Australians are well renowned for their love of the beach; we're surrounded by beautiful oceans and our warm weather supports our habitual coastal lifestyle. 
From an iconic landmark down the Great Ocean Road, to a sun-drenched concrete house by the water in Queensland, these modern Australian beach homes will have you dreaming of a life beside the sea.
1. The Pole House 
The Pole House is one of Australia's most well-known homes and was the vision of architect and engineer Frank Dixon. Suspended 40 metres above Fairhaven Beach along the Great Ocean Road, it juts out from the cliff, giving it a spectacular right-on-the-ocean feel. Featuring a bedroom zone, bathroom, kitchen and sitting area with a walkway connecting to solid ground, this landmark is available for rent and makes the perfect retreat for couples.

 Photos: Great Ocean Road Holidays
2. House Holman
Designed by architecture firmDurbach Block Jaggers, House Holman is perched on the edge of a 70-metre cliff at Dover Heights, just outside of Sydney. The living and dining areas cantilever out over the ocean, allowing dramatic views up and down the coast. The lower floor forms a base that is built from rough stone walls like an extension of the cliff below. These walls continue along the cliff edge to form a series of eccentric terraced gardens and a vase-shaped rock pool.

 Photos: Brett Boardman and Peter Bennett
3. Ocean House
The Ocean House is a holiday retreat designed by architecture company Robert Mills Architects and Interior Designers. Located along the Great Ocean Road, the glass and timber pavilion blends wilderness with contemporary chic to create a truly unique entertaining area with panoramic views across the ocean. Featuring circular bedrooms, wrap-around terraces, a rooftop deck with an open-air bath, and polished concrete, this extraordinary abode is available for rent for a luxury escape.

 Photos: Caitlin Mills
4. Alinghi Residence
This incredibly serene, sun-drenched concrete house is designed by architect firm Grose Bradley and is situated at Rocky Point in Queensland. The Alinghi Residence is designed as a place of sanctuary and retreat, placed on the edge of a high sand dune and rocky escarpment facing northeast across the South Pacific. The main pavilion is designed with large living spaces opening onto a variety of semi-enclosed areas providing retreat from the wind or for basking in the Queensland sun.???
Photos: James Grose
5. Rotten Point House
Nestled in between the Otways National Park and Johanna surf beach is the Rotten Point House, a home that sits above the water. It is an architecturally designed rammed earth house with floor-to-ceiling windows that provide stunning ocean views. It can sleep up to eight people and features two spacious bathrooms.

 Photos: Rotten Point House
6. Sea Ranch
The Sea Ranch features a generous deck and floor-to-ceiling, ocean-facing glass windows offering 180-degree beach views from Wye Point to Kennett River and beyond. The clever layout ensures magnificent views from each room; whether you're preparing meals in the state-of-the-art kitchen, lazing in one of the two living zones, hanging out on one of the generous decks, lazing in any of the four bedrooms or even soaking in the tub.

 Photos: Sea Ranch
7. Fairhaven Beach House
The Fairhaven Beach House has won the residential category at the Australian National Architecture Awards two years in a row. Judges described it as "a masterful control of form and space, scale, material and detail". The home is made up of beautiful warm timber all the way through the interior, with bold geometries and amazing views out from the dunes of Fairhaven in Victoria. 

 Photos: Trevor Mein
8. Lorne Residence
The Lorne Residence, inspired by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, is surrounded by national park and rests solidly on the edge of a cliff, which has a 60-degree decline. Key features include the use of materials such as concrete and Blackbutt, which boldly clad the kitchen in the open plan living space and contribute to the feeling of living at one with nature - as does the 15-metre glazed panorama of rare cliff-top views over the Great Ocean Road.
Photos: Woods Bagot