About us

What is Beach Stays?

www.beachstays.com.au is a website that showcases accommodation along Victoria's coast that is no more than a 500 metre walk from the beach or coastline.

The accommodation listed is suitable for travellers, visitors, holidaymakers, business people, singles, couples, families, friends, groups, backpackers and the like. It includes hotels, motels, resorts, apartments, cabins, cottages, holiday houses, holiday units, bed & breakfasts, guest houses, caravan parks, camping sites and backpacker hostels.

How is the 500 metres is measured?

All measurements are conducted via the shortest walking distance to the coast across public land, along roads and walkways open to the public, or walking within the boundaries of the accommodation property in question. In some cases, this shortest walking distance may be unsuitable for certain people, depending on factors including personal fitness, weather conditions and the state of access walkways, thus a longer route which exceeds 500 metres may need to be taken.

At the beach end, the measurements are taken from either the nearest presence of beach sand, the high tide water mark, coastal rocks or the base of beach cliffs. These areas must all be accessible by walking along defined pathways, stairways, steps or through open space, not by climbing or abseiling down cliff faces.

At the accommodation property end, the measurements are taken from either the entrance to the allotment of land the property is situated on or the part of the property which is closest to the beach. This may mean that in some cases, the actual area you stay in may be more that 500 metres from the beach if it is located at the distant end of a large allotment, such as camping sites and caravan parks that occupy large expanses of land.

Valid beach or coastline areas in Victoria:

• Coastline or beaches that front Bass Strait, Southern Ocean or Tasman Sea
• Coastal bays with direct water access to Bass Strait, Southern Ocean or Tasman Sea, such as Port Phillip and Western Port
• The sandy mouths of rivers or sandy shoreline of inlets which directly open into the oceans or coastal bays defined above, such as Barwon River at Barwon Heads, the entrance to Anderson Inlet at Inverloch, Cunninghame Arm at Lakes Entrance, Snowy River at Marlo, Develings Inlet at Mallacoota and Glenelg River at Nelson

Invalid beach or coastline areas in Victoria:

• Inland river and lake beaches, such as those along the Murray River or land-locked lakes such as the Kerang Lakes, Lake Eildon and Lake Eppalock
• Beaches along coastal lakes and inlets which don't have immediate access to Bass Strait, Southern Ocean or Tasman Sea, such as Lake Victoria (Paynesville and Loch Sport), Lake King (Eagle Point and Metung), North Arm (Lakes Entrance) and Mallacoota Inlet

How are we different?

There are many websites out there that tout themselves as providing a guide to beach or coastal accommodation. In reality, some of the properties they showcase are many kilometres from the beach and are simply not within a short walking distance, thus requiring transport.

At Beach Stays, we are different. Every property displayed is located no more than a 500 metre walk from the coast. That means to get to the beach, it's just a short stroll or a few seconds in a vehicle.

After all, when planning a stay along the coast, the location is one of your main considerations!

Can I list my property on Beach Stays?

Only properties located within a 500 metre walk of the beach or coast, as per the technical measurement details specified in the section "how is the 500 metres measured" can be listed on Beach Stays.

If your property satisfies the 500 metre walk test, and is located in the Australian state of Victoria, then please proceed to our advertising page.

Photos on Beach Stays

The photos shown at the top of each page and the additional photos found within the feature page on each beachside destination are the copyright material of several organisations including:

• Winning Images and Airview Online - aerial image libraries covering many locations in Australia
• Travel Victoria - tourism website for Victoria, under the same management as Beach Stays
• Visions of Victoria - Tourism Victoria's official image library
• Shutterstock - a stock photo library with millions of photos

Photos from those organisations have been officially licensed by us for use on the Beach Stays website. Please note that as we don't have ownership of those photos, we cannot grant you permission to reproduce any them, so you will need to contact the relevant organisation above directly.

Photos that appear within pages showcasing accommodation properties near the beach are under the ownership of those accommodation properties. Beach Stays has been granted permission to reproduce them here as part of their advertising package.

The Beach Stays story

The Beach Stays concept was researched and planned out during 2010 by the team at Travel Victoria. A prototype website at www.beachstays.com.au went live in October 2010.

In May 2011, the complete Beach Stays website was officially launched, featuring a collection of around 130 accommodation properties in Victoria, all located within a 500 metre walk of the beach or coast.