Holiday destinations advice?

Question

im looking to go on holidays .. somewhere in australia ... i want it to be a quiet town with great beaches and good shopping .. any ideas?

Answer 1

Western australia will be a good destination for you.  Consider Perth?

Answer 2

Quiet town, great beaches and good shopping don't quiet go together. Shops are built where there are lots of people to sell to, great beaches attract lots of people and lots of people make the town noisy. May have to compromise somewhere.

Answer 3

Depends on the time of year you want to come and where you are from (ie if you are from a really cold climate, avoid summer, if you are from a more temperate climate, try spring - September & October, or autumn February April).

Pretty much north of Rockhampton in Queensland you have a choice of seaside towns on the mainland and islands.  AVOID in summer - it is very hot.  Try Port Douglas north of Cairns, or some of the beaches to the north of Cairns like Yorkey's North - you get reef, rainforest and some other places like Kuranda which are gorgous.  Or the Whitsunday's, Herron, Hayman or Dunk Islands or well any island.  Check them out.  

The Sunshine Coast is nice, you can stay right on the coast, or try somewhere like Maleny which is maybe a 20 minute drive to the coast but you get look outs and art galleries and bush walks etc.

The Gold Coast is very touristy in areas, but go behind (eg Mt Tamborine) or say Currumbin or the southern end of the Gold Coast where it's less touristy.  Surfers Paradise is touristy...

NSW northern coast is rather nice too.  Byron Bay is a bit touristy these days but pick anything around or use it as a base.  

Also try something a bit out of Perth, I hear Freemantle and some other towns around there are rather nice.

Everything apart from those north of Rockhampton, try September / October or February through April.  The weather should be reasonably nice, warm days coolish but not cold nights most years (2 out of 3)