On the Beach characters

Appears from the start

An Australian naval officer in Melbourne who is assigned as liaison to the American submarine USS Scorpion. He and Mary are raising their infant daughter in a country that has escaped the war itself but is waiting for the radioactive fallout moving south.

Appears from the start

Peter's young wife and the mother of their baby, Jennifer. She tends their home and garden outside Melbourne and resists dwelling on the approaching fallout, preferring the routines and plans of ordinary family life.

Appears from the start

The American commander of the nuclear submarine USS Scorpion, now operating with the remnants of the Australian Navy. Disciplined and courteous, he continues to speak and act as though his wife Sharon and their children are waiting in Connecticut, although North America has been silent since the war.

Appears from the start

An Australian scientist and naval officer attached to Scorpion. A bachelor with dry, analytical habits, he is interested in radiation measurements and spends much of his remaining time restoring and racing a powerful Ferrari.

First appears in chapter 2

A young Australian woman introduced to Dwight by her relative John Osborne. Her heavy drinking and restless social life mask her fear of the future. She is drawn to Dwight and gradually adjusts her behavior to remain close to him without demanding that he abandon his loyalty to his family.

First appears in chapter 2

Moira's father, a practical farmer who keeps working his land despite knowing that neither he nor the farm has a future. His steady routines reflect the way many Australians meet the approaching disaster.

First appears in chapter 3

An older friend of John Osborne and an enthusiastic member of the local motoring circle. He joins the conversations and preparations around the final racing season as restrictions and ordinary caution lose their former importance.

First appears in chapter 3

A scientific officer involved in assessing how radioactive dust will spread through the atmosphere. His work helps determine whether any northern region might become survivable sooner than expected.

First appears in chapter 6

A Scorpion crewman from the San Francisco area. During the submarine's northern voyage, proximity to his former home makes the discipline of returning to Australia increasingly difficult for him.

First appears in chapter 6

A Scorpion officer selected to go ashore in the contaminated Seattle area and investigate the irregular radio transmission that has raised faint hopes in Australia. He wears protective equipment but still has only a short safe working time on land.