Preface V

1 Introduetion 1

1.1 Approaching the topic: urbanisation in Australia 1

1.2 Main sources of information 4

2 Historical development of the urban system in Australia 7
2.1 The elements of urban development 7
2.1.1 Physical-geographical opportunities and constraints 7
2.1.2 The demographic and economic framework 13
2.1.3 Urban development policies of the three tiers of government 21
2.1.3.1 Policies at local, state and federal levels 21
2.1.3.2 The State Housing Authorities 25
2.1.3.3 Decentralization and growth-pole policy 28
2.2 Stages of urban development 32
2.2.1 Convict settlements along the coastlines 32
2.2.2 The Macquarie towns in New South Wales 35
2.2.3 The old mining towns and Murray River towns in the Southeast 38
2.2.4 The parkland towns on South Australia's frontier 45
2.2.5 The ports of Queensland 50
2.2.6 The sawmill towns of Western Australia's southwest 52
2.2.7 Urban development since federation in 1901 54
2.2.8 Growing consciousness of the national heritage and the advent of
urban conservation 58
2.3 The uniqueness of the Australian urban system 63
2.3.1 The phenomenon of the primate city 63
2.3.2 Is there a true hierarchy of central places? 68
2.3.3 Constant changes of rank within the urban system 74
2.3.4 Inter-urban relations in the Australian context 77

3 Towns,cities end metropolitan areas 80
3.1 The capital cities 80
3.1.1 The metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales 80
3.1.2 The metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria 91
3.1.3 The metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia 100
3.1.4 The metropolitan area of Brisbane, Queensland 109
3.1.5 The metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia 115
3.1.6 The metropolitan area of Hobart, Tasmania 123
3.1.7 The state capitals: a comparative perspective 128
3.1.8 Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory 136
3.1.9 Canberra and the Australian National Territory 142
3.2 The City of the Gold Coast in Queensland 151
3.3 Seaports other than the capital cities; important inland towns 154
3.3.1 Port andindustrial cities 154
3.3.2 Mining towns of the interior 156
3.3.3 Inland service and communication centres 157
3.4 New towns across Australia 160
3.4.1 New towns in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Areas 160
3.4.2 Satellite cities in connection with deep-sea harbours and heavy
industries 165
3.4.3 Company towns and open towns in newly developed mining areas 169

4 The Australian city as a distinct cultural-genetic type 181
4.1 Aspects of urban form and structure 181
4.1.1 Building materials 181
4.1.2 Home ownership 185
4.1.3 Property prices, public housing, residential densities 189
4.1.4 Construction, ownership and use of buildings in the CBD 193
4.1.5 The inner suburbs: renewal, rehabilitation and gentrification
in the face of site-value taxation, resident actions and green bans 196
4.1.6 Layout: the grid, irregular street patterns, urban freeways 199
4.1.7 The suburbanization of people, jobs and retail trade 202
4.1.8 Metropolitan planning. district centres, urban corridors, industrial
zones 206
4.1.9 Mobility and equity: The central city versus suburbia 208
4.2 Overseas immigrants and their residential patterns 211
4.2.1 Initial ethnic concentrations 211
4.2.2 Time of arrival and period of residence in Australia 216
4.2.3 Demand and search for accommodation 220 l
4.2.4 The immigrants' skills and the labour market 221
4.2.5 Group cohesion and in-marriage rates 223
4.2.6 Ethnic group services 226
4.2.7 Peculiarities of ethnic urban distribution patterns 227
4.3 The structure of the Australian city 234

References 238

Index 252