Australia

Mooloolaba rocks

Best at low tide, generally around the point to the left of the carpark that’s in front of the cafes etc. Sometimes there are big shell dumps on the beach, but I’ve not worked out which tides wind conditions leads to this. Dog friendly - must be on a lead.

Point Vernon Esa Park beach

Best at low tide. Not dog friendly.

Stockton beach

I had the best luck entering at Lexie’s and walking to the right. Definitely best at low tide, but can find larger sea glass pieces up higher one the shore line too. At the end there’s often a large pile of shells/rocky pieces that have lots of sea glass but it can be found all along the beach. I found lots of green, seafoam, brown, and white glass. But also found quite a few UV reactive pieces, a few purple pieces, teal, pink, and cobalt though definitely rare. I visited in Feb 2026.

Port Willunga

Port Willunga is a popular spot with local collectors. Sea glass often turns up around the old jetty pylons, especially at low tide or after rough weather. It’s worth checking the sand and stones nearby, but be careful around the caves as the tide can come in quickly.

Stockton Beach, NSW

This piece is a J.H HENKES piece from a square green bottle used for aromatic schnapps. It’s from an antique bottle from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s from The Netherlands.

Glass Beach, Robe

Small rocky cove just outside Robe, below the Cape Dombey obelisk, and the town wears its story openly: Factory Bay was a canning factory, then Robe's rubbish dump after the wars, and the hotels' green and brown bottles washed back into the cove as sea glass. Brown, white and green lead, with seafoam, teal and light blue turning up, and some pieces still carry lettering. The cove is only reachable at low tide, and the glass concentrates toward the cave at the right-hand end, often buried a footstep down. Go on a calm day: the swell here rises quickly and has caught people out.

Shelly Beach, Manly

A sheltered cove at the end of the Fairy Bower walk from Manly, protected from the surf, which is exactly why glass survives here instead of being ground to sand. A local collector came away with two handfuls in twenty minutes. One thing to know: this is Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve, a no-take zone where collecting shells, dead or alive, is prohibited. The rules are about marine life, not bottle glass, but keep it strictly to glass and leave every shell where it lies. Go early, the cove fills up fast.

Leighton Beach, Fremantle

The pick of the Perth coast. The sand between North Fremantle and Mosman Park is broken by pockets of gravel, and it is in those gravel pockets that the glass gathers: well-tumbled sea greens, clear, light and darker blues, ambers, and dark olive pieces that read as black against the light, with sea pottery mixed through. A collector here rated a fifth of an hour-long haul as jewellery grade. Mid tide works, and the beach is an easy walk from North Fremantle station.

Woody Point, Redcliffe

On the western side of the Redcliffe Peninsula facing Moreton Bay, so the water stays calm and the glass settles instead of scattering. Sandy with patches of pebbles, and the pebble patches are where to look. Recent finds include the bottom of an old blue Codd-era bottle and a piece of green vitrolite tile, which says something about the age of what washes up here. Low tide opens up the most shoreline, and mornings beat the midday glare.

Malabar Beach, Sydney

This beach can be a bit hit or miss, but it’s worth checking if you’re nearby. Brown glass is by far the most common, with white, green and the occasional pale aqua piece mixed in. Some days people find a lot, while other days it’s mostly a few brown and white pieces. Low tide gives you more ground to search, and the beach itself is easy to walk.

Frankston Beach, Olivers Hill

The southern end of Frankston Beach, below Olivers Hill, is usually the best area to search. Small pieces of sea glass and pottery tend to collect around the rocky section, especially after high tide or a storm. The finds are mostly small, but there’s usually a decent amount. Easy parking nearby and a flat walk to the beach.

Nightcliff Beach, Darwin

The rocky shore below the Nightcliff cliffs seems to be the main sea glass spot around Darwin. I found a clear hobnail piece here, probably from an old pressed-glass bowl. Best searched at low tide between the rocks. Definitely stay out of the water though, as crocs and stingers are a real risk up here.

Bellerive Beach, Hobart

This is an easy beach to get to from Hobart and a decent place to look for sea glass. Most of what turns up is brown, green or white, with some older pieces mixed in. The rocks at the eastern end are usually more productive than the open sandy part of the beach, so that’s the best place to start.

East Beach

family friendly beach situated on the edge of the big4 holiday park. not a lot of parking close by, best to park in the surrounding streets and walk down. quite a few pieces found on the edges of the beach!

Queen’s Beach, Scarborough

Go at low tide, check the piles of shells that get left behind. Found a chunk of Black Sea glass with very brief searching.

Lilli Pilli Beach

small sandy horseshoe shaped beach with rocky edges on either side home to the occasional piece of sea glass

sandgate foreshore

Margate Beach

Went an hour after high tide, check the rocky end near the car park as the glass settles in the rocks. Found a soft green piece with embossed lettering, quite a handful of glass.

Margate Beach