Seldom mentioned in guidebooks and closer to Jakarta than to Sydney, the coast stretches 750 miles north to the tip of the Ningaloo Reef.

FORBES: Where the Outback Meets the Sea

Papenoo, which stretches along miles of reef-less coastline, picks up waves from the north and is the favourite spot for learners.

BBC: Learning to surf in the land of giants

The surf of Western Australia's Margaret River is often described as "epic" while the other 12, 500km of the Indian Ocean coast has surreally un-peopled reef, point and beach breaks giving way to shimmering 10m tides up north.

BBC: Shore thing: Australia��s beach obsession