ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers a specific and careful account of aspects of life in diverse Australian country towns, it also emphasises a set of critical strategies that are more broadly applicable to thinking about 'rural Australia' today. It presents a conversation about how rural communities are both sustained and challenged by cultural formations in ways that encourage recognition and respect for rural experiences. Rural demographics are highly variable and are only one element affecting the form and experience of rural communities in Australia, including what attracts people to contemporary Australian country towns and then sustains or detracts from that life. The 'Cultural Sustainability in Australian Country Towns' project emphasised the importance of adding 'culture' to what is often termed the 'triple bottom line': the 'pillars' of environmental, economic and social sustainability.
