Running Head: AUSTRALIAN BEACH CULTURE 1

Australia Beach Culture

Student’s Name

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Institution

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Date
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Introduction

Background

Beach culture is a very significant part in the national identity of Australia. The

Australian Government through the Depart of the Environment and Energy reports that

swimming and surfing in the colossal Australian beaches has a way of changing the ways of

living of the people and the manner in which the rest of the world takes Australia. During the so-

called Depression period, the Australians had an egalitarian notion playgrounds notion towards

beaches took a great root (Booth, 2012). During the Depression, it was clear that, the Australian

beach culture highly influenced the living style of the people and changed national identity

compared from the past to the present. This report will mostly focus on the role beach culture has

played in the Australian society.

Since the Australian residents live in a nation which has world’s most beautiful seas and

beaches, they are most likely to spend most of their lives on the beaches. The Australian beaches

besides the fact that people go there to surf, swim and do other activities, they also symbolize

freedom, happiness, enjoyment and independence. Other very common reasons why Australians

go to the beach is to find entertainment, do sports and relax.

Rationale

This topic was chosen for the report because of its closeness to the Australian activities

and life which is a major issue of concern. The main goal of this research is to investigate on the

beach culture of Australians, the kind of beach sport which are popular to the Australians and

what people pay attention to the beach culture of Australia.

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This report will investigate：

 Frequency and reason that Australians go to the beach.

 Behaviors and activities of Australians do on the beach.

 Australians views on the beach maintenance.

Materials, Method and Sample Population

Materials

Questionnaires were the main materials applied for the purpose of data collection in this

report and were mostly organized by means of face to face. The questionnaire organized face to

face was done by using a paper with similar questions to test the main agenda of the scope.

Method

The major method used for the purpose of data collection was by means of

distributing questionnaires in one of the popular and mostly used beaches in Sydney, The Bondi

Beach. As a popular beach and mostly attended beach in Sydney, hundreds of people attend

Bondi Beach every day. The survey was carried on Saturday 12th January 2019 and also on

Saturday 19th January between 2pm-5pm. The survey was taken at that particular time because at

the evening many people overcrowded the beach for either surfing, swimming and other range of

activities.

Sample population

The interviewees of the survey were selected randomly by their gender. Despite, specified

age groups were targeted for the purpose of having valid comparisons in accordance with the aim

of the report.
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Table1：Gender，number and proportion of subjects

Gender Number Proportion

Male 22 55%

Female 18 45%

Total 40 100%

Table2：Age，number and proportion of subjects

Age Number Proportion

18-24 10 25%

25-34 10 25%

35-49 10 25%

50+ 10 25%

Total 40 100%

Beach Location
100% 90%
90%
80%
persantage of people

70%
60% 55%
50% 45% 43%
40%
30% 20%
20%
9%
10% 2%
0%
Bondi Manly Palm Beach Maroubra Tamarama Coogee Bronte
Beach Beach Beach Beach Beach Beach

Locations

Figure 1 shows the locations of the beaches in which Australians go to. From the graph it can be

openly indicated that most of the interviewees visit Bondi Beach either to swim, surf or other
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range of activities which gives 90% of the interviewees followed by Maroubra Beach. The

smallest number of the interviewees visit Palm Beach by a 2% and Manly Beach by a 9%.

Activities of Beach Culture

Walking
18%

Swimming
Boating 32% Swimming
5% Surfing
Sunbathing
Boating
Walking

Sunbathing
27% Surfing
18%

Figure 2 above shows a pie chart showing the activities in which Australians usually go to do in

the beach. With a 32% it is clear that swimming is the most popular activity done in the beaches

which is followed closely by sunbathing with a 27% and surfing by 18%. From the survey of the

interviewees it was indicated that the minority of the Australians went to the beach for the

purpose of boating with only a 5%.

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The Time Preferences By Age

70%
60% 58%
60% 55%
50%
persantage of people

50%
40% 18-24
40%
25-34
30% 34-49
30% 25% 50+
20% 20% 20%
20% 17%

10% 5%
0%
Morning Afternoon Night
Time of Day

Figure 3 above indicates the time in which each age rang prefer going to the beach either to

swim, surf or do other activities. It is indicated that for each age rang 50%-60% of the people

visit the beach in the afternoon. The second largest number in the age rang visit the beach in the

morning with 20%-40%. Each age rang have a little percentage of 5%-20% of the people who

like going to the beaches at night.

With who go to the beach

Colleague Alone,
4% 4%

Famliy
Friend
Colleague
Friend
32% Alone

Famliy
60%

Figure 4 above shows that many of the times people go the beach accompanied by their family, a
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friend, colleague or alone. In the survey 60% people revealed that, they always go to the beach

accompanied by their family to swim, surf and do other various activities. In the interviewees it

was shown that 32% of the people go to the beach accompanied by their friends. Only 4% of the

people go to the beach accompanied by a colleague or alone.

Discussion

Major Findings

 Swimming is the beach activity which makes many Australians to go to the beach, more

than 32% of the Australians approach the beach to swim reasoning being swimming is

not costly and is fun. The second frequent activity which takes people to the beach is to

sunbath and is rampant because of the sandy and hot beaches, also many people sunbath

after swimming. Surfing and boating follow in that order due to the fact the activities are

costly.

 About 60% of the Australians like going to the beach with their families to swim,

sunbath, surf, boat or just walk around, other Australians like going to the beach with a

friend, with a colleague or alone in that order.

 Australians like well-maintained beaches and very clean places to take their families. The

people do not like a dirty and poorly maintained beaches and will go to clean and well-

maintained beaches even if crowded. Due to this behavior more than 90% of the

Australians go to Bondi beach due to its cleanliness and well-maintained palms.

Discussion

1. Reason and frequency that Australians go to the beach.

From figure 2 it is shown that the main reason why many Australians go to the beach is to swim
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with a frequency of 32% which is featured in all age groups. Having a large percentage of

swimming Australians is caused by the fact that it is the main activity of lay people who may be

cannot afford surf boards and boats (Jaggard, 2007). Sunbathing is the second reason why

Australians go the beaches with a frequency of 27%. Many of the people in all age groups

sunbath after swimming making it to be close to swimming in frequency (Booth, 2012). Only

18% go to the beach with a reason to surf due to the good waves in the Australian beaches and

due to the fact that only few people can afford boats only 5% of the people go boating in the

beaches.

2. Activities and behaviors Australians do on the beach.

From figure 2 it shown that Australians go to the beach to swim, surf, sunbath, boating or to just

walk. Some of the behavior seen in the beach is that Australians like family come together in the

beaches (Bonner et al, 2001). From figure 4 more than half of the people come in the beach with

their family to swim and later bath in the sun together talking family matter. Other come with

friends as either school mates or just friend and the rest come with a colleague or alone. There is

some uncivilized behavior reported on the beaches, for instance, many Australians like to leave

plastic papers and other types of liter lying around despite the beach rules (Edwards et al, 2003).

Other people on the age of 18-24 go to the beach for courtship and many are noticed kissing

which has been a bad thing to the families who go to the beaches with kids.

3. Australians views on the beach maintenance.

From figure 1 it can be seen that many of the Australians 90% go to Bondi Beach followed by

Maroubra Beach and finally to Manly beach and Palm beach in that order. The fact is that Bondi

is a good beach, well maintained and clean the reason why a large number of people prefer
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(Hartley & Green, 2006). The fact is that Australians like well-maintained beaches with good

supervision and friendly atmosphere. The palm trees and the environment of the beach is well

trimmed and daily cleaned to create a place liked by many.

Conclusion

This report aimed to investigate Australian’s beach culture preferences and behavior. Australians

across all age ranges go to beaches for a number of reasons. Age rages from 18 years was taken

for the survey to more than 50 years and indicated that they go to beach mostly to swim, sunbath,

surf, boat and walk around in that order. It was realized that the prolific age of 18-24 years

mostly attends the beach to have fan by swimming or surfing. The biggest number of all age

range attend the beaches during the afternoon when sun is high in the sky because it is enjoyable

to swim and later sunbath. Large number of people visit the beach with family followed by with

friends and later with colleagues or alone because is a good place to catch up and increase social

bonds. The most popular beach was noticed to be Bondi hosting 90% of the Australians who go

to the beach. Uncivilized behavior was reported to be related to the pollution of the beach with

papers and other plastics people come with carrying food staffs or drinks. The report was entirely

based on a small sample size in a selected geographical area. A detailed report can be written by

taking data from huge number of people in every beach in Australia. Furthermore, it could have

been better if a diverse age was exploited for the report

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References

Bonner, F., McKay, S., & McKee, A. (2001). On the beach. Continuum: journal of media &

cultural studies, 15(3), 269-274.

Booth, D. (2012). Australian beach cultures: The history of sun, sand and surf

dimension (Vol. 3). Meyer & Meyer Verlag.

Edwards, A., Gilbert, K., & Skinner, J. (2003). Some like it hot: The beach as a cultural

Hartley, J., & Green, J. (2006). The public sphere on the beach. European Journal of Cultural

Studies, 9(3), 341-362.

Jaggard, E. (2007). Bodysurfers and Australian beach culture. Journal of Australian

Studies, 31(90), 89-98.
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