Australia's Beloved Beaches

 

Australians love their beaches.  When summer approaches , going away to their beloved  beaches for the summer holiday is the most discussed topic.

Australia has almost 37,000 km of coastline . 8 out of 10 Australians live within a hundred kilometres from one of the nation’s 11,000 beaches. The statistics alone show how water-obsessed  Australians must be.

In the early days of Australia’s history settlers went into the inner part of Australia, the bush and the outback . They became miners  and sheep farmers.  But in the 20th century cities started to expand in the coastal region and as the population became wealthier  they looked for ways to spend their free time. Going to the beach, meeting other people there and swimming was a simple and cheap pastime . Even for those who didn’t like swimming it was a fine place to have a picnic.

 

 

Over the decades , the beaches have played an important part in Australian culture. Famous painters chose coastal landscapes to portray  the beauty of their continent. Beaches have also become a  feature in pop music, literature and film.

The beach is also a place where many Australians retire to when they leave work. It is also a place to go to in times of crisis or when you simply want to be alone. For Australians, the beach is not simply a landscape, it’s a passion .

 

 

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Words

  • approach   = to come nearer
  • beloved   = much loved; something you really like
  • coastal   = near the coast
  • coastline   = shore; where the ocean meets land
  • decade   = ten years
  • expand   = to become bigger
  • feature   =characteristic
  • miner   = someone who works under ground to dig up coal, minerals or other resources
  • outback   = the inner part of Australia
  • passion   = a strong liking for something
  • pastime =something you do because you like or enjoy it
  • portray   = to show
  • retire   = to stop working because you are too old
  • settler = a person who goes to a place where not many people have gone to before and starts a new life there
  • water-obsessed   = here: it is the most important thing they think about
  • wealthy   = rich