Top 5 Swimming Places to Propose

Places We Swim is all about celebrating the love of swimming and there are not many more romantic things to do than go for dip in a beautiful place with your sweetheart. We spent a year on the road documenting the best places to swim and found some seriously romantic places along the way. Because our own love story involves the water, a first date in a wetsuit and a sandy afternoon together, it felt apt to recommend the best places to propose. Here is our top five from around Australia.

Cape Leveque, WA

Nothing can quite prepare you for a stretch of beaches like the ones you’ll find on the Dampier Peninsula. It’s a vast coastal landscape and a 2-3 hour drive on unsealed corrugation, but we assure you, the drive is well worth it. The east side has sheltered white-sand beaches with crystal-clear water as far as the eye can see. This is not a mirage. The ocean is warm, still and very salty – evoking the feeling of an enormous floatation tank. On the western side of the peninsula the Indian Ocean roars onto the beach. The currents are strong here and it’s advised not to swim, but watching the sunset drop into the water is picture-perfect – BYO drinks!

Gunlom Falls, NT

It’s impossible not to be dazzled by Gunlom Falls, no matter how many other visitors there are nor how many photos you have seen. The front infinity pool offers the most famous view in the NT, showcasing why this is a major stop on any Kakadu pilgrimage. Despite the constant flow of people, Gunlom never feels too busy to enjoy. By the late afternoon, the crowds thin out, leaving only a handful of committed swimmers. If you are lucky you will have sunset all to yourself. It’s the perfect time to ponder life’s great questions…

Lake Wabby, Fraser Island, QLD

Any trip to Fraser Island is going to be filled with adventure, but it’s the shimmering oasis of Lake Wabby in a sea of sand that you should plan a romantic encounter at. We immediately fell in love with this green gem, surrounded by rolling dunes. This is the polar bear of our book – a unique threatened specimen that probably won’t exist in 100 years. The sand is gradually filling in this emerald lake, so every moment we spend here is precious. This is your chance to make it particularly memorable too.

Whites Beach, NSW

The North Coast of NSW near Byron Bay is so highly travelled that it’s hard to imagine there being any secret beaches left. Whites Beach might be about as close as you come to some seclusion in this area, particularly in the heart of summer. This protected bay, just out of Broken Head, has a real sense of discovery about it, taking you down through subtropical rainforest surrounds to an idyllic beach of white sand and crisp, clear water. At the south side of the beach there are some caves and rock pools to explore, perhaps a perfect spot to pop the question?!

Wineglass Bay, TAS

The Freycinet Peninsular is the epicenter of our long-standing love affair with Tassie’s east coast. Wineglass Bay is an enormous, sheltered beach possessing all the attributes of a perfect place to swim – white sand, clear water and an amphitheatre of granite mountains. But, if you prefer the sweeping vistas from up high, a 4-kilometre hike/scramble up Mt Amos leaves from the Wineglass bay carpark. This strenuous climb will take you to the summit for what is without a doubt the best 360-degree views over Wineglass Bay and the rest of the park. You’ll feel on top of the world!

Ms Zebra Says: As an Australian, so much of my life has been spent on a beach. It makes a perfect recipe for appreciating the beauty of nature and of course, popping the question to your best-friend!

About the authors Caroline Clements and Dillon Seitchik-Reardon: Caroline Clements is writer, editor and creative producer originally from Melbourne. New Mexican by birth, Australian by choice, Dillon Seitchik-Reardon is a photographer, writer, and videographer. Caroline and Dillon live in the small New South Wales coastal hamlet, Bondi Beach.