<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by anonplz:
Whitehaven Beach looks gorgeous! The more I troll around FT, the more I can see myself getting on a plane and traveling the 26 hours or so to Australia/New Zealand.</font>
Yes, Whitehaven is wonderful. But it is well protected (by the Great Barrier Reef) so there is no surf. Once you get much north of Gladstone, the waves are generally very tame. So if you like surf beaches, stay around the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, which are about 1 hour south and north of Brisbane respectively.
Make the effort and spend the time to get down here and experience the wonders of some of the best beaches around.