Life's a beach at Bondi

If you thought the world's most photographed beach would be some vast tropical paradise, think again. It's Bondi Beach in Sydney. Bondi has clocked up more than two million Instagram posts, giving it an astonishing 2,332 posts for every metre of sand. That puts it comfortably ahead of Venice Beach in California, which has 1,049 posts per metre. The ranking, compiled byHot Spring Spas NZ, looked at Instagram hashtag data for 161 famous beaches around the world. The researchers then divided the number of posts by the length of each beach, creating a 'posts per metre' score. And Australia does rather well, with three beaches in the global top 10. Coming in at number three is Coogee Beach, with 583 Instagram posts per metre, followed by Surfers Paradise at number four, with 552. So what makes a beach Instagrammable? Apparently, being beautiful helps — but accessibility and size matter too. A smaller beach where visitors tend to gather in the same photogenic spots can rack up an impressive score. After the Australian trio, the top 10 takes us around the globe. 5. Padang Padang Beach, Indonesia — 483 posts per metre This compact Bali beach is surrounded by dramatic cliffs and turquoise water. Its appearance has also helped make it a favourite with visitors and photographers. 6. Camps Bay Beach, South Africa — 467 With the Twelve Apostles providing a spectacular backdrop, Cape Town's Camps Bay is almost tailor-made for social media. 7. Hikkaduwa Beach, Sri Lanka — 432 A popular Sri Lankan resort destination, Hikkaduwa combines tropical scenery with plenty of activity — a useful recipe for Instagram success. 8. Cala Comte, Spain — 430 Located on Ibiza, Cala Comte offers the sort of Mediterranean views that practically demand a photograph. 9. Sayulita, Mexico — 425 This colourful Pacific coast destination has become particularly popular with surfers, travellers and Instagrammers. 10. Waikiki, USA — 418 Hawaii's legendary Waikiki rounds out the top 10, proving that some beach names really are as famous online as they are in real life. Australia had13 beachesin the wider global ranking, including Bronte, Manly, Burleigh Heads, Cottesloe, Hyams Beach, Wineglass Bay, Noosa Main Beach, Whitehaven, Lucky Bay and Cable Beach. Of course, being Instagrammable isn't necessarily the same thing as being the world's best beach. But if your holiday isn't complete until someone has taken a photograph of you standing ankle-deep in perfectly positioned turquoise water, Bondi might be the place to go. And, remember, if you visited a beach but didn't Insta it, were you really there?