Book excerpt: This book presents articles from The Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials (ACMSM25 held in Brisbane, December 2018), celebrating the 50th anniversary of the conference. First held in Sydney in 1967, it is one of the longest running conferences of its kind, taking place every 2–3 years in Australia or New Zealand. Bringing together international experts and leaders to disseminate recent research findings in the fields of structural mechanics, civil engineering and materials, it offers a forum for participants from around the world to review, discuss and present the latest developments in the broad discipline of mechanics and materials in civil engineering.