The Beach Culture of Australia
Australian beach culture encourages people to kick off their shoes and relax. From surfing, fishing and swimming to spontaneous games of beach cricket – Australians love spending their weekends basking on the sand!
Return to 19th-century gold prospecting at Sovereign Hill, an open-air museum located 1.5 hours west of Melbourne. Other attractions include UNESCO-listed Uluru, cute koalas and sprawling wine country.
Table of Contents
Climate
Australian climate varies by state and territory, but on the whole Australia experiences warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. The Australian monsoon plays an influential role, providing tropical wet season rainfall during summer and dry weather during winter in parts of Australia’s north; furthermore the seasonal variation of Madden-Julian Oscillation brings westerly winds with rain for several regions in tropical zones.
The continent’s arid center receives only around 100 inches annually, although heavy seasonal falls are common. Southern coastal regions enjoy more temperate conditions with cool to mild winters and enjoyable summers.
Landforms
Australia’s vast inland plains cover only 6 percent of its area and only 6 percent exceeds 2,000 feet (600 metres). Fossils suggest that it was once part of an ancient supercontinent called Gondwana that included South America, Africa, India, Antarctica and China.
Western and central Australia’s arid regions are covered with dunes and rocky ranges, home to casuarina trees, eucalyptus groves, spinifex shrubs and tussock grasslands which comprise native hummock grasslands; where casuarina and eucalyptus trees flourish as grazing herds consume the spinifex shrubs and tussock grasses that comprise native hummock grasslands.
The coastal plains are more lively, featuring marine, aeolian and fluvial processes at work: waves erode cliffs to form beaches; wind blows sand to form dunes fields; river flows carve valleys and flood plains. Pupils should trace Maps 1, 2, and 3 on Australia’s Diverse Landscape map activity sheet (downloadable resources) in order to gain a greater understanding of Australia’s various landform regions; compare human-imposed political state boundaries with natural divisions between these landform and climate regions; compare human-imposed state boundaries against natural divides among these landform regions
Population
Australia currently boasts an estimated population of 27 million and is projected to hit 28 million by 2025 due to an increasing rate of natural increase and net overseas migration.
Australia is home to a young and healthy population, boasting low infant mortality and declining death rates. Yet its population is steadily ageing – as people opt to reside in coastal cities for employment opportunities and access to services, as well as better climate.
Census estimates reveal there are 6.73 million families living in Australia; these make up the most populous household type in Australia and include couples and single people living together as well as unrelated people such as brothers and sisters. There are also approximately 108,941 one-parent families, accounting for about 9 percent of all Australian families; additionally there are nearly 4 million renter-occupied dwellings nationwide.
Economy
Australia boasts a highly developed Western-style capitalist economy, boasting one of the highest per capita GDP levels worldwide. Australia is widely known for its mineral production – global leaders in terms of mineral extraction, oil and natural gas production with major markets in Asia – but also boasts strong services industries as well as an agricultural sector which continues to flourish.
The United Kingdom faces an affordability crisis and must address stagnant productivity growth. Furthermore, trade relations should diversify further to increase revenue rather than focus solely on exporting raw materials as its only export products.
Australia is a democracy with a federal system of government comprising of six states (New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania Victoria South Australia and Western Australia). Its constitution divides powers between its central government and states and serves as a member of OECD with an official currency called Australian dollars circulating amongst them all. Home to some of the oldest rainforest and breathtaking beaches around it all is surely something Australians will never tire of exploring!
