Instagram analysis reveals Australia’s hidden gems
Go where the locals go.
Someone's struck on the idea of picking out the most-tagged-on-Instagram spots in Australia to find hidden gems. The trick is to rule out the well-known ones and keep it small.
This way you pick up the specific spots that are well-known locally but might not be big enough to appear in all the tourist guides. And being Instagram, the entire list skews towards the photogenic.
This brilliant idea comes courtesy of Assured Removalists. A moving company that is apparently delivering hidden travel gems as well as furniture.
How the hidden gems were discovered
These top spots are based on an analysis of Instagram hashtags. It's a straightforward hunt for the spots that have their own hashtags and are mentioned the most on Instagram, to naturally uncover photogenic places that are well-loved by locals, but might not be big enough to catch too much attention around Australia as a whole.
Australia's 5 most tagged spots
- Moreton Island - tagged 63,923 times - Far and away the most tagged spot, and possibly a little too popular to qualify as a hidden gem. With its wildlife, shipwrecks and other undersea wonders, there are definitely plenty of photos that would earn the #MoretonIsland tag.
- Bay of Fires - tagged 27,019 times - The coastline is named for its striking red rocks that stand out among the beaches and clear water, situated along the northeastern coast of Tasmania between Binalong Bay and Eddystone Point. The preponderance of #BayOfFires photos might be due to the size of the area and how many great photo ops there are along it.
- Jurien Bay - tagged 19,872 times - Drive to the north out of Perth, and keep driving for 220km, and you'll find Jurien Bay, with its Instagram-star sea lions. The camera-happy animals put Jurien Bay on the Instagram map.
- Caves Beach - tagged 18,714 times - A hidden gem within a hidden gem, nestled inside a less-hidden gem. Caves Beach is hidden away in Lake Macquarie, one of the stars of the Hunter Region, which in turn is fairly well known along the Central Coast. With all its facilities and generous low tides, Caves Beach is fairly well known around Swansea as a great place to get together.
- Aireys Inlet - tagged 17,301 times - Population 1,148, this seaside town in Victoria might be a bit overshadowed by its more famous neighbours like the surfing capital of Apollo Bay. But Aireys Inlet is either home to some very prolific photographers, or word is getting out about #AireysInlet.
On the other end of the spectrum, at number 30 on the list, you have The Bottle Of Milk in Lorne racking up 29 tags, Little Beach in Nanarup WA with 31 mentions, and the entire #NorthernFlindersRange with 63 tags.
If you want to find a place worth going, it might be as easy as picking out your nearest hidden gem to make the list. If you're looking for a nearby place to stay you can probably find the local spots here.
#BayOfFires #nofilter
The full list
| Place Name | Location of Place | Hashtag | Number of times tagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moreton Island | Brisbane, Queensland | #MoretonIsland | 63,923 |
| Bay of Fires | Binalong, Tasmania | #BayOfFires | 27,019 |
| Jurien Bay Sea Lions, Jurien Bay | Wheatbelt, WA | #JurienBay | 19,872 |
| Caves Beach, Central Coast | Caves Beach, Lake Macquarie NSW | #CavesBeach | 18,714 |
| Aireys Inlet | Aireys Inlet, Victoria, Australia | #AireysInlet | 17,301 |
| Bremer Bay | South Coast, WA | #BremerBay | 7,353 |
| Secret Falls, Hobart | Hobart, Tasmania | #SecretFalls | 6,745 |
| Waterfall Gully | Adelaide, SA | #WaterFallGully | 5,448 |
| Wattamolla Beach, Sydney Royal National Park | Royal National Park, NSW | #WattamollaBeach | 4,261 |
| Ross River | Northern Queensland | #RossRiver | 3,754 |
| Tumby Bay | Spencer Gulf, SA | #TumbyBay | 3,491 |
| Champagne Bay | Thomas Island, The Whitsundays | #ChampagneBay | 2,897 |
| Gunlom Falls, top pool, Kakadu National Park | Gunlom Falls, Kakadu National Park | #GunlomFalls | 2,502 |
| Whispering Wall | Barossa Reservoir, Williamstown SA | #WhisperingWall | 2482 |
| Andamooka | Andamooka, SA | #andamooka | 1,601 |
| Undara Volcanic National Park | Queensland | #Undara | 1,230 |
| On the Inlet | Port Douglas | #OnTheInlet | 1,149 |
| Mungo Brush, Myall Lakes National Park | Myall Lakes National Park, NSW | #MungoBrush | 989 |
| Protesters Falls, The Channon | Protesters Falls, The Channon NSW | #ProtestersFalls | 807 |
| Fish Rock Cave, South West Rocks | South West Rocks NSW | #FishRockCave | 553 |
| Menindee Lakes, Menindee | Menindee Lakes, Menindee NSW | #MenindeeLakes | 532 |
| Pentecost River, Home Valley Station | Kimberley, WA | #Pentecost River | 500 |
| Mintaro Maze, Mintaro | Minatyro, SA | #MintaroMaze | 389 |
| The Rock Pool, Tuncurry | Tuncurry NSW | #TuncurryRockpool | 263 |
| Mickey Creek Gorge, Carnarvon Gorge National Park | Queensland | #CarnarvronGorgeNationalPark | 243 |
| Shizuka Ryokan | Hepburn Springs, Victoria, Australia | #ShizukaRyokan | 209 |
| Lake Liddell, Muswellbrook | Lake Liddell, Muswellbrook, NSW | #LakeLiddell | 172 |
| Northern Flinders Ranges | South Australia | #NorthernFlindersRanges | 63 |
| Little Beach | Two Peoples Bay Rd, Nanarup WA | #LittleBeachAlbany | 31 |
| The Bottle of Milk | Lorne, Victoria, Australia | #TheBottleOfMilkLorne | 29 |
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