Olearia axillaris (DC.) F.Muell. ex Benth.: Asteraceae) shrubs in the remnant coastal foredunes at Tennyson in suburban Adelaide, South Australia, were measured for height, width, largest trunk diameter, percentage stem reflexing, percentage procumbent stems and percentage dead stems. Cluster analysis grouped the plants into three distinct life classes: Juvenile, with erect trunks <1 m tall and main trunk <5 cm in diameter; Mature, at ~1.5 m tall and with numerous reflexed stems 8–12 cm in diameter; and Senescent, at ~2 m tall, trunk 8–12 cm in diameter, with numerous procumbent stems and dead branches. A survey of the site also found that although abundant, indicating continuing recruitment, juveniles were most common on the foredunes. Application of this life-classing technique to several burnt and unburnt sites in the Coorong, South Australia, confirmed its utility for assessing population structure, with recently burnt sites showing significantly fewer specimens from later life classes. The ability to life class O. axillaris permits rapid assessment of population structure in this dominant coastal foredune shrub, allowing dune health and recruitment to be monitored easily and managed more efficiently.