Seasonal Flux in Australia's Population Geography: Linking Space and Time

Seasonality is integral to many forms of temporary population mobility. To date, however, most research has focused on tourist movements and has been primarily concerned with its impacts on destinations. Less attention has been given to tracing its effects on the localities from which tourists are drawn or to understanding the spatial dynamics that underpin this periodic flux in population. The fact that tourism accounts for a minority of all temporary movements also supports the case for a broader analytical perspective. We aim to redress this neglect by examining seasonal variation in various forms of temporary movement across 77 regions of Australia over the decade 2000–2010, focusing on both origins and destinations. Coupling seasonal factors with cluster analysis and fixed effects models, we show that seasonal mobility across the Australian settlement system is highly structured with spatio-temporal variations reflecting the interplay of climatic variability with institutional constraints and the functional characteristics of regions.