'We're moving out': Youth out-migration intentions in coastal non-metropolitan New South Wales

Abstract

This article discusses youth out-migration on the non-metropolitan New South Wales Eastern Seaboard. High levels of in-migration and counter-urbanisation, typical of many coastal non-metropolitan towns in NSW, mask the out-migration of youth. There are relatively few 15-24 year olds in the coastal communities of non-metropolitan New South Wales, because many youths out-migrate to larger centres, for a range of reasons. Out-migration also demarcates a life transition away from school life, adolescence and the parental home. This paper draws from research with senior high school students in one coastal town - Coffs Harbour - where such trends have been particularly apparent. It examines the propensity for youth out-migration and discusses how young people articulate their migration intentions. Young people's perceptions of their current and future prospects feature prominently in their discourses about intended migration, although this research also demonstrates that the life courses of regional youth are unorthodox and diverse in nature. © 2008 The Authors Journal compilation © 2008 Institute of Australian Geographers.