Australia’s most beautiful towns, according to social media

The internet has spoken.

Australia’s 10 most beautiful towns and villages have been crowned.

With sweeping beaches and tranquil tree-lined rivers, these are the little gems that have won the online tourism popularity contest.

The boffins at mortgagebroker.com crunched the numbers to see which towns with populations of between 500 and 2500 were the most popular, tallying their total Instagram hashtag counts and scraping Pinterest for their pin counts to arrive at a list sure to inspire heated debate.

Western Australia secured four of the top 10 spots, followed by Queensland with two and NSW, Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria with one each.

Making the list are some of the usual suspects: Byron Bay, 2nd, Broome, 9th, Port Douglas, 7th. But others might come as a surprise.

Coming in at number 10, Daylesford in the foothills of Victoria’s Great Dividing Range is renowned for its natural mineral springs, spa retreats and a vibrant arts community.

The coastal town of Moonta in South Australia and its particularly picturesque jetty is a favourite with photographers, and apparently those on social media, too.

It attracted 768,000 Instagram hashtags and 310 Pinterest pis, making it number six on the list.

Albany, in WA’s Great Southern region also made the list at number 4. With 1.3 million photos across social media, Albany is known for its rugged coastline and breathtaking views.

But blowing away the competition was the very Instagrammable town of Richmond in Tasmania, with an incredible 4.9 million hashtags and 1088 pins.

The historic town is home to Australia’s oldest stone-span bridge and with attractions including the Richmond Gaol offers a glimpse of Australia’s colonial past.

If you’re looking for some inspiration for your next travel destination, check out the list below.