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What to bring when going to the beach in Australia<\/h2>\r\n
Here’s my list of essentials for the beach.
When it comes to essentials for the beach, the most important items are the ones that protect you from the harsh sun.<\/p>\r\n
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Sunscreen<\/h3>\r\n
Sunscreen is hands down the most important beach essential when you’re planning items for the beach. You should look for sunscreen that offers UVA and UVB broad-spectrum coverage. Look for a 30+ SPF and apply it liberally. Ideally, for beach days you want to choose waterproof sunscreen but still make sure you reapply it often. I prefer natural zinc sunscreens like Ethical Zinc and Sun and Earth for big beach days. It’s important to consider your skin and the surrounding environment when choosing which sunscreen to use. I prefer to use reef-safe sunscreen. \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n Choosing the right sunshade for your needs is so important. Make sure it’s large enough, easy to put up, made from durable fabric that offers a high level of sun protection and think about how easy it is to carry.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n I LOVE my CoolCabana. I’ve tried many different sun shades of the years, and this (so far) is the best I’ve tried. It’s easy for once person to put up, it holds up in the wind, it looks sleek and smart on the sand and it is easy to carry in its shoulder bag.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n My kids aren’t allowed on the beach without wearing rash vests\/rash guards\/UV tops during the day. It’s a non-negotiable. Sunscreen can do so much, but covering up with material that protects your skin is the best skin protection you can provide. I prefer long sleeved tops for the kids, and my daughter usually wears a swimming costume with built in long-sleeved arms. \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n Don’t head to the sand without water. It’s incredible the amount you drink when you’re at the beach. We use insulated water bottles that keep liquids cool for up to 24 hrs. The benefit of this is you don’t need to keep them in your cool bac – they can be transported in any bag you like. That frees up your cool bag for anything that really needs to stay cold like snacks or cans of drink. \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n Get yourself a good quality waterproof beag bag for your Australia beach days. You’ll get so much use out of it. I use my beach bag for everyday essentials like keys, my phone, plus things like sunscreen, my book, sunglasses etc. \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n A large beach rug gives you somewhere to sit or lay. There are options of sand proof rugs or waterproof rugs depending on your needs. A good beach rug will last you for many years and will get used a lot. \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n The benefit of getting beach towels is that they’re lighter weight and they dry much faster. \r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n A wide-brimmed hat is one of the most important things for the beach. Baseball caps leave your ears and neck unprotected. For kids, it’s a great idea to get hats with a string under the chin to keep them in place. You can also get water hats for swimming in.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Shop for hats on Ripcurl<\/a> Your eyes also need protection from the sun. I love my Maui Jim prescription sunglasses.\u00a0 You might not have an issue with mozzies during the day, but if you stay at the beach to cook a BBQ in the evening you might find you need this so it’s a useful addition to your beach checklist.\u00a0 It’s always worth taking some kind of watersport gear to the beach.\u00a0 Even though my kids are 9, 12 and 12, a good old-fashioned bucket and spade still provides great entertainment on the sand. We’ve had ours for many years and have had so much use out of them, so choose a good quality set that can last.\u00a0 Fill your cool bag with ice blocks, snacks and drinks.\u00a0 This should include band aids, bandages, antiseptic cream, antiseptic wipes, antihistamines, paracetamol and bite cream.\u00a0 Choose a sturdy beach wagon with big sand wheels that will be easy to pull on sand.\u00a0 You get so much use out of beach chairs over the years, so it’s worth investing in some good ones. Make sure they’re easy to carry though as you don’t always have space in your beach wagon for everything and if these come with a carry bag it makes life much easier.\u00a0 If you plan on eating a picnic, cooking a BBQ or just getting a takeaway meal, a plastic picnic set of plates plus some cutlery is really handy.\u00a0 Free beach BBQs are everywhere, but there is nothing quite like having your own gear. It means you don’t have to clean up straight after cooking (you can take it home to do that), you can cook where you like providing it’s safe to do so and you never need to wait for someone to finish!\u00a0 You will never find me at the beach without a flask to make coffee! I’m still working on the best solution to make good coffee at the beach so watch this space as I’ll be testing out lots of products and writing a post about it in future.\u00a0 Sometimes it’s fun to play a game of cricket or boules at the beach! For windy days, this is fun.\u00a0 My ideal beach day involves laying and reading a good book on the sand.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n I tend to not use these as I prefer to listen to the sound of the ocean but my hubby is a big fan of audio books so loves to take his headphones.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Shop for headphones on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\n We spend a lot of time thinking about the items for the beach, but it’s just as important to remember to take away your rubbish from the beach. I always pack a few plastic bags. If we have a take away\/cook a BBQ and use the picnic gear, we use one to store the dirty plates\/cutlery. It’s handy to have another for wet, sandy clothes and another for any rubbish you need to put in the bin as you leave the beach.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Googles are useful for going in the ocean. You might want to take a mask and snorkel if there is anything to see at the beach you’re heading to. Either way, our kids love using them and it’s a great way of building their water confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Shop for snorkelling gear on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\n A sarong is handy as a cover-up.\u00a0 If you’re heading to the beach in your swimwear as my kids tend to do, remember to take a set of clean clothes they can put on to travel home in. Otherwise they’ll be travelling back in the car in wet, sandy swimwear.