Low Density

This is another Aussie aspect that I find striking, the very low density of the population. It is true that the 21.8 million Aussies are distributed on a large continent, but since most of the continent is uninhabitable, they live in pockets of high density on the South and East Coasts predominantly. Even in these areas of higher density, the number of high-rises is lower than in most large European and American cities. The overwhelming majority of people live in houses, not apartments (because there are just too few), and the majority of houses are on one level, with large gardens. The Aussie beaches are not dense even in top season, which may have to do with the presence of dangerous jellys or sharks in the water and with the high number of beaches relative to the small number of Aussies and the much smaller number of tourists. I remember the crowded Italian beaches and the Santa Monica beach in the summer, especially, when it was difficult to step close to the water without walking on someone’s beach towel. That is never a pleasant thing, so I am always so amazed to see entire beaches here that have maybe a handful of people spread on some square kilometres of sand. Not such low density is shared by some insect species; for example, today’s picture represents caterpillars at “maximum density” on a eucalyptus branch.