During the busy summer period, sleepy coastal towns across the country are overrun by visitors and holiday-makers. In the town where I grew up, the visitors are predominantly from Canberra, and we call them ‘yogies’. I have since left this town for a bustling, tourist hotspot on the north coast, becoming accustomed to crowds on a whole new level. But it’s all relative, and over Christmas I returned to my old stomping ground, where I witnessed the locals grappling with their burgeoning summertime population. The beaches were packed, and everyone was on edge.
“No point going to the beach, won’t be able to get a park,” they’d prophesise.
“No use going to the cafe for breakfast, there won’t be any tables. We’ll have to eat standing up !”
To the…