Beach culture permeates every aspect of Australian life – from its fashion to its cuisine. The country’s most famous city beaches, such as Bondi (Sydney), Glenelg (Adelaide) and Cottesloe (Perth), are now globally recognised. But what about the more obscure, remote and downright quirky coastal beauty spots? Here are 12 of Australia’s best beaches that fulfil those criteria. So grab your board shorts, slap on some suncream and take the plunge. The water’s fine.

1. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia

Ideal for: couples, families, camel riders

For anyone with Lawrence of Arabia fantasies, a sunset camel ride here is a must. Camels were first used in Australia by 19th century explorers and provide a link with that derring-do Outback spirit (most recently in Robyn Davidson, whose epic adventure and book Tracks was made into a 2013 film). Thanks to its remote location near the pearling town of Broome on the Kimberley Coast, Cable Beach – named after the telegraph cable that reached here from Java in 1889 – remains largely crowd-free. It’s a place of innocent fun on the far reaches of civilisation.

2. Shell Beach, Shark Bay, Western Australia

Ideal for: swimmers, photographers

In a country that idolises white sand beaches, this 100-kilometre-long beach consisting entirely of tiny white shells is something of an oddity. This intriguing coastal phenomenon is a magnet for swimmers, snorkellers and photographers from around the world – despite its remote location on the Peron Peninsula, 831 kilometres north of Perth. What makes Shell Beach unique is that all the shells are derived from the same creature – the Hamelin cockle. The beach is part of Shark Bay, a Unesco World Heritage site best known for the playful bottlenose dolphins at Monkey Mia, and is a 45-minute drive from the small township of Denham on the main north-south highway.

3. Main Beach, Gold Coast, Queensland

Ideal for: swimmers, surfers, exhibitionists

The Australian conman Peter Foster once described Queensland’s Gold Coast as ‘a sunny place for shady people’. It’s worked hard on its image since. This glittering coastal strip, flanked by high-rise apartment blocks, offers an intoxicating mix of natural beauty, consumer excess and gym-hardened bodies. Main Beach, adjacent to the district of Southport, is the beating heart of the Gold Coast, attracting early morning joggers, pro-surfers and the international backpacker brigade. Surfers have flocked to the area since the 1920s – hence the renaming of Gold Coast’s Elston district to Surfers Paradise in 1933. The once-popular bikini-clad Meter Maids, who would insert money into expired parking meters, have hung up their gold sashes and gone into corporate hospitality.