11 months
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Hist
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1s | when you Ponder why most Australians |
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3s | live along the coast it's a bit like |
6s | gazing out at the ocean from one of our |
9s | many beautiful beaches there's a |
11s | vastness a sense of open possibilities |
14s | and yet most of us choose to stay close |
17s | to the water's edge it's a curious thing |
19s | this coastal living especially when you |
22s | consider just how much land stretches |
24s | out behind us largely uninhabited and |
28s | wild let's Muse over this for a moment |
30s | Moment Australia this island continent |
33s | of ours is the world's sixth largest |
35s | country by total land area and yet |
39s | despite all this space a significant |
42s | majority of us about 85% live within 50 |
46s | km of the coast why is that you might |
48s | wonder well first there's the historical |
52s | aspect when Europeans first arrived they |
55s | stuck to the coast mainly because that's |
58s | where they landed these coastal areas |
60s | offered easier access to trade better |
63s | climate conditions and the resources |
65s | were more abundant and accessible |
68s | compared to the harsher interior but |
70s | it's not just history that keeps us |
72s | clinging to the coast the Australian |
74s | interior known as the Outback is a land |
77s | of extreme conditions it's a vast arid |
81s | landscape where water is scarce and the |
84s | climate can be harsh and unforgiving |
86s | living in such conditions poses |
88s | significant challenges |
90s | from water supply to transportation from |
93s | agriculture to just the sheer |
96s | isolation speaking of Agriculture let's |
99s | wander into an interesting anecdote |
101s | about the sheer scale of things in |
102s | Australia take anac Creek Station in |
105s | South Australia for instance this cattle |
107s | station is the largest in the world |
110s | covering an area that's larger than some |
112s | countries it's about |
115s | 16,000 km to put that into perspective |
118s | it's almost as big as Fe |
121s | and about the size of New Hampshire in |
123s | the states imagine managing a farm |
126s | that's as big as an entire US state with |
130s | just eight station hands a plant |
132s | operator and a cook this immense scale |
136s | is partly because of the low fertility |
138s | of the soil in many parts of the Outback |
140s | which means you need a lot more land to |
142s | support livestock it's a stark reminder |
145s | of just how different the Australian |
147s | landscape is compared to other parts of |
150s | the world world where Farmland is more |
151s | densely packed and fertile now back to |
155s | our Coastal Affinity the coast isn't |
157s | just about |
158s | practicality there's something deeply |
161s | ingrained in the Australian psyche about |
163s | the ocean and the beach it's part of our |
166s | national identity the beach represents |
168s | Leisure a laid-back lifestyle and a |
172s | connection to Nature that's hard to find |
174s | elsewhere it's where families gather on |
177s | weekends where grommets learn to surf |
180s | and where many of us find a moment of |
182s | Peace listening to the |
184s | waves but while we cherish our Coastal |
187s | lifestyle it does come with its own |
190s | challenges As Cities like Sydney |
192s | Melbourne and Brisbane grow they face |
195s | issues like urban sprawl housing |
198s | affordability and environmental concerns |
201s | and then there's the effect of climate |
203s | change particularly rising sea levels |
207s | which is a significant concern for a |
209s | nation that lives so close to the |
210s | water's edge in many ways our coastal |
213s | living is a balancing act it's about |
216s | managing the growth and health of our |
218s | cities while protecting the natural |
220s | beauty that makes them so |
222s | special it's about remembering that |
225s | beyond the beaches and the bustling |
227s | coastal cities there's a whole other |
230s | Australia vast quiet and waiting to be |
234s | acknowledged so why do most Australians |
237s | live on the coast it's a mix of History |
240s | practicality and a deep seated love for |
242s | the ocean it's about the lifestyle that |
245s | the coast offers and the challenges the |
248s | interior |
249s | presents and while they out back holds a |
251s | special place in our national identity |
254s | romanticized in literature films and |
256s | songs it remains a place wherein few of |
259s | us venture to live the Australian way of |
262s | life with its emphasis on the outdoors |
264s | the beach and the Sun is something many |
267s | of us wouldn't trade for the world and |
270s | yet there's a beauty and a mystery to |
273s | the vast unpopulated parts of our |
274s | country that can't be |
276s | overlooked it's a reminder of just how |
279s | diverse and surprising Australia can be |
282s | in the end whether we're lounging on the |
284s | Sandy Shores of Bondi Beach or gazing |
287s | out at the endless Horizon in the |
289s | outback there's a sense of being part of |
291s | something vast and beautiful a landscape |
295s | that shapes who we are even in its |
297s | emptiness and that in itself it's a bit |
300s | of a Wonder Isn't |
302s | it |