Caroline Ford

Reading on the beach

A family wanders past the books on offer in the Coogee Beach Library

On the first day of Summer I was invited to help launch the Randwick Council’s innovative new ‘beach library’ on Coogee Beach. Consisting of a set of big white waterproof bookshelves with more than 1000 books and magazines, beachgoers are free to borrow any books that piques their interest for a day or a week. I love that this is based purely on an honour system, and hope the Randwick Council’s trust in its book-loving beachgoers is repaid in a successful summer for the library.

The reason this is such a great idea is because the beach is a great place to lose yourself in a book. Books offer escape from our daily lives, taking us to new places, or introducing us to strange, exciting, unknown worlds. Beaches too, offer us a chance to escape, physically and mentally, from the world around us. This is why a great book is a must-have for any beach bag: it consolidates the sense of escape we can find in a day at the beach.

Go on Sydney – get yourself to Coogee and grab a great beach read!

Want to know more? Watch this short clip of the library construction and launch.

Advertisements