Onshore, unsheltered & windy
On-shore, unsheltered
& windy
mixed conditions
mixed
conditions
Off-shore, light winds, sheltered conditions
Albany is where Beaches of Australia began. This wild, ancient coastline — where granite headlands meet the Southern Ocean and sheltered inlets sit minutes from wave-battered bluffs — showed us exactly why a real-time shelter rating matters. No two beaches here behave the same, and conditions shift fast. From the calm of Middleton Beach to the raw exposure of Misery Beach and Frenchman Bay, find the best beach in Albany. Right now.
Beaches of Australia began in Albany, Western Australia, where the dramatic contrast between sheltered coves and exposed, wind-battered headlands first inspired a real-time shelter rating system.
The best beach in Albany changes throughout the day as wind shifts. Bay-facing beaches like Middleton Beach tend to stay more sheltered, while open coastline exposed to the Southern Ocean, like Frenchman Bay, is more affected by wind. Check the live shelter rating above to see which Albany beach is rated highest right now.
Albany sits directly in the path of wind coming off the Southern Ocean, with little landmass to break it before reaching the coast. Combined with granite headlands and open bays, this creates some of the most exposed and rapidly changing wind conditions in Australia.
Beaches of Australia calculates each rating from three live inputs — current wind speed, wind direction, and the beach's exact facing direction and surrounding topography. These combine into a live algorithm that produces a score out of 10, recalculated every 15 minutes, so the rating always reflects real conditions rather than a seasonal average.
A rating of 8–10 means a beach is currently well protected from wind, with calmer water suited to swimming and families. A rating of 1–3 means it's highly exposed, with rougher conditions likely. Because ratings update live, the same beach can move up or down within hours as wind shifts.
Wind speed, wind direction and shelter ratings are updated every 15 minutes using live weather data. That means the rating you see reflects current conditions, not last night's forecast — so it's worth checking again just before you leave.
Select your state or region and Beaches of Australia ranks every beach by its live shelter rating, so you can see at a glance which nearby beach is currently most sheltered from wind — updated every 15 minutes.
Yes — Beaches of Australia is free to use. Every shelter rating, updated every 15 minutes, is available at no cost across all regions.
Help us document the best beaches in Australia. If you have a better photo than the one used or have a beach that you’d like listed on the site, send us an image with location details or a Google map link to beachesofaustralia@gmail.com.
All accepted photos get an onsite reference with a link to your folio or business.
Email usMany thanks to our contributing photographers. If you wish to add or remove any photographs from the site send us a email: beachesofaustralia@gmail.com
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