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n I carry these everywhere – you never know when you’re going to be inspired or need to write yourself a note about something.\u00a0 My daughter has long hair, so this one is for her and people like her!<\/p>\r\n You want to be able to capture precious moments at the beach.\u00a0 My kids love to play Pokemon Go, so my phone usually ends up dead by the end of a day out. A portable phone charger is a lifesaver.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Shop for portable phone charger on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\n You don’t want to stand on glass or any dangerous fish at the beach. Reef shoes don’t offer total protection but they do provide some protection.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Shop for reef shoes on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\n This is so you can look out for dolphins or turtles, or even whales depending on your location and the time of year.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Shop for binoculars on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\n If you’re into fishing, a beach day can be just the opportunity to spend some time fishing.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Shop for fishing gear on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\n This is the world we live in now. Even at the beach it’s important to have this stuff so you’re prepared. For years, I used to stress every time we went to the beach as I knew I’d forget important things. With three little kids and a dog, there was SO MUCH to take! I got in the habit of writing a list of beach essentials on a scrap of paper the day before so I’d … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":126,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestbeachlife.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/91"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestbeachlife.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestbeachlife.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestbeachlife.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestbeachlife.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/bestbeachlife.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/91\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":199,"href":"https:\/\/bestbeachlife.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/91\/revisions\/199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestbeachlife.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestbeachlife.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Shop for sunscreen at Nourished Life<\/a><\/p>\r\nSun shade<\/h3>\r\n
![\"\"](\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B097QZMYTP&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=smart08a-20&language=en_US\")
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Shop for CoolCabanas in Australia<\/a>
Rash vests\/rash guards<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for rash vests on Ripcurl<\/a>
Shop for rash vests on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\nWater bottle<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for water bottles on Amazon Australia\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\r\nWaterproof beach bag<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for beach bags on Amazon Australia\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\r\nBeach rug<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for beach rugs on Tentworld<\/a>
Shop for beach rugs on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\nBeach towels<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for beach towels on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\nHat<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for hats on Amazon Australia\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\r\nSunglasses<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for sunglasses on 1001 Optical<\/a>
Shop for sunglasses on Amazon Australia\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\r\nMosquito spray<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for natural mosquito repellent on Nourished Life<\/a><\/p>\r\nBodyboard\/skimboard\/surfboard\/paddleboard<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for boards on Amazon Australia\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\r\nBucket and spade<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for beach toys on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\nCooler bag<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for coolers on Tentworld<\/a>
Shop for cool bags on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\nTravel first aid kit<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for a travel first aid kit on Amazon Australia\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\r\nBeach wagon<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for beach wagons on Amazon Australia<\/a>
Shop for beach wagons on Tentworld<\/a><\/p>\r\nBeach chairs<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for beach chairs on Tentworld<\/a>
Shop for beach chairs on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\nPlastic picnic set<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for dinner sets on Tentworld<\/a>
Shop for picnic sets on Amazon Australia\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\r\nPortable Beach BBQ and accessories for cooking<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for portable BBQs on Amazon Australia<\/a>
Shop for portable BBQs on eBay<\/p>\r\nFlask with tea\/coffee\/cups\/spoon<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for flasks on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\nBeach games<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for beach games on Yardgames<\/a><\/p>\r\nKite<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for kites on Yellow Octopus<\/a><\/p>\r\nBook<\/h3>\r\n
Headphones for audiobook\/podcasts\/music<\/h3>\r\n
Empty bag for rubbish<\/h3>\r\n
Googles\/mask\/snorkel<\/h3>\r\n
Sarong<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for sarongs on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\nSpare clothes<\/h3>\r\n
Pen and notebook<\/h3>\r\n
<\/p>\r\nHairband and brush<\/h3>\r\n
Camera<\/h3>\r\n
Shop for a camera on Amazon Australia<\/a><\/p>\r\nPortable phone charger<\/h3>\r\n
Reef shoes<\/h3>\r\n
Binoculars<\/h3>\r\n
Fishing gear<\/h3>\r\n
Hand sanitiser\/masks\/antibacterial wipes<\/h3>\r\n
Where I can, I love to get Australia-owned and Australia-made beach gear. It’s not always possible but there are so many incredible Australian beach products.\u00a0
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