Some aspects of beach use in the Perth metropolitan area

The recreational use of metropolitan beaches is an important but neglected aspect of recreational research in Australia. This paper discusses the results of a survey of beach use in the Perth metropolitan area and also examines travel patterns associated with beach usage. The most popular beaches draw people from throughout the metropolitan area and many people are prepared to travel relatively long distances to visit a particular beach. However, although a distance‐decay effect is apparent, there is little relationship between the pattern of trip generation in Perth and either demographic or status differences between suburbs. It is suggested that further research should focus on temporal aspects of beach usage.