T he l a n d d o w n u n d e r

1. The land down under AUSTRALIA

3. Australia –Some Quick Facts • Area:7 692 024square km • Population:21 million approx • Capital City: Canberra • Currency:Australian Dollar • Government:Parliamentary Democracy Constitutional Monarchy Official name : Commonwealth of Australia It is the world's sixth largest country, after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, and Brazil.

4. Australian national flag and coat of arms The flag of Australia is the only one to fly over a whole continent. The small Union Jack represents the historical link with Britain, the large seven-pointed star represents the six States and Territories, and the small stars from the Southern Cross – a prominent feature of the southern hemisphere night sky. Australia's coat of arms – the official emblem of the Australian Government – was granted by George V in 1912. The arms consist of a shield containing the badges of the six states. The supporters are native Australian fauna – a kangaroo and an emu. A yellow-flowered native plant, wattle, also appears in the design.

6. New South Wales = The First State • Northern Territory = Outback Australia • Queensland = The Sunshine State • South Australia = The Festival State • Tasmania = The Holiday Isle • Victoria = The Garden State • Western Australia = The State of Excitement

7. The biggest Australian cities

10. Australia is situated south of Asia, between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. Australia is located in the southern hemisphere. Australia is a continent, a country and an island at the same time.

11. Australian Landforms Australia began its journey across the surface of the Earth as an isolated continent between about 55 and 10 million years ago, and continues to move north by about seven centimetres each year. Australia is a land of geological contradictions with some of the oldest features in the world alongside rocks which are in the process of formation.

12. Much of the centre of Australia is flat, but there are numerous ranges such as the MacDonnell and Musgrave Ranges, as well as some individual structures, of which the best known is Uluru. Towards the east, the flat land rises to the Great Divide which runs parallel to the east coast. The highest mountains on the Australian mainland are in the Snowy Mountains region in New South Wales and the Victorian Alps which are part of the Great Dividing Range separating the central lowlands from the eastern highlands. Australia's ten highest mountains are all located within six kilometres of one another. The highest peak is Mount Kosciuszko.

14. The River Murray and its tributary, the Darling River, are the main Australian rivers.About 50 per cent of Australia's rivers drain inland and often end in ephemeral salt lakes. Australia's highly variable rainfall and an absence of plentiful natural lakes has necessitated the construction of large capacity reservoirs.

15. Australia is surrounded literally by thousands of islands, amongst them Fraser Island - the world's largest sand island.

16. Spectacular waterfalls plunge hundreds of metres from Australia's mountain ranges and escarpments. Ten deserts make up nearly 20 per cent of Australia and contribute to it being the second driest continent in the world.

18. Australian Weather and Climate Seasons in Australia are the opposite of those in Europe. Summer runs from November through to March while winter is from May to August. There are, however, huge variations throughout the country: New South Wales, the centre of Western Australia and Queensland have hot summers and mild winters but Victoria and Tasmania can experience chilly winters, combined with short days. The dry interior is hot year-round during the day but come nightfall it can become very cold. In the north, as the country enters the tropics, there are just two seasons - the dry from May to September and the wet from December to March.

20. KANGAROO The red kangaroo is the giant of the Australian kangaroos. It is widespread over the mainland. It lives on grasses, and often lives in quite big mobs. It can leap up to five metres long in a jump and so is quite fast over short distances to escape danger. When adult males are breeding they will often fight each other, face to face, boxing with their front paws and then giving gigantic double kicks with their back legs. Because of the climate extremes in Australia, the kangaroos have adapted to the break or bust cycles. In droughts many kangaroos will die because there is no feed at all. But in a good season the female can have three young one with her: one as an embryo just starting off and not yet born, one in the pouch who draws a special milk supply from the mother,and another just out who gets milk from a different nipple. So suddenly there can be a population explosion. Farmers vary in their attitudes from the  ferocious „Kill them” to „let’s learn to live them”. They annoy farmers by eating sparse grass and by jumping through fences damaging them.

21. KOALA BEAR The Koala is one of Australia's best known animals. It is an icon represented when promoting Australia to the tourist industry, and in general people adore these cuddly creatures. There are two species, the Southern Koalas and the Northern Koalas. Koalas are often referred to as a Koala bear. However they are not a bear. The name Koala comes from an Aboriginal word. It means "no drink", as Koalas get enough fluids through the eucalyptus leaves they feed on. Koalas are found all over east Australia, mainly in the south east. They are very placid animals, and do not move around much, they are only active for about 2 hours of the day.

22. WALLABY It looks like a small kangaroo.The competition of the pastoral industry (grazing of large herds of sheep) has been the main contributing factor to decline. This removal of scrubland for more pastoral land, and the competition for grass has definitely shrunk the possible habitats of this wallaby Other contributing factors are:- Shooting for fur- Rabbits competing for feed- Dingos, foxes and feral cats being predators - Droughts

23. KOOKABURRA The kookaburra is the largest kingfisher in the world. They were found right along the east coast and were introduced to Western Australia in 1898 and are now established in the south west corner of that state. Their laughter was not liked by early settlers who often thought the birds were laughing at them. However to most people now the sound of a kookaburra is pleasant. They are still common even into suburbs, but generally they prefer open forest country. They have adapted readily to humans, and will eat almost everything. They will steal a sausage from a BBQ, and will take other food. In the bush they eat small lizards and snakes

24. WOMBAT The northern hairy-nosed wombat enjoys eating various grasses; two hours per night in the summer are spent eating and six hours per night in the winter. This species requires very little water. Their average weight is 30kg. The life span of a wild northern hairy-nosed wombat is 20 years, in captivity they are capable of living over 26 years. Northern hairy-nosed wombats are protected in the Epping National Park from their main predator, the dingo. There is a fence to prevent the dingos from eating the wombats as they did in early 2001 (which eliminated 10% of the northern hairy-nosed wombat population).

25. TASMANIAN DEVIL It’s the largest carnivorous (eats meat) marsupial (a mammal that has its babies in a pouch) in Australia. Tasmanian Devil is a nocturnal (active at night) animal. It lives alone and prefers its own company hence it’s a relatively shy animal. Tasmanian Devil prefers to eat carrion, that is dead animals. It is not aggressive until it comes to food. Tasmanian Devils are very loud especially when there are a number of them at the one carcass, trying to scare each other off. They have a range of sound, from barks to snorts to growling to screaming !. This screaming and their fierce looks gave birth to their "Devil" name.

26. EMU The Emu is a large flightless bird. They stand to be 1.5 to 2 metres tall, and on average weight 36 kilograms. They have 3 toes, and long legs which allows them to run extremely fast. In this species, the female is larger than the male. Emu's feed on grass, leaves and small insects. They live all over Australia in grasslands. The female lays up to 20 eggs, which are large and are soft dark green in colour. These eggs are often prized not only by humans for decoration pieces, but by animals as a food source. The male incubates the eggs for a period of 7-8 weeks, and does not leave the nest for this period. When the eggs hatch, the male emu looks after the hatchlings for another six months. Amazing Fact: It is the world's third largest bird. The Ostrich and the Cassowary take the top positions. The nest of an Emu can be up to 1.5 metres wide!

27. DINGO This wild dog is found throughout the mainland of Australia, in all states but Tasmania, close to a source of water. It is not a native animal to Australia, and it is unsure how it arrived on our land. Amazing Fact: When the puppies are two months old, the mother then regurgitates food for the pups for another two months. After the pups are about four months old, they then begin hunting small game such as rabbits. Dingos do not bark, but they do howl.

28. ANTEATERS:ECHIDNAand NUMBAT Echidna is a solitary animal. When it is attacked, it will burrow into the ground or curl itself into a ball using its spines as a method of defence against the predator. The echidna's spines cover the top of its body. Echidna has long sharp claws on its feet, and is approximately 35-50 cm long. It uses a very sensitive nose to find food, next its long sticky tongue to catch ants, worms and other such insects. Echidna weighs between 2 to 7 kg. A fully grown numbat reaches about 40 cm from nose to tail. Numbats have a long snout, and this helps them to find termites in soil. They also have a long tongue which aids when feeding on termites. Amazing Fact: Numbats feed almost solely on termites, of which they consume about 20,000 per day!

29. PLATYPUS The shy Platypus is found only in eastern Australia, where it lives on the edges of rivers and freshwater lakes where burrows can be dug. Whilst underwater the Platypus has its eyes and ears shut and, being buoyant, it must continuously swim downwards with its webbed forefeet to remain submerged. Webbing on the front feet extends well beyond the claws, forming large paddles for swimming. The Platypus has a bill that resembles a duck's bill but is actually an elongated snout covered with soft, moist, leathery skin and sensitive nerve endings. It’s most active for several hours after dusk and before dawn.

30. Box Jellyfish The Box Jellyfish (also known as a Sea Wasp) is a very dangerous creature to inhabit Australian waters. The Jellyfish has extreme toxins present on its tentacles, which when in contact with a human, can stop cardio-respiratory functions in as little as three minutes. This jellyfish is responsible for more deaths in Australian than Snakes, Sharks and Salt Water Crocodiles. The creature has a square body and inhabits the north east areas of Australia. The tentacles may reach up to 80 cm in length. It is found along the coast of the Great Barrier Reef.

32. The word "aboriginal" means "the first" or "earliest known". The word was first used in Italy and Greece to describe people who lived there, natives or old inhabitants, not newcomers, or invaders. Australia may well be the home of the worlds first people. Stone tools discovered in a quarry near Penrith, New South Wales, in 1971 show that humans lived in Australia at least twelve thousand years before they appeared in Europe. Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands and the descendants of these peoples. Indigenous Australians are distinguished as either Aboriginalor Torres Strait Islanders, who currently together make up about 2.7% of Australia's population.

33. The Aborigines are the Australian natives that had been living there for thousands of years before the first Europeans came to Australia in the 1600s. From early childhood to death, the Aboriginal was continuously learning more about the traditions of the past. Religion was related to the past, the present and future. Man identified with animals, plants and other natural phenomenon, and grouped himself according to this identification - his totem. The Dreamtime - mythological past, the time when spirit ancestors had travelled throughout the land, giving it its physical form, and setting down the rules to be followed by the Aboriginals. Beings such as the "Fertility Mother", the "Great Rainbow Snake", the Djanggawul brothers and sisters, survive in stories and ceremonies that have been passed down from generation to generation. The didgeridoo is a wind instrument of Aborigines. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet. The boomerang has a multiplicity of other uses besides its function as a fighting or hunting weapon. It is also used to clear grass and soil to prepare comfortable campsites or ceremonial grounds. It can be used as a poker and shovel when cooking. The sharp end of a hardwood boomerang is sometimes used for cutting up a cooked animal or for digging holes for an earth oven. The sharp edge can also be used to create friction in fire making.

34. Art was regarded as an integral part of life, not simply something that was decorative but outside the import and areas of life. Bodies were painted for ceremonies; the markings and designs have totemic significance and were taught to the young. Rocks were engraved and became one of the few art forms to survive. Designs were painted on the walls of rock shelters; these were perishable, and relied upon regular re-touching for preservation. • Bark painting is probably the most well known Aboriginal art form but this could be done only in areas where trees with suitable bark were available, such as Arnhem Land. Pigments were made from rocks, clay and charcoal, a narrow range of colours that produced characteristic red, brown, black and white of Aboriginal art. • Paintings told stories; in fact they were the forms by which preliterate people kept a record of their daily life and religious beliefs. They reflected also what was happening around them - drawing the animals of the area, and later telling stories of contact with other peoples, such as the Macassans who visited Arnhem Land and other northern coastal regions.

36. THONGS It is not known for sure the exact day that the world was introduced to a pair of thongs, but they now embrace millions of feet and hundreds of cultures world-wide. The thong is an Australian icon- an art form on its own...particularly when curled up and broken from years of loyal service and cruel exposure to the elements. As such, it deserves to be held in the highest public esteem that can be afforded it. ;-) Thongs are left over footsoles.They are a part of their owners,More human and personalThan shirts or underpants. Thongs know the feel of the ground;They are like people's footprints left lying around. -- Colin Thiele

37. VEGEMITE In every culture, there are foods locals adore and from which outsiders recoil.  Australians have bottled their internationally reviled obsession.  It's a gooey, black substance, similar in appearance to axlegrease, and it sits proudly in eight out of 10 Australian pantries. The first jar of the product now known as Vegemite was labelled "pure vegetable extract" by food technologist Dr Cyril P. Callister.   The Fred Walker Company, which produced, sold and exported cheese (and eventually became Kraft Foods Ltd), had hired Callister in 1922 to create a foodstuff from waste brewer's yeast obtained from Melbourne's Carlton & United Breweries.   Yeast cells were taken from a beer vat and washed before being broken down by enzymes, allowing vitamins, minerals and proteins to leach out into the liquid.   It was then concentrated into a thick paste and seasoned with salt and vegetable extracts such as onion and celery. 1984    The first product to be electronically scanned at an Australian supermarket is a jar of Vegemite.

38. Aussie barbecueOur sunny climate allows Aussies to relax in the backyard and enjoy meals cooked on an outdoor grill. Men in thongs gather around the barbecue and the eskies, while the women chat in the shade. Aboriginal cooking has always involved the use of a traditional barbecue – outdoor cooking over a fire or hot coals.

39. Foster's Lager Order a Foster's in any pub in the world and you are enjoying the taste of Australia. Foster's Lager is the largest selling Australian beer brand in the world with more than 100 million cases of Foster's consumed worldwide every year. Ironically though, local drinkers in Australia don't really have a taste for it – with local palates loyal to other beers, usually along state lines.

40. Sydney Harbour Bridge It is a famous Aussie landmark. At the official opening in March 1932 total cost had risen to about $13.5 million, which was finally paid for by 1988. The bridge is over a km long and as wide as a football field. At 134 metres high, most ships can cross under the bridge. At New Years Eve famous fireworks are lit from the bridge, being showed all over the world. It takes 30,000 litres of paint to cover the Sydney Harbour Bridge and famous actor Paul Hogan once worked as a painter on the bridge. If interested, you can climb the bridge and enjoy the great views.

41. The Sydney Opera House It is one of the most recognisable images of the modern world, with its whit colour and roof resembling the sails of a ship. It was designed and build by renowned Danish architect