid-2022.

Visitors have compared the secluded beach, a three-hour drive 214km south-east of the Melbourne CBD, to island paradises such as the Seychelles.

A video of the cove captured by travel agent turned travel blogger Caitlyn, who posts as ‘The Wanderlust Times’, shows stretches of pure white sand flanked by sparkling turquoise ocean. 

  • a group of people sitting on a rock near the ocean: A winding coastal walk on the top of a cliff face leads to one of Victoria's most beautiful beaches (pictured)

  • Fairy Cove at Wilson's Promontory (pictured) has been attracting adventure-starved tourists while Australia's international borders remain shut

  • map: Fairy Cove at Wilson's Promontory, 214km south of Melbourne CBD

The beach can be reached by a walking trail raised on wooden planks that takes 45 minutes each way if you walk at a moderate pace.

Gallery: The world’s most breathtaking natural coastal wonders (Daily Mail)

  • Slide 1 of 34: If you're looking for a sea view with a difference, then you're in the right place. Here are the world's most eye-catching natural coastal sights, including gravity-defying sea stacks, Instagram-baiting arches and other-worldly caves. One sight in the mix that makes a big impression is Ball's Pyramid off Lord Howe Island in Australia - at 1,843ft (561m) tall, it's the world's loftiest sea stack. The cornucopia of coastline attractions also features the stunning Blue Grotto sea cave on the island of Capri in southern Italy, which is illuminated by a mesmerizing blue glow at certain times of the day. Our global tour also takes in rock formations that have featured in Game of Thrones and a James Bond film - and one off the coast of Scotland that looks like the tip of a violin bow.

  • Slide 2 of 34: Ko Tapu, off the coast of Thailand, is a top-heavy limestone sea stack about 66ft (20m) high. It became a popular attraction after staring in the 1974 James Bond movie The Man With The Golden Gun and it is now part of the protected Ao Phang Nga National Park.

  • Slide 3 of 34: Behold Reynisdrangar, impressive basalt formations by the black sands of Reynisfjara beach and the coastal village of Vík in southern Iceland. Their popularity soared after they featured in season seven of Game of Thrones as Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Adventures.com notes: 'According to Icelandic folklore, these odd formations were once sea trolls who tried to drag a ship to the shore. They apparently did not realise that the sun was rising and turned into stones instantly when the sun touched them'.

  • Slide 4 of 34: Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset. It was created when the sea pierced through the rock around 10,000 years ago. The name Durdle comes from Old English word 'thirl', meaning bore or drill.

  • Slide 5 of 34: Cathedral Cove, also known as Te Whanganui-a-Hei, is a marine reserve on New Zealand's North Island. The park, which covers nine square kilometres (3.47 square miles), is home to a stunning natural arch. Along with being a popular photography spot, kayaking and diving are other attractions that lure travelers.

  • Slide 6 of 34: Kicker Rock, also known as Leon Dormido, is a photogenic rock formation north of San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands. The outcrop, the remains of a volcanic cone that's split in two, rises almost 500ft (153m) from sea level. Some believe the eroded rocks resemble a shoe, hence the name Kicker Rock, while others see it as a sleeping sea lion, which translates to Leon Dormido in Spanish.

  • Slide 7 of 34: A view of the Needles off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. The landmark features a row of three stacks of chalk that rise almost 100ft (30.4m) out of the sea. The lighthouse at the end was built by Trinity House in 1859, with engineers using dynamite to create a platform for it on one of the chalk stacks.

  • Slide 8 of 34: Rising out of the Southern Ocean, alongside Australia's famous Great Ocean Road, you'll find the 12 Apostles - limestone pillars that were once connected to the mainland cliffs. The waves and blasting winds gradually carved them into caves, then arches, and eventually eroded them to 150ft- (45m) tall columns. Currently, there are, in fact, only eight Apostles.

  • Slide 9 of 34: The Old Man of Hoy soars out of the Atlantic Ocean on the Orkney archipelago off the north coast of Scotland. At 450ft-(137m) tall, the red sandstone monolith is one of the loftiest sea stacks in the British Isles. It is a popular spot with climbers and first scaled in 1966, by mountaineers Chris Bonington, Rusty Baillie and Tom Patey.

  • Slide 10 of 34: One of the most popular photography spots in Portugal is the Benagil cave.  The unique rock formation, located in the Algarve between Benagil Beach and Marinha Beach, has a big hole in its ceiling which means the sun casts a magical glow at certain times of the day. It is possible to swim to the cave but strong currents mean it's more advisable to take a boat tour or get there by kayak or stand up paddleboard.

