Two hours off the NSW coast is one of the ‘quietest’ islands on earth
An island just a two-hour flight from Sydney has been named among the five quietest in the world, according to a new study.
The first Unspoilt Index by BookRetreats.com has ranked 100 islands on satellite and mapping data to find the world’s quietest, with Australia’s Lord Howe coming in fourth place.
Lord Howe Island Australia is one of the quietest spots in the world. Getty Images/iStockphoto
The UNESCO World Heritage-listed island, which caps visitor arrivals at 400 people at a time, only has 382 year-round residents, no main roads mapped and virtually untouched nature.
According to the index, Lord Howe scores near-perfect marks for naturalness (98/100). Virtually untouched by humans, it has bred a rare ecosystem of 241 native plants, 113 of which grow nowhere else.
At night, the island’s skies come to life with no artificial light to dim the stars.
It’s also home to Ball’s Pyramid, a 562-metre-high volcanic sea stack which is the tallest of its kind on Earth.
Magnetic Island is off the coast of Townsville. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Also in Australia, Magnetic Island placed 13th. It is closer to the mainland taking just a 20-minute ferry from Townsville to reach.
Approximately 78 per cent of its land area is protected national park, home to one of northern Australia’s largest wild koala populations. Its coast folds into dozens of bays and beaches, averaging 6.7 spots for every 10 kilometres of coastline.
The quietest island in the world, though, is across the Tasman in New Zealand, according to the study.
New Zealand’s Stewart Island topped the list with a final score of 94.6 out of 100.
Just a short ferry ride or flight south of the South Island, this is the ultimate off-the-beaten-path destination. Over 80 per cent of the island is protected within Rakiura National Park, offering a glimpse of New Zealand exactly as it was centuries ago.
Stewart Island is one of the best places to see the Kiwi bird in the wild, and the Aurora Australis. iStock
In Māori, Rakiura means “glowing skies” or “land of glowing skies”, and it is the world’s southernmost International Dark Sky Sanctuary – just 2.3 per cent of the island registers any artificial light – and one of the few places in the country to watch the aurora australis.
Anafi, in Greece came in second place, with Ilha Grande, Brazil rounding out the podium in third.
In comparison, one of our most popular travel destinations Bali, which over 1.6 million Australians visited last year, came 78th of 100.
The company said searches for “quiet destinations” on Google are up over 1000 per cent year-on-year as more travellers book trips built entirely around quiet.
The index drew on insight from silence researcher and psychology professor Olga V. Lehmann and the European Environment Agency’s benchmark for a quiet area.
Each island was scored each on six criteria: rich nature, few roads, low air traffic, uncrowded space, dark night skies and natural coastal spots.
“Quiet means something different for each of us,” Lehmann said, “but there are factual markers that count. Low decibel levels in our surroundings are important, and the natural and architectural qualities of a place can all shape the soundscape we experience and whether it lets us truly rest.”
The world’s quietest islands 2026:
- Stewart Island, New Zealand
- Anafi, Greece
- Ilha Grande, Brazil
- Lord Howe Island, Australia
- St Martin's, Isles of Scilly, England
- Tioman Island, Malaysia
- Koh Chang, Thailand
- Koh Rong, Cambodia
- Havelock Island, India
- Santa Catalina Island, USA
- Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Isla Holbox, Mexico
- Magnetic Island, Australia
- Herm, Channel Islands
- Boa Vista, Cape Verde
