Australia is such a big country, with so many wonderful beaches, cities and townships. When you decide to retire you’ll likely want to find that perfect place to retire, with the best coastal suburbs to retire in Australia.

Essentially, choosing where to retire will depend on affordability, location, and available services. From the beautiful, warm Sunshine Coast in Queensland, to the coastline of Western Australia, we’ve got some great suggestions for some of the more popular beach suburbs to retire in Australia.

Caloundra, The Sunshine Coast, Queensland

Average house price $570,000/ Average unit price $445,000

Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast is an affordable lifestyle, with affordable house and unit prices. It’s always been a top holiday destination for people from Brisbane and the surrounds for obvious reasons. It has long walkways alongside the sandy beaches, spectacular ocean views and great picnic areas. It’s warm all year round and is home to many apartments, houses, retirement villages and still some old beach shacks.

For those who love to dine, there are also many cafés and restaurants with top quality coffee and seafood. And speaking of amenities, Caloundra is also home to great shopping centres, and brand new hospitals in nearby Kawana. But most of all, Caloundra is still a beach town, and is peaceful and quiet for most of the year, excluding peak holiday times. In fact, the Sunshine Coast offers many desirable coastal suburbs to retire in Australia.

Port Macquarie, New South Wales

Average house price $560,000/ Average unit price $380,000

Port Macquarie is a beautiful coastal town, located on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. It’s known as a great retirement destination with a 9-kilometre coastal walk and a very tolerable climate. And it’s still an affordable market! It contains great amenities including a marina (a drawcard for many retirees), golf courses, a hospital, shopping centres, and an airport.

With many smaller suburbs contained within the town, there’s so much choice for where to live. Port Macquarie suits most people looking for a sea change, and for those who like to have fun, there’s an Events Centre and many restaurants and cafés.

Mandurah, Western Australia

Average house price $247,500/ Average unit price $240,500

Mandura is a water city, only 1 hour south of Perth and an easy commute to Perth via rail. It promises all that beachside living has to offer. Not only is it very affordable, but it’s also a great retirement destination. The town contains great fishing spots, a world-class marina, and canal systems with access to the sea.

Although it can get cool during the winter months, the summers are nice and warm. It has a strong retirement community and offers great infrastructure, including hospitals, community centres, outdoor and recreation facilities, and social clubs. Offering great walks along the foreshore, cafés, and restaurants, Mandurah sounds like a great retirement destination.

Warrnambool, Victoria

Average house price $360,000/ Average unit price $257,450

Stretching across the magnificent coastline of Victoria, Warrnambool is a vibrant coastal city with fantastic amenities and services. It’s situated at the western end of the Great Ocean Road, is approximately 260 km from Melbourne and offers some rail services to and from Melbourne. With such a 3.5-hour train trip to Melbourne, it’s good news for retirees that Warrnambool has both public and private health services as well as a variety of shopping, services and other amenities.

It can get quite cold in Victoria, so if the warmer weather is for you, Queensland or Northern NSW might be a better choice to retire. But for those who don’t mind the cooler winters, Warrnambool has some of the most beautiful scenery for you to explore. It contains parkland, and ocean views, and is a great place to whale watch. It’s also home to a thriving restaurant scene with local restaurants taking advantage of the local produce including seafood, dairy and beef.

Why Choose These Seaside Towns?

While these beach towns are only a snippet of where you can retire in Australia, their attractive seaside environments, along with their available services, make them appealing destinations to retire. They’re also affordable in comparison to some other highly sought after retirement destinations such as the Mornington Peninsula.

For some, staying in the family home or close to the family is the greatest priority in retirement. For others, the sea change keeps calling them. The upside is that each of the towns above has transport services on offer so that you can visit your loved ones at any time of year. These areas offer social activities, hospitals and healthcare services, and community and social activities for retirees.  If you’ve recently retired or thinking about retiring soon, these picturesque coastal suburbs to retire in Australia are top spots, worthy of your consideration when retiring.

We’re always open to suggestions here at Retirement Now. Feel free to share with us where you think the best retirement destinations are.