Editors: Short, A. and Woodroffe, C.
Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521873987
This new book by international experts on coasts and coastal processes provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of Australia’s coastal systems. It is a very timely publication as we endeavour to understand the past history of our coasts, the pressures that coastal systems have experienced through human use and what climate change may deliver. The lay out of the book into sensible self-contained chapters, is very welcome. The first chapter on evolution of the coast is a useful primer of the geological history of Australia and sea level change due to past climate. On reading the book one is struck by the incredible beauty and diversity of Australia’s coasts. The habitats—salt marshes, seagrass meadows, estuaries, sandy beaches, rocky shores and coral reefs—are each presented. These different shore types have distinct features, vegetation, geology and ecology and these are well explained. Short and Woodroffe have managed to present difficult concepts on the dynamic nature of beaches and the influence of geological, physical and oceanographic processes on the morphology of sandy beaches, rocky shores and coral reefs. The book is replete with photographs, many of them aerial shots of beaches, headlands and other coastal features. These photographs do a brilliant job of conveying the complexity of the natural and anthropogenic processes that shape the coast. These photos are from far flung areas of Australia’s continental coast and north to our only atoll in the Pacific, the Cocos (Keeling) Island, the one made famous by Darwin in his descriptions of coral reef formation and east in the Tasman to Lord Howe Island.
As a result, the book is a comprehensive treatment of Australian territory. As the authors highlight through the book, Australia is very lucky to have such a vast coastal realm, much of which is in near pristine condition and a considerable source of Australia’s economic prosperity.
The final chapter on human impact on the coast covering the history of aboriginal Australians, contact with non-indigenous people, coastal management practices, policy development and present day impacts – shipping, mining, fishing, pollution, is a great read. It provides useful overview of the historic and current changes to Australia’s coast, people, property and risk. Of course these two surf-loving scientists cover the recreation use of our beaches, Australia’s famous surf lifesaving clubs and some amusing vignettes of 19th and 20th century daylight bathing laws! The book ends with a summary of what might be in store for our coasts in the face of climate change. The Coast of Australia is a very handy reference for anyone with an interest in or a query about the coast. It is an easy to read so non-experts can readily find information of interest. The book will be attractive to a broad and cross-disciplinary readership interested in coastal systems, for some time to come.
Reviewed by Prof. Maria Byrne, University of Sydney