{{Short description|Human migration from cities in favour of rural coastal communities}} {{About|an Australian demographic phenomenon||Seachange (disambiguation){{!}}Sea change}}
250px|right|thumb|The boatshed in Barwon Heads used as a set in ''SeaChange'' was redeveloped into a restaurant. In Australian culture, a '''seachange''' (or '''sea change''') is a form of human migration where individuals abandon city living for a perceived easier life in rural coastal communities. This meaning originated in, or was popularised by, the ABC TV series ''SeaChange'', about city-dwellers who have relocated to the coast.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/salty-waters-and-village-vibe-20090212-862p.html | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | title=Salty waters and village vibe | date=2009-02-14| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617071507/http://www.smh.com.au/travel/salty-waters-and-village-vibe-20090212-862p.html | archive-date=2009-06-17 }}</ref> The series has been implicated in a rapid boom in tourism and real estate development in coastal areas, particularly in New South Wales.
A similar term, '''treechange''', describes the movement of urban people to the countryside.<ref name = Wiltshire20180819> {{cite web| url = https://www.domain.com.au/living/treechange-truths-what-people-wont-tell-you-about-moving-to-the-country-20180819-h141h8-758837/| format = web| title = Tree-change truths: What people won't tell you about moving to the country| last = Wiltshire| first = Vanessa| publisher = domain.com.au| date = 2018-08-19| accessdate = 2020-09-15}} </ref> The term "tree change" was coined by ABC Ballarat radio mornings presenter Steve Martin on his radio talk back show after his five question morning challenge.{{cn|date=February 2026}}
== Etymology == The term ''sea change'' comes from Shakespeare's ''The Tempest'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Sea change|url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sea1.htm|work=World Wide Words|accessdate=15 April 2012}}</ref> referring to a radical change in appearance or other physical characteristics brought about by long immersion in the ocean.<ref>{{cite book |title=Oxford English Dictionary |volume=XIV |page=780}}</ref>
==''SeaChange'' TV series== {{main|SeaChange}} In the television series ''SeaChange'', which originally ran 1998 to 2000, the main character Laura Gibson fulfils her escapist desire by leaving the city for a small seaside town after her career and family life in Melbourne falls apart. The series was one of the most popular programmes in Australia. The primary filming location was Barwon Heads on the Bellarine Peninsula.
==Who is shifting== People shifting to the coast have been characterised as: *Free agent migrators **Include retirees **Majority are of working age, drawn to service the needs of retirees and tourists **Sub categories include pre-retirees, alternative lifestylers and internet business operators *Forced relocating migrants **Principally people reliant on income support including unemployed, single parents and the disabled<ref name = Dryden>{{cite web| url = http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/90/Files/p_dryden.pdf| format = pdf (19 pages)| title = Aspects of the 'Sea Change' phenomenon in the Surf Coast Region of Victoria| last = Dryden| first = Peter| publisher = Australian Government: Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080729172847/http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/90/Files/p_dryden.pdf| accessdate = 2008-07-29| archive-date = 2008-07-29}} </ref>
==Effect== The rate of growth in rural coastal areas in 2008 was 60% higher than the national average.<ref name = SCAbt>{{cite web|url = http://www.seachangetaskforce.org.au/About.html |title = About the Seachange Taskforce|publisher = National Sea Change Taskforce | year = 2008| accessdate = 2008-06-25}}</ref> Almost six million people already resided in coastal areas outside the mainland capitals in 2008.<ref name = SCAbt/> In addition to people seeking a better lifestyle, the seachange phenomenon is driven by retiring baby boomers and people forced out of capital cities by high house prices.<ref>[http://www.seachangetaskforce.org.au/Publications/The%20Challenge.pdf The Challenge of Seachange Growth]</ref>
In response to the influx of tourists and new residents to their jurisdictions, coastal councils from around Australia formed the '''National Sea Change Taskforce''' in 2004 to seek ways to ensure sustainable development in their communities. As at 2008 there are 68 member councils from around Australia collectively representing more than four million residents.<ref name = SCHome>{{cite web|url = http://www.seachangetaskforce.org.au/Home.html |title = National Sea Change Taskforce |publisher = National Sea Change Taskforce | year = 2008| accessdate = 2008-06-25}}</ref>
==See also== * Counterurbanization
==References== <references />
==Further reading== *[https://books.google.com/books?id=4dFgAQAAQBAJ&dq=%22seachange%22&pg=PT109 ''Seeking Authenticity in Place, Culture, and the Self: The Great Urban Escape''] *[https://books.google.com/books?id=D20NAhVexHMC&dq=%22seachange%22&pg=PA297 ''Boomtown 2050: Scenarios for a Rapidly Growing City''].
==External links== {{Wiktionary|seachange}}
*[http://www.seachangetaskforce.org.au/ National Sea Change Taskforce] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20061009012118/http://www.unsw.edu.au/news/pad/media/2001/aug/seachange.html The Effect of Living the 'Sea Change' Dream]
Category:21st century in Australia Category:Demographics of Australia Category:Real estate in Australia Category:Television in Australia