Witnessing the sunset in a brand new city is perhaps the most magical experience you can have while travelling – and it doesn’t cost a cent. Whether you’re soaking in golden hour from a mountaintop or admiring the glowing reflection over Australia’s beautiful beaches, disappointment is simply not on the cards.
Down Under, we’re blessed with some pretty incredible sunset spots and, as it turns out, they rank among the best on the planet. In a recent analysis by tour company, Titan Travel, three Australian destinations ranked among the world’s 20 most popular sunset-watching spots. The travel experts ranked places based on those with the highest number of posts tagged #[location]sunset on Instagram, with Perth in Western Australia nabbing the ninth spot of all world destinations.
Perth is the only capital city in Australia where you can witness this natural phenomenon over the Indian Ocean, with plenty of sundowner spots peppering the 123km coastline. While most tourists love the sunset vista over Cottesloe Beach, you can also gawk at the daily light show from the less-crowded Fremantle Boat Harbour, the Art Gallery of WA rooftop bar, Kings Park or Zig Zag Scenic Drive.
Melbourne doesn’t disappoint when it comes to gorgeous sundowner sessions either, with the Victorian capital ranking as the 11th most photogenic location for sunset snaps. If you haven’t sat on St Kilda Pier with some fish and chips and watched the sun slowly fade away, you can’t call yourself a true Melburnian. Yet, views from The Boatbuilders Yard in South Wharf also deliver an instant wow factor, perhaps rivalled by the 360-degree views from the city’s highest viewing platform at Melbourne Skydeck.
The third and final Aussie destination to get a shout-out on the list of the world’s most photogenic places to watch the sunset was our nation’s real and proverbial heart, Uluru (Ayers Rocks), in 15th place. Witnessing the colossal red rock turn countless shades of deep orange, red, pink, purple and blue throughout the duration of the sun’s descent is truly mind-boggling, and we aren’t surprised that this very special place made the cut.
Titan Travel backed up their study by looking into the most viewed sunset spots around the world on TikTok. Once again, the three same Australian destinations secured spots in the top 20, with Perth claiming tenth place, Uluru at number 12 and Melbourne in 19th spot.
Here is a list of the 15 most popular sunset-watching spots around the world:
- Bali
- Santorini
- Ibiza
- Maui
- San Diego
- London
- Key West
- Seattle
- Perth
- Paris
- Melbourne
- Maldives
- Venice
- Santa Monica
- Uluru
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