Tree Change and Sea Change?

Tree Change and Sea Change?

1. INTRODUCTION

   • 1. 'In recent decades most rural areas, unless blessed with valuable natural resources or tourism potential, have struggled.' (Connell and McManus, 2011)
     • 2. Widespread internal population change since 1980
       • 'Tree change' and 'Sea change'
         • Sea and tree change involves a move to the coast or to a forest picturesque area.
           • Population growth in coastal and forested environments that have previously been low-key settlements (Smith and Doherty, 2006).
       • Push and Pull factors
         • Complex
           • Reduced work opportunities or lifestyle aspirations
             • Although sea and tree changers migrate primarily for lifestyle reasons rather than to improve their financial situation (Burnley, 2005)
               • Contradictory to traditional migration theories, which claim economic considerations underpin migration decisions (Greenwood, 1975).
       • 3. Arguably internal migration isn't fully encompassed by the terms.
         • 4. This essay will seek to understand the suitability of the terms tree change and sea change in explaining Australia's internal migration patterns, asking whether or not they rightly reflect the reality of the situation.
         • Australia has second highest life expectancy in the world (ABS, 2009)
           • Important to understand demographic change, help policy makers.
     • Post agriculture = decline in rural population
       • Fewer jobs, lack of infrastructure and services

2. PARAGRAPH ONE - Rural history and background

   • 1. In order to understand the recent discources of rural decline and regional development, it is necessary to understand 'the rural' in the history of Australia.
     • 2. Mechanisation
       • Increased productivity in agriculture and mining resulted in productivity gains, but also caused a loss of jobs (Lawrence, 1987)
       • 3. Policy
         • Positive visions for rural development post WW2
           • Fundamental shift in policy in 1970's led to less protectionism for farming.
             • 'governments and big corporations pulled out of rural Australia and as a result many people have left too' (Lawrence, 1987)
         • 4. Drought
           • the early 1980's and 1990's saw punishing droughts
             • Major droughts in 1982-1983 were estimated to have cost in excess of $3,00 million to the economy (gov.au)
           • 5. Issues Combined
             • Led to depopulation in the rural
               • Young people left the rural in the search for employment, leaving an aging population.
             • Lifestyle motivations rather than economic?
               • It is argued increased migration was due to 'dynamism of urban areas, than to just the declining prospect in regional areas' (Salt, 1994)

3. PARAGRAPH TWO - SEA CHANGE

   • 1. Rural change manifested itself in migrations flows towards the coast. 'Costal areas, especially in NSW and Queensland, grew rapidly, largely as a result of the 'sea change' migration from the larger cities.' (Connell and McManus, 2011)
     • Increase affluence among retired people saw exploration beyond cities to small coastal towns. This brought new economic life to many coastal centres (Clout 1974).
       • Car ownership, improved highways, rapid second home growth.
     • 2. Sea Change as a term
       • Popular usage within Australia, widely taken up by academics.
         • Concentrated on coastal areas. Geographical extent of sea change isn't great. Vast amount of Australia is rural and remote.
       • 3 hour rule
         • 'While the rise of small coastal towns came to typify Australia, long distance commuting was rare (Connell and McManus, 2011). Many people choose to live no further than 3 hours from Sydney.
           • Sea Change isn't a simple as a move to the coast, other factors involved.
       • 3. Second Homes
         • Intensified in the 1980's. Retirement towns with second homes almost exclusively coastal.
           • The coast provides a chance to wind down and relax, escape the pressures of urban life (Connell and McManus, 2011)
           • Major aspect of sea change migration.
             • Major transfrmations in Australia e.g. Byron Bay, New South Wales.
         • 4. Big Issue?
           • Motivations not fully understood. Is it just for a more relaxing lifestyle?
           • Scale and depth of coastal development overstated?
             • 'at best, coastal development represents a little shift in Australia's geography' (O'Connor, 2001)
           • Coastal Commuter resorts?
             • With capital cities experiencing rapid growth it seems plausible that coastal locations within three hours of a capital city may just be coastal commuter resorts.

4. PARAGRAPH THREE - TREE CHANGE

   • 1. Attracted less research attention compared to the sea change phenomenon. (Bohnet et al, 2010)
     • Usually defined as simply a counterpoint to sea change.
     • 2. Population increase not as dramatic in the rural
       • With population decline most concentrated in dry farming areas and in remote mining communities like Broken Hill, most inland areas had not seen the kind of population increase that had transformed coastal Australia. (Connell and Mcmanus, 2011)
         • Migration back to the rural still very important.
           • mobile older population who are increasingly consuming and producing new rural spaces. (Davies, 2014)
       • 3. Does Tree Change exist?
         • 4. Accuracy questionable
           • Questionable whether tree change is an adequate term.
             • Examples do exist.
               • Orange, New South Wales labelled by elite consumption, up market resorts, and rural investments in wineries (Curry et al, 2001).
                 • Argued rural change isnt anything special with rural communities holding no great interest in boosting migration further.
         • Term first used by Salt as early as 2004.
           • 'not everyone likes the beach' (Salt, 2006).
         • Tree change not very significant, more likely driven by coastal failings.
           • Although 'coastal migration still had the edge' (Connell and McManus, 2011).
         • Rapidity of sea change caused tree change?
           • Coast became crowded and lacked community feel. Caused people to want to move back to the rural where people were still friendly.
             • Tree change could simply be about gaining access to adequate facilities in a reasonably pleasent environment (Connell and McManus, 2011)

5. CONCLUSION

   • 1. Exponential urban growth since early 1980's
     • political decisions
     • technological advances
     • environmental changes
     • 2. Sea Change
       • Symbolises outmigration from rural to coastal. Resulted in significant economic/social changes (e.g. Byron Bay)
         • Despite reported success, ad hoc manner in which it occurs and 3 hour rule suggest the term simply represents migration to non-metropolitcan areas.
       • 3. Tree Change
         • Embodies migratory pathway from urban to rural, deemed counterpoint to sea change.
           • Less significant, rural towns still experiencing depopulation.
             • Result of rapid coastal migration and overcrowding. People move back to pleasent environments.
         • 4. Overall
           • Unable to describe the complexity of migration and rapid urbanisation in Australia, let alone account for the 3 hour rule.
             • But: coastal urbanisation, suburbanisation if left unchcked could blur the lines between the urban and surrounding rural areas.
               • Sea change and Tree change do shed some light on migratory flows, but its clear population shifts cannot be fully understood using these two terms.