Library Guides: Place & Liveability: Living on the Coast

Source: Greg Jurgajtis (2015)

Most Australians live on or near the coast, but why is that? Read through the resources to learn more about coastal living.

Coast (National Geographic, n.d.)
The coast is the land along a sea. The boundary of a coast, where land meets water, is called the coastline. This article talks about the features of coasts and the costal processes that make these features.
Coasts (State of the Environment, 2016)
Australia’s coast is vast and diverse. It is the sixth largest of any nation, and contains a variety of habitat types, including sandy beaches and dunes, rocky shores, tidal flats, and estuaries and bays. Our coast is intimately linked to our national economy, industry, arts, social lifestyle and cultural identity, with more than 85 per cent of Australians living within 50 kilometres of the sea. Read through this report to learn more.
People and oceans (The Ocean Conference, n.d.)
This fact sheet looks at the impact people living on the coast has on the environment and why many of us live on the coast.

Australia's coast the best beaches and coastal areas around the country
Publication Date: 2013
The second edition of Australia's Coast is a captivating guide to the Australian coast - its renowned hotspots and the experiences there which make them such a favourite destination for travellers worldwide. Featuring over 400 beautiful images from Australian Geographic, the book is divided by state and highlights the best beaches and coastal areas to visit. An extended introduction also focuses on coastal icons - lighthouses, shipwrecks, whales, coral, tropical islands - and the myriad coastal activities such as surfing, fishing and diving.
Australia's landforms by Bruce McClish
Publication Date: 2006
A landform is any natural feature of the Earth's surface. Explore high mountains, dive down to coral reefs and trek across dry deserts as you visit Australia's Landforms. Discover the plants and animals that inhabit the dunes, valleys, mountains, volcanic plains, coasts and lakes of Australia and find out more about how these places came to be.
The blue planet : a natural history of the oceans by Andy Byatt, Alastair Fothergill & Martha Holmes
Publication Date: 2001
Leads us on a voyage of exploration from the coasts, the very edges of the oceans to the deep where weird and monstrous fish lurk in a world of perpetual darkness. Along the way we are introduced to a whole host of wonderful creatures from tiny copepods to majestic blue whales, and from the grotesque hairy anglerfish to the amazing tripod fish that stands on its three delicate legs waiting to snap up unsuspecting prey.
Discover & learn about Australian coasts and oceans by Pat Slater & Steve Parish
Clearly and simply written, and illustrated in brilliant colour with photographs, diagrams and maps. Designed to put the fun back into learning.
Earth's changing coasts by Neil Morris
Publication Date: 2003
Explores the landforms that make up the world around us. This book looks at coasts, how they are formed and changed by wind and water, as well as how people and settlements change and are changed by the landscape.
Fragile earth views of a changing world by Ranulph Fiennes
Publication Date: 2006
Striking views of our changing planet show the extraordinary effects of man and nature. Each set of carefully selected 'before and after' pictures is combined with detailed explanations allowing you to understand exactly what has happened to our planet in the past, and what is likely to happen in the future.
The impacts of natural phenomena on our planet are detailed in the first few chapters including features on tsunamis, volcanoes and tornadoes. Man's influence on the world is presented with stunning images which outline the impacts man-made structures have on the earth as well as how man has destroyed what has been created. The effects of nature and man are examined in the last few chapters where the massive impact of global warming on the Earth is shown. This is especially evident in the remote and vulnerable areas of the world's glaciers and deserts.