AUSTRALIA

Australia is both the world’s largest island and smallest continent. It is the only continent which is a
single country. It is located south of Asia between the Indian and Pacific oceans. More than a third of the
country is uninhabited. The desert interior, which is called the Outback, is hot and dry, and therefore,
most of the cities can be found along the coastline of Australia. Australia comprises six states and two
territories (New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, and
Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory). The main and official language of Australia is
English. About 20 million people live there.

Australia is a federation of self‐governing states. Its official title is the Commonwealth of Australia.
Formally, the head of state is the monarch of the United Kingdom, currently Queen Elizabeth II. Her
representative is the Governor General. The real power is in the government. The federal government is
led by the prime minister. The government in individual states is led by the premier. The federal
legislative body, the parliament, has its seat in the capital, Canberra. It has two houses; the Senate and
the House of Representatives. Voting is compulsory in Australia. If a voter does not give a satisfactory
reason for not taking part in an election (e.g. illness), he/she is fined. The Australian flag is The Union
Jack flag with five stars that represent the constellation of the Southern Cross and a large seven-pointed
star for 6 states and 1 territory.

Australia was settled by Aboriginals about 50,000 years ago. Aboriginal culture was mostly hunter-
gatherer. The Aborigines lived a simple nomadic style of life. They are known for their art (bark painting,
dot painting, rock painting, body art), spiritual life and music – they play the didgeridoo, a wind
instrument. The Dutch (Abel Tasman) were the first Europeans to discover Australia in the 17th century.
James Cook, the British explorer, claimed Australia for Britain in 1770. In 1788 the first colony was
established in today’s Sydney Harbour. Australia was originally settled as a prison colony (the convicts).
In the 1850s gold was discovered and many people moved to Australia. Australia became an
independent nation in 1901 when the six colonies agreed to become a federation. Canberra was
declared as the federal capital in 1927.

Australia has a hot and dry centre, which is mostly desert. There are tropical regions in the north with
heavy rain. The south is milder with hot summers and cool winters. Bushfires are a common feature in
the Australian environment. The most famous landform is Uluru / Ayers Rock in the centre of the
country, a sacred place of the Aborigines. The Rock is known for changing its colour (red, orange, brown).
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef (2,000 km). It lies along the coast of Queensland.
Australia’s tallest mountain is Mount Kosciuszko, which is 2,228 metres high, and is located in the
Australian Alps. Australia’s longest river is the Murray River, the second longest is the Darling.

Thanks to the climate and geographical isolation of the continent there are unique animal species in
Australia such as marsupials like the kangaroo, the koala bear, the Tasmanian devil or the platypus,
which is an egg-laying mammal. The emu is a large bird that runs well but cannot fly. Typical Australian
vegetation is grass and eucalyptus trees.

New South Wales is the oldest and most populous state. Sydney, Australia’s oldest largest city, is found
here. (Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, 60 km of beaches – Bondi beach). It was founded as
a penal colony for the British. Tasmania is an island and also the smallest state. It is much colder than the
rest of Australia. Its capital is Hobart. Western Australia is the largest state. It has a lot of natural
resources (e.g. iron ore, diamonds, coal). Victoria is quite a small state but many people live there.
Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, is the second largest Australian city and it is Australia’s cultural
centre. It is the centre of Australian football, cricket, horse racing, tennis and golf. The state South
Australia is quite dry and famous for its wines, its capital Adelaide is noted for its many cultural sporting
events as well as food, wine and beaches. The capital city Canberra is a political centre and has many of
the main Australian institutions. The capital of Queensland is Brisbane, its subtropical climate makes it a
very outdoor city. Perth is the capital of Western Australia. Darwin is Australia´s northernmost large city
and it is the capital of the Northern Territory.

There has been a lot of immigration into Australia in the last 80 years. There are people from the UK, NZ,
Italy, Vietnam and China.

Australia is rich in coal, oil, gold, silver, natural gas, iron ore. It is the greatest producer of wool in the
world. Big sheep farms are called stations. Some stations are even bigger than the smallest of European
countries. (Children living in stations don´t attend school, they are taught over the radio). It is the second
biggest exporter of wheat, other exports are beef, mutton and minerals.

Cricket is the most popular summer sport. It is a bat ‐and ‐ball game. Other sports played in Australia are
rugby, popular in the eastern states, and Australian rules football, played in the rest of the country. The
games are quite different; one similarity is that they both have an oval ball. Netball, a game for girls only,
is also a popular sport. Australia has ideal conditions for water sports, especially for divers and surfers.

Among some famous Australians belong Peter Garrett who was once the lead singer of Midnight Oil and
is now a politician. Kylie Minogue is a world famous singer. Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Mel Gibson
are prominent Australian actors. Cathy Freeman (sprinter) and Ian Thorpe (swimmer) are two of
Australia’s’ most successful Olympic athletes.

Australian English

Matilda (rolled-up blanket), squatter (an early farmer), trooper (a soldier), billabong (a pool in a dried-up
river) jumbuck (sheep) tucker (food), thongs (flip flops)

Australians prefer to use short words: ta (thank you), Aussie (Australian), Oz (Australia) Barbie
(barbecue), surfie (person who loves surfing) etc.