In Australian culture, a seachange (or sea change) is a form of human migration where individuals abandon city living for a perceived easier life in rural coastal communities. The term was popularised by ABC TV series SeaChange, which prompted city-dwellers to escape to the coast as depicted by the series.[1] The term originally comes from Shakespeare's The Tempest.[2] The result of this phenomenon was a rapid boom in tourism and real estate development in coastal areas, particularly in New South Wales.
A similar term, treechange, describes the movement of urban people to the countryside.[3] The term "Tree Change" was first coined by ABC Ballarat radio mornings presenter Steve Martin on his radio talk back show after his five question morning challenge.