Australia is famous for its beautiful beaches. And Australian people love swimming and going to the beach. But it wasn't always that way.

Different Climate, Different habits

When Europeans first invaded Australia, the only people here who were good at swimming were the Aboriginal people. The Europeans came from climates where it was too cold to swim. Also some people worried that they would get sick if they wet their whole body. So most of them could not swim.

However the warm climate of Australia soon changed their attitude to swimming. At first, only men swam. They swam naked — there were no women to see them.

Pleasure and Health

During the 19th century, doctors decided that rinsing your body in sea water and breathing sea air was good for your health. So in the 1860’s and 70’s sea bathing grew more popular. Those who could not swim were dipped into the water from a special "bathing machine".

Cover up!

By the 1880’s and 90’s visiting the beach was very fashionable and a lot of people went there, especially in warm weather. They wore everyday street clothes — much more than people wear at the beach today.

In those days, people believed they should be physically modest — they covered most of their body so it would not be seen by the opposite sex. Special bathing costumes were designed for women. These costumes used a lot of cloth and were very heavy when wet, making it difficult to swim.

Laws Made and Laws Changed

The government decided to stop men swimming naked. It passed a law which forbade bathing between 6am and 7pm. This stopped everyone from swimming in the daytime.

Many people objected to this law and wrote letters to the government asking it to change the laws. In 1903, the laws changed; people could swim in the daytime, but they had to wear neck-to-knee costumes.

The Shrinking Costume

As time passed, swimming costumes (also called bathers, swim suits, cozzies or togs) became smaller and more convenient.

At first men and women were covered from neck to knee. Then the arms became bare. Then more of the legs were uncovered. Each new change was regarded by many as shocking and indecent and people wrote letters to the newspapers complaining about the new costumes.

In the 1930’s men’s swimsuits left the chest bare. Shocking!

In the 1940’s women started to wear two-piece bathers which showed their stomach. Shocking!

In the 1950’s the bikini became fashionable. Shocking!

In the 1960’s the topless bikini was invented. Really shocking!

Nowadays some people go to special "nude beaches" to swim naked.

However, most people cover their bodies more than they did ten years ago — not because they think bare skin is shocking — but to protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun.