1. Estuaries of Australia in 2050 and beyond - A synthesis -- PART I - Estuaries that bore the full pressure of the historical developments -- 2. Sydney Estuary, Australia: Geology, anthropogenic development and hydrodynamic processes/attributes -- 3. The Murray/Coorong Estuary. Meeting of the Waters? -- 4. Port Phillip Bay -- 5. The Tamar Estuary, Tasmania -- PART II Estuaries being degraded -- 6. Gold Coast Broadwater: Southern Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland (Australia) -- 7. Hydrodynamics and sediment transport in a macro-tidal estuary: Darwin Harbour, Australia -- 8. The Ord River estuary: a regulated wet-dry tropical river system -- 9. South Australia's Precious Inverse Estuaries: On the road to ruin -- 10. Turbulent Mixing and Sediment Processes in Peri-Urban Estuariesin South-East Queensland (Australia) -- 11. Hervey Bay and Its Estuaries -- 12. Moreton Bay and its estuaries: A sub-tropical system under pressure from rapid population growth -- 13. Water resource development and high value coastal wetlands on the lower Burdekin floodplain, Australia.-14. The Hawkesbury Estuary from 1950 to 2050 -- PART III - Estuaries that are still relatively pristine -- 15. Deluge Inlet, a pristine small tropical estuary in north-eastern Australia -- 16. The Lower Mary River and flood plains. The book addresses the questions: Is Australia's rapidly growing human population and economy environmentally sustainable for its estuaries and coasts? What is needed to enable sustainable development? To answer these questions, this book reports detailed studies of 20 iconic Australian estuaries and bays by leading Australian estuarine scientists. That knowledge is synthesised in time and space across Australia to suggest what Australian estuaries will look like in 2050 and beyond based on socio-economic decisions that are made now, and changes that are needed to ensure sustainability. The book also has a Prologue by Mr Malcolm Fraser, former Prime Minister of Australia, which bridges environmental science, population policy and sustainability.