Update On The Australian Coastal Society Website
Over the past few months we have been working with a new website manager to update the ACS website. This has taken longer than expected. We are still in the process of making changes and welcome comments from users. It has not just involved changes in presentation and removal of material that over years has led to duplication and confusion. Most importantly it has introduced new features.
Menu and explore pages take users directly to key materials on the website. This includes details about ACS, how to get involved, who to contact and how to join, podcasts and blogs, and a great new addition, OzCoasts. We hope all this has made the site not just more accessible but more informative.
In late 2024, CSIRO took the step of closing the OzCoasts website. This action was quite a surprise for its users including those in the academic world. Secondary school and university teachers over many years have made extensive use of the infographics contained on this site. It had its origins in the 1990s as OzEstuaries established by Geoscience Australia (GA) in collaboration with estuary specialists from around Australia. It became broader in content, progressively updated, and later transferred to CSIRO where it was managed by its Coastal Informatics Group. The decision to shut down the site left an obvious gap as there was widespread acceptance that information on the site was of considerable value.
An opportunity presented itself to ACS and CSIRO for the transfer of OzCoasts to the ACS website. It was obvious from the start that ACS was not in a position to update the site. It had to be seen as a product of CSIRO and GA up to 2024. However, the material was clearly a resource in its own right and deserved to be made publicly accessible. We are extremely grateful to Toni Cannard, Sharon Tickell and Mark Baird from CSIRO for their efforts in making the transfer possible. It involved large files and for that the ACS website had to be changed.
We are delighted that so much of what has been collated over many years is now available. In one sense it is archival, but in another readers will continue to find basic information on Australia’s coast and its management that remains relevant. If you go to the Search folder you will see that this Database is no longer being maintained or updated. But then turn to the three other menu headings (conceptual diagrams, coastal indicators and information on natural resource management) and there remains an extraordinary resource. It is great fun exploring the site so please take time and dive in!
The ACS website will continue to provide other places for new information. My blogs can now be found by category as well as chronological. We plan to introduce a resource called “coastal learnings”. Further improvements are underway so if anyone has problems with the site or has ideas that can help communicate coastal matters through this site please send comments to admin@australiancoastalsociety.com.au.
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the ACS Board and State Chairs for their input into the upgrading of the website. In particular, Sarah Joyce, who has been of great assistance in working with the web manager.
Bruce Thom
Words by Prof Bruce Thom. Please respect the author’s thoughts and reference appropriately: (c) ACS, 2026. For correspondence about this blog post please email admin@australiancoastalsociety.org.au
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