Dozens of beaches along Australia's east coast closed on Tuesday, Jan. 20, after four shark attacks in two days.

The end of Australia’s long summer school holidays usually draws crowds to the beach but a spate of shark attacks in the country’s most populous state has triggered warnings to stay out of the water.

While the beach and swimming culture might feel like an intrinsic part of “Australianness”, this hasn’t always been the case.

Australians often head to the Pacific or Asia to find the perfect island escape, but our own islands offer beaches as good, ...

The fourth episode occurred on Sunday afternoon, when a shark bit the legs of a boy who was swimming with friends in Sydney’s ...