Short answer: Strahan in Tasmania is the answer most Australians give. In Victoria specifically, Beechworth or Bright. In NSW, Berry or Kiama. In Western Australia, Margaret River. “Prettiest town” is subjective; here are the towns that consistently win the polls and travel-photography lists.
Strahan, Tasmania
Heritage timber-and-tin fishing village on the west coast of Tasmania. Population around 700. Sits on Macquarie Harbour, surrounded by the Tarkine wilderness — the largest temperate rainforest in the southern hemisphere. The Wilderness Railway runs heritage steam trains through the rainforest from Strahan; the Gordon River cruises depart daily.
Strahan wins on: setting (genuinely remote rainforest-and-harbour), heritage (largely intact 1880s buildings), and the surrounding national parks.
Beechworth, Victoria
Heritage gold-rush town in Victoria’s north-east, 270 km from Melbourne. Granite buildings from the 1850s, the heritage main street, the connection to the Kelly Gang (Australia’s most famous bushrangers), and the surrounding wine country and historic mining infrastructure.
Beechworth wins on: heritage architecture density, autumn colour (the town is at 580 metres elevation, sitting in deciduous-tree country), and the food scene that’s developed since the 2010s.
Bright, Victoria
Alpine country town in north-east Victoria, gateway to Mount Hotham and Falls Creek ski fields. Sits in the Ovens Valley with the Buckland River running through. Avenue of plane trees through the centre that turns spectacular orange in autumn (peak: late April-early May).
Bright wins on: the autumn colour spectacle, alpine setting, surrounding hiking and skiing access, and the small-town walkability.
Berry, NSW
Heritage town on the South Coast NSW, 145 km south of Sydney. Heritage main street with antique shops, cafés, restaurants, and surrounding dairy country. The Berry-Kiama coastline includes some of Australia’s most-photographed beaches.
Kiama, NSW
Coastal heritage town, famous for the Kiama Blowhole (a sea cave that erupts seawater 20+ metres into the air) and the Cathedral Rocks formation. Population around 13,000.
Margaret River, Western Australia
Wine and beach town in WA’s south-west, 270 km south of Perth. Australia’s premium wine region (along with Yarra Valley and Hunter Valley); surfing beaches at Yallingup and Prevelly; cave systems at Mammoth Cave and Lake Cave.
Stanley, Tasmania
Fishing village on Tasmania’s north-west coast, dominated by The Nut — a 152-metre flat-topped volcanic plug that the village sits at the base of. Population around 460. Heritage cottages, working fishing fleet, and the chairlift to the top of The Nut.
Daylesford, Victoria
Spa-and-mineral-springs heritage town 110 km north-west of Melbourne. Founded as a gold-rush town, repositioned in the 1990s as Australia’s premier wellness destination. Lake Daylesford, the heritage main street, the Convent Gallery, and the surrounding national parks.
Lord Howe Island, NSW
Technically a town (population around 350) on a tiny South Pacific island 600 km off the NSW coast. UNESCO World Heritage listed for its biodiversity. Limited to 400 tourists at any time. Probably the most-pristine inhabited place in Australia.
Akaroa, New Zealand (Honourable Mention)
Not Australia, but the closest comparable to a French heritage village in the southern hemisphere — included for context if you’re combining a Tasmania trip with a New Zealand leg.
What This Means for You
For a Melbourne-based tourist with a day to spare for “pretty Australian town” content:
- Beechworth is the closest of the consensus picks — a 3-hour drive from Melbourne, achievable as a long day trip or comfortable as an overnight.
- Bright is similar — 3-hour drive, best in autumn (April-May) for the colour.
- Daylesford is the easiest day trip from Melbourne — 90 minutes, achievable in a single day.
For a longer Australian trip including Tasmania, Strahan is the must-see town if you’ve got the time and the will to drive Tasmania’s west coast.
For more, see Melbourne day trip itinerary.