| Highlights |
One of Australia's main tourist attractions is Sydney, the international gateway to Australia and capital of New South Wales. Iconic sites include the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, Taronga Park Zoo and the Royal Botanical Gardens. New South Wales is perhaps the most varied of all the states; the landscape ranges from snow-capped mountains with excellent skiing facilities to long, golden sandy beaches and from the utter emptiness of the outback to the cosmopolitan vitality of the state capital. The Great Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast of Queensland marks the tropical North East, and Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, in the rugged outback of the Northern Territory is not to be missed. Other attractions in the continent range from the wild flowers of Western Australia to the wines of the Barossa Valley, and from Western Australia's ghost towns to the remarkable wildlife on the island of Tasmania. It is possible to visit the relatively undisturbed Aboriginal communities on Bathurst and Melville Islands, about 80km (50 miles) north of Darwin, providing valuable insights into the continent's ancient indigenous culture. Alternatively the Australian coastline has thousands of miles of beautiful beaches.
Australia's magnitude is difficult to comprehend. Coming from package-sized Little England, the vast expanses of open spaces in Australia are truly something to be marvelled at. Rich with the remnants of its long, often mysterious past, it boasts prehistoric Aboriginal art and Victorian colonial architecture. Constantly drenched in sunshine, it's no wonder cheery faces abound! Australia's beaches and surfing are world-renowned, as is their vehement enthusiasm for national sports. Immerse yourself in the organic foodstuffs and unique animal life, the salt pans, the canyons, the gorges and deserts, then relax enjoy a plate of succulent kangaroo meat with a full-bodied Australian wine.
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| History |
Terra Australis, as the continent was first known to Europeans, is thought to have been inhabited by man for at least 40,000 years. The aboriginal populations are thought to have migrated from southern India or Sri Lanka but, as theirs is not a written culture, the history of the continent prior to the arrival of Europeans remains something of a mystery. The first major European settlement was initiated in 1606 by the Dutch East India Company, which charted and claimed for their mother country 200 miles of the Northwest coast and named New Holland.
The explorations of Captain James Cook, 150 years later, opened up the east coast. By 1868, when transportation ended, Britain had sent more than 160,000 convicts to Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia, a Federation of States, was set up in 1901, establishing Australia as an independent democracy. Close links remained, nonetheless, reflected in the despatch of troops to fight alongside the British during both World Wars.
Since the 1970s and following the abolition of the White Australia policy, immigration from Asia and elsewhere grew. As a result, Australia's demography, culture, and self-image have been transformed. The final constitutional ties between Australia and the UK were severed with the passing of the Australia Act 1986. In a 1999 referendum, 55 per cent of Australian voters and a majority in every Australian state rejected a proposal to become a republic with a president appointed by a two-thirds vote in both Houses of the Australian Parliament.
Many tensions still exist between mainstream Australia and its Aboriginal people. The first European settlers treated the Aboriginal population with appalling brutality, which gave way to racist and cruel policies from subsequent administrations. However, the slow march towards reconciliation was given a boost in 2008 when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a formal apology to the indigenous population for the suffering of the past.
In June 2010 Julia Gillard became the first female Prime Minister of Australia. The last federal election was held A federal election on 21st August 2010 resulted in the first hung parliament in over 50 years. Gillard was able to form a minority Labor government with the support of independents.
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| Geography |
Australia is the smallest continent and the largest island in the world. About 40% of the continent is within the Tropics and Australia is almost the same size as the mainland of the United States of America. The terrain is extremely varied, ranging from tortured red desert to lush green rain forest
Australia is bounded by the Arafura Sea and Timor Seas to the north, the Coral and Tasmania Seas of the South Pacific to the east, the Southern Ocean to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the west. There are jungles in the far Northeast (Cape York Peninsula). The Southeast is a huge fertile plain. Further to the north lies the enormous Great Barrier Reef, a 2012km (1250 mile) strip of coral that covers a total area of 350,000 sq. km. Although Australia is the driest land on earth it nevertheless, has enormous snow-fields the size of Switzerland
Australia is in the southern hemisphere and the seasons are opposite to those in Europe and North America. There are two climatic zones: the tropical zone (in the north above the Tropic of Capricorn) and the temperate zone. The tropical zone (consisting of 40% of Australia) has two seasons, summer (wet) and winter (dry) and the temperate zone has all four seasons.
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