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Transcript (by Youtube)


1s when you Ponder why most Australians
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