  • Slide 11 of 34: Tri Brata is a trio of rocks at the entrance to the Avacha Bay on the southeastern coast of Russia's remote Kamchatka Peninsula. According to legend, the rocks are the remains of three brothers who went to defend the town from a tsunami and turned to stone to help resist the force of the waves.

  • Slide 12 of 34: The Totem Pole is a dolerite sea stack located in Fortescue Bay in Tasman National Park near Port Arthur. The dramatic stack, which measures 213ft- (65m) in height with a diameter of 13ft (3.9m), is a popular climbing spot. It was first scaled in 1968 by a team including British-born Australian climber John Ewbank and Allan Keller.

  • Slide 13 of 34: The Faroe Islands' Risin og Kellingin, or The Giant and the Witch, sea stacks (seen to the right) attract thousands of sightseers every year. The rock formations are best seen from either the village of Tjornuvík on Streymoy island or halfway between the village of Eidi and the Eidisskard mountain pass on Eysturoy island. In terms of stature, Risin stands 233ft- (71m) high while Kellingin is 226ft (69m) above sea level. The sheer cliff that towers over them to the left is called Eidiskollur, which is 1,155ft (352m) tall.

  • Slide 14 of 34: Fingal's Cave is located on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The rock formation looms 227ft (69m) high over the Atlantic Ocean. The regimented hexagonal pillars of basalt that form the walls look manufactured, but are in fact completely natural. The cave's distinctive acoustics inspired German composer Mendelssohn to write his Hebrides Overture.

  • Slide 15 of 34: The Blue Grotto is a natural sea cave 196ft- (60m) long and 82ft- (25m) wide on the coast of the island of Capri in southern Italy. The cave mouth is only 6.5ft (2m) wide and 3.2ft (1m) high, so visitors must enter the channel via a small rowing boat. As the boat passes through the entrance, the skipper will ask passengers to lay back. Capri.com notes that the best time to see the cavern's famed blue glow is when the sun is strongest 'between noon and two in the afternoon'.

  • Slide 16 of 34: With a height of 30ft (9.1m), the Great Pollet Arch is Ireland's largest sea arch. It is located off Fanad in County Donegal, but there isn't much signage, which makes it a difficult place to find.

  • Slide 17 of 34: Praia das Catedrais, on the northwest coast of Spain, features several impressive sea arches and caves. The arches can be navigated on foot at low tide with the formations likened to soaring ceiling columns found in Gothic cathedrals, hence the name.

  • Slide 18 of 34: These photogenic chalk formations off the coast of Dorset are collectively known as Old Harry Rocks, but the name Old Harry actually refers to the single stack of chalk standing furthest out to sea. Until 1896 there was another stack known as Old Harry's Wife, but erosion caused her to tumble into the sea, leaving a mere stump. The sea stacks were originally part of the chalk ridgeline that runs across the south coast all the way to the Needles on the Isle of Wight.

  • Slide 19 of 34: Kleftiko Beach, on the Greek island of Milos, is a picture-perfect stretch of coastline that's home to multiple limestone sea arches and caves, some of which are large enough to navigate boats through.

  • Slide 20 of 34: Pigeons' Rock, also known as the Rock of Raouché, is located in Lebanon at Beirut's western-most tip. The landmark consists of two huge limestone outcrops with the southern stack featuring a perfectly curved natural arch.

  • Slide 21 of 34: The Green Bridge, located within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in Wales, is a magnificent limestone arch that is 80ft (24.3m) tall at its highest point. Visiting the natural wonder is tricky as a nearby army range often leads to road closures and climbing is restricted at certain times of the year due to nesting sea birds.

  • Slide 22 of 34: Ball's Pyramid, located off Lord Howe Island in Australia, is 1,843ft (561m) tall, making it the world's tallest sea stack. The waters surrounding the basalt spire are popular with divers as it is home to many rare species, including the Spanish dancer sea slug and the ballina angelfish.

  • Slide 23 of 34: Merlin's Cave, on the North Cornwall coast, has intrigued locals and tourists for decades. According to legend, the sea cave, situated beneath Tintagel Castle, is where the wizard Merlin lived while King Arthur was growing up. The cave partially fills with water at high tide, but it is navigable at low tide and runs for some 330ft (100m).

