Australia

Brisbane grew around a broad, brown and changeable river that never follows a straight line. Its bends separate districts that appear close on a map and force the city to think continually about bridges, ferries and riverbanks. From the water, the skyline alternates with timber houses, mangroves, parks and former industrial areas.

Gold Coast extends along south-eastern Queensland as a long, changing urban strip between the Pacific Ocean and inland mountains. Oceanfront towers, beaches and theme parks created a highly recognisable international image, but the real city is more complex. Canals, wetlands, estuaries, residential districts, mangroves and subtropical rainforest all belong to the same territory.

Melbourne extends between Birrarung, also known as the Yarra River, and the broad waters of Port Phillip Bay. Its centre follows a regular grid, but the city is best understood through contrasts: trams crossing wide avenues, narrow lanes filled with street art, food markets, Victorian terraces, stadiums, museums and neighbourhoods transformed by successive migrations.

Perth extends beside Derbarl Yerrigan, the Swan River, and faces the Indian Ocean from a position isolated from Australia’s other major cities. That distance influenced its rhythm, economy and relationship with landscape. The centre is relatively compact, but the metropolitan area stretches through beaches, wetlands, residential districts, woodland and the port of Fremantle.

Sydney appears to be built around water. Harbour, estuaries, beaches and ocean organise distances, neighbourhoods and perspectives. The Opera House and Harbour Bridge create a familiar skyline, but the city becomes clearer through ferries, peninsulas, coves and cliffs connecting daily life, landscape and memory.