Australian Coastal Society

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Australian Coastal Society

We are the voice of the Australian coast. Our mission is to strive for healthy ecosystems, vibrant communities, and sustainable use of coastal resources.

Tags do not imply endorsement https://australiancoastalsociety.org.au/

17/01/2026

Who really owns our beaches - and who gets access to them?

In his latest blog, Bruce Thom revisits a little-known High Court case involving Dee Why Lagoon and the Salvation Army, showing how early coastal science, land grants and legal interpretations shaped public access to this iconic stretch of coast.

The story is a reminder that today’s debates about coastal access and management are deeply rooted in history.

Read Dee Why and the Salvation Army by Emeritus Prof. Bruce Thom on the ACS blog.

https://australiancoastalsociety.org.au/acs-blog/2026/01/dee-why-and-the-salvation-army/

09/11/2025

With the federal government currently proposing changes to reform Australia's environmental laws, Bruce Thom discusses this unique opportunity and suggests some key things to consider.

Read his latest blog (Blog #285) here:
https://australiancoastalsociety.org.au/acs-blog/2025/11/environmental-reforms-opportunities-that-must-not-be-missed/

Want to be a part of the discussions? Join the Australian Coastal Society and help contribute to this important debate.

22/08/2025

Beach cusps, Liesegang rings, ridges and runnels - our shores are full of patterns that reveal the complex dance between waves, tides, and sediment.

In his latest blog, Bruce Thom - drawing on the amazing collection of photos by Andy Short - explores the beautiful morphology of Australia’s coastline, highlighting the remarkable variety of landforms that shape our beaches and rocky foreshore.

👉 Read Bruce's full reflections here:
https://australiancoastalsociety.org.au/acs-blog/2025/08/natures-coastal-beauties-a-selection/

What coastal landform fascinates you the most? Share your thoughts or photos below.

24/07/2025

Judgment in the federal court case involving traditional owners of islands in the Torres Strait against the Australian Government has recently been handed down.

In his latest blog, Bruce Thom discusses this judgement, drawing on recent sea-level rise impact studies in the Torres Strait, what the decision means and some thoughts on ways forward.

Read the blog here 👇

https://australiancoastalsociety.org.au/acs-blog/2025/07/torres-strait-islanders-court-case-and-climate-change/

Support the Australian Coastal Society by becoming a member! Membership is only $35/year and your support helps foster key discussions on coastal issues like this.

📷 photo of inundation in the Torres Strait, courtesy of Dave Hanslow

16/06/2025

This time two weeks ago over 200 participants gathered on the Gold Coast for the joint National Coast 2 Coast and QLD Coastal Conference.

Bruce Thom reflects on a successful conference full of interesting discussions from recent experiences with , new thinkings on coastal adaptation to his "dream" of a coordinated National Estuaries Program.

You can read the blog (Blog #279) here:

https://australiancoastalsociety.org.au/acs-blog/2025/06/joint-national-c2c-and-queensland-coastal-conference-gold-coast-2025/

17/02/2025

Many great harbours of the world have experienced decades of influx of pollutants from a range of sources. Considerable efforts have been undertaken by public authorities to “cleanup” legacies of contamination and mitigate adverse impacts. Sydney Harbour is one such great harbour.

In this blog, Bruce Thom discusses the contamination status of Sydney Harbour, focusing on the contributions of Gavin Birch and his team in the School of Geosciences University of Sydney

Read the blog here:

https://australiancoastalsociety.org.au/acs-blog/2025/02/contamination-status-of-sydney-harbour-contributions-by-gavin-birch/

17/12/2024

The Australian Coastal Society invites you to the 16th National Coast to Coast Conference held jointly with the 8th Queensland Coastal Conference. The Conference will be held from 4 – 6 June 2025 at Mantra on View Surfers Paradise, QLD.

This year’s conference theme is "Embracing our Coastal Lifestyle: Connecting our experiences with the future"

Practitioners, scientists, planners, managers, community members, engineers, policy makers, social scientists, researchers, and professionals working in coastal environments are invited to submit an abstract.

Abstract Submission closes Friday 31 January 2025. You can find the submission link here:

https://comms.eastcoastconferences.com.au/v/107159/1050320/email.html?k=wLvl12nNOgtUuk0o550Alg4tobp4WXnuvo1cg9grBw8

24/09/2024

In the lead up to UNESCO International Geodiversity Day on 6 October, Bruce Thom reflects on the wonderful geodiversity of the Australian coastline and shares some of his personal favourites.

https://australiancoastalsociety.org.au/acs-blog/2024/09/australian-coastal-geodiversity-and-a-tribute-to-andy-short/

What parts of the Australian coastline are your favourite? Share below!

15/05/2024

This month marks 50 years since some of the largest storms on record in SE Australia. In the first of two blogs, reflecting on these storms, Bruce Thom shares his personal notes around the time of that memorable event.

You can read the blog post here: https://australiancoastalsociety.org.au/acs-blog/2024/05/may-june-storms-1974-revisited/

05/04/2024

Bruce Thom's latest blog covers 'Urban water quality monitoring' that you can read here:

https://australiancoastalsociety.org.au/acs-blog/2024/04/urban-water-quality-monitoring/

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