With more than 30,000 kilometres of coastline (and that’s not including the islands) it’s little wonder the beach occupies such a special place in the Australian psyche. Long before the term sea change was coined, we delighted in the joys of a beach holiday and the accompanying laid-back, barefoot lifestyle. For a fortunate few, that ideal is a reality, and Australian Country Coastal Homes visits folk who have made the beach or the waterfront their permanent home, others who enjoy it only on weekends and vacations and yet others who agree that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as messing about in boats.