Prom's Norman Beach rated Australia's best

WILSONS Promontory's Norman Beach was rated the best beach in Australia on Google reviews with two Bass Coast beaches also making Victoria's top 10.

The beach at Tidal River averages 4.87 stars from 157 reviews, putting it on top of 366 beaches across the country, while nearby Squeaky Beach is second in Victoria at 4.81 from 1113 reviews.

Kilcunda Beach is fourth in the state at 4.76 from 315 reviews and Berrys Beach on Phillip Island is ninth at 4.72 from 247 reviews.

The figures come from web SEO firm seobacklinks.com, which pulled every Google Maps listing for a beach in Australia on October 5 and kept the 366 beaches with at least 100 Google reviews, 210,563 reviews in all.

The beaches were ranked on their exact average rating, worked out from each beach's count of one to five-star reviews rather than the rounded score Google displays, so beaches showing the same rating could still be put in order.

Piers, jetties, lookouts, holiday parks, listings marked closed and inland freshwater river beaches were left out of the ranking.

"The beaches at the top aren't always easy to get to," seobacklinks.com founder Oliver Weston said.

"You have to drive the length of Wilsons Prom or out to Cape Range to reach a couple of them, and people clearly think it's worth it, because they come home and give five stars.

"What they keep mentioning is clear water, white sand and having the place nearly to themselves.

"That star rating is the first thing you see when you search for a beach, so for towns that rely on visitors, a high score on Google is worth a lot."

One Norman Beach reviewer wrote in March that it "is one of the most beautiful and iconic beaches in Wilsons Promontory National Park", while a Kilcunda Beach visitor in September praised its "spectacular views and plenty of amenities".

A Berrys Beach reviewer wrote: "The sand is clean, the water is clear, and the surrounding cliffs make it even more special."

Phillip Island also features at the other end of the scale, with Ventnor Beach seventh from the bottom in Victoria at 4.48 from 379 reviews and one visitor in March complaining the "place is full of off lead dogs".

Victoria has 71 beaches in the ranking with an average of 4.60, the lowest of the six states, while Queensland is highest at 4.70.

The state also has three of the 10 lowest-rated beaches in the country, with Campbells Cove Beach and Werribee South Beach, both at Werribee South, on 4.27 and Sunnyside North Beach at Mount Eliza on 4.32.

St Kilda Beach is 291st of the 366 at 4.55.