  • Slide 24 of 34: Yesnaby on the west coast of the Orkney mainland in Scotland serves up some stunning sea views. The star attraction is Yesnaby Castle, a precarious-looking sea stack with a natural arch. The monolith stands 115ft (35m) high.

  • Slide 25 of 34: If you venture to the most northeastern point of mainland Britain, to Duncansby Head, west of John O'Groats, you'll find these beautiful sea stacks just off the coast. These pyramid-shaped spires rise 200ft (60m) above the North Sea.

  • Slide 26 of 34: Arch Rock is located off the coast of Anacapa Island in California's Channel Islands National Park. It takes around an hour to get to the island from the mainland by boat. The natural bridge, which is 40ft (12m) high, attracts thousands of nesting birds.

  • Slide 27 of 34: One of the UK's most unique sea arches, Bow Fiddle Rock is located near the village of Portknockie on the northeastern coast of Scotland. It was named after its shape, as it resembles the tip of a violin bow.

  • Slide 28 of 34: Sail Rock, or Parus Rock, is a sandstone monolith located on the shores of Krasnodar Krai in southern Russia. The sail-shaped rock formation is around 82ft (25m) high and 65.6ft (20m) long. The sea stack features a small hole but its origin is not known. Russia Travel notes that some suggest it was caused by artillery fire during the Caucasian War of 1817 to 1864.

  • Slide 29 of 34: Haystack Rock is a popular landmark on the north coast of Oregon in the U.S. The mammoth rock, which rises 235ft (71.6m) from the edge of Cannon Beach, can be navigated on foot at low tide. Puffins can be observed on Haystack Rock from early spring to mid-summer and its rock pools are home to species including starfish, anemone, crabs, and nudibranch molluscs.

  • Slide 30 of 34: If you trek to the remote west coast of mainland Orkney in Scotland, you'll find North Gaulton Castle. This elegant sea stack is formed of red sandstone and towers 165ft (50m) above the water. In 2017 the tricky-to-navigate stack was successfully scaled by four climbers.

  • Slide 31 of 34: The London Arch is an offshore natural arch in the Port Campbell National Park in southeast Australia. The rock formation was previously known as the London Bridge as the arch was connected to the mainland via another arch, making it look like its manmade British counterpart. However, the connecting arch collapsed in 1990 and the landmark's name was adapted. Before it collapsed, visitors could walk right to the end of the rock bridge.

  • Slide 32 of 34: Penbryn beach, which is around 14.4km (nine miles) north of Cardigan in Wales, is owned by the National Trust and is almost 1.6km (a mile) in length. On the far right-hand side is a cave that can be explored at low tide.

  • Slide 33 of 34: Fowl Craig, a section of cliffs on the northeast coast of Papa Westray island in Orkney, serves up a fine mix of natural arches and caves. It is also a popular spot with birders and for finding the minuscule Scottish Primrose. Papa Westray is one of the smallest islands in Orkney, measuring 6.4km (four miles) in length and 1.6km (a mile) across at its widest point.

  • Slide 34 of 34: The Old Man of Stoer is a popular challenge for the professional climbing community. The sea stack, which is almost 200ft (60.9m) high and made of red and brown sandstone, towers off the coast of Sutherland, Scotland, close to villages of Culkein and Stoer.

Down on the sand, the cove is filled with giant boulders, rock pools and native wildlife.

Caitlyn warned there is a ‘bit of an incline’ on the way up, but promised you will be welcomed with ‘amazing views over the whole national park’ once you reach the top.

She said she was one of only three visitors to the ‘hidden gem’ beach, meaning it hasn’t become a mainstream attraction for Australians just yet. 

  • a group of people sitting on a rock near the ocean: The beach can be reached by a walking trail raised on wooden planks that takes 45 minutes each way if you walk at a moderate pace

  • a large mountain in the background: Fairy Cove is on the coast of Wilson's Promontory National Park

  • a rocky beach next to the ocean: The walk has an incline on the way up, but you will be welcomed with incredible views (pictured) once you reach the top

Her clip, which has drawn almost 600 ‘likes’ since it was uploaded to Instagram on March 26, has sparked stunned responses. 

‘Wow, how beautiful,’ one viewer wrote.

‘This really is enchanting, it looks like the Seychelles!’ said a second, while a third couldn’t believe the blueness of the water.

Others said they were shocked that such an exotic beach existed in Victoria.

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