We do like to be beside the seaside.

Across Australia the areas which have the fastest growing populations are the outer coastal suburbs. Census statistics from the 2006 census show that most of these people have moved to the coast from inland regions and State capital cities.
As a result of internal migration from 1996 - 2001 the State of Queensland had a net population gain of over 82,000 people.

This is not a new trend. In 2003, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted population analyst Bernard Salt, "Eleven million people now live inside a capital city and a third concentration of Australians has emerged in the last 20 years on the provincial coast," he said.

In 2004 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported, "The Federal Government will be urged to establish a program to fund vital infrastructure to meet the needs of growing coastal populations.
The push will come from the recently established national seachange task force which seeks ways to best manage the population drift toward coast communities."

People move for many reasons. Mention holidays to most people and you are likely to evoke memories of sea and sand. It seems that when we want to unwind and enjoy ourselves, the coast is a good place to be.
And and climate is a big factor. The though of never having to live through another cold winter or another stinking hot inland summer has it's appeal.


Temperature variations between inland and costal locations on a large landmass can be considerable. The sea acts as a moderating influence on the coast because a large body of water is a slow but good conductor, warming steadily over the warmer months beore starting to cool again. Land on the other hand heats and cools quickly. The technical term is Continentality.
A costal location like Edinburgh, Scotland can have mild summers (11 to 19 degrees)and cool winters (1 to 6), while in Russia, Moscow, the same distance from the equator as Edinburgh, has warm summers (13 to 23), and freezing winters, -9 to -16).

For those about to Seachange a benign climate has a direct bearing on sustainability and the ongoing cost of maintaining your lifestyle in the future.

By living in a climate where you dont need heavy winter clothing;
Where a well designed house can be heated and cooled naturally;
Where the sun can heat your hot water;
Where you can be paid to feed solar power back into the national grid;
Where you can grow vegetables all year round.

The environment benefits and you feel good because you are reducing your carbon footprint.

And you spend a lot less on bills so have more disposable income.

Your seachange move to the right location can lead to a win win situation for you and the environment.