Martha Lavinia

Named after an 1852 shipwreck, Martha Lavinia produces some of Australia’s finest beach-break waves as swells wrapping around the northern tip of King Island in Bass Strait compose themselves into near-perfect “A frame” peaks. The break has attracted surfing’s elite since becoming well known in the 1990s, including 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, along with significant surfing eccentrics including the late Mickey Dora and Derek Hynd. Martha Lavinia is about 30 minutes’ drive from Currie, King Island’s main town, and like all the island’s beaches, is not patrolled. Pack a wetsuit, your best tube-riding technique and some reds and whites to match the internationally renowned beef, cheese and seafood. When in Hobart, try Mays Point at nearby Lauderdale and Tasmania’s answer to Noosa Heads.