Great southern wonderland

White sand beaches can be terribly noisy. They appear innocently moon-bright, fine as icing sugar and powdery-soft, but walk along their sandy shores and the plodding is less softly-softly, more non-stop squeak, like wet sneakers on a lino floor. It’s as if someone forgot to add the dreamy soundtrack to the postcard-perfect views.

We have arrived at Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park, the whitest (and squeakiest) beach in Australia. Like nearby Hellfire Bay (number two on the list), it won the title in 2006, when afternoon banter over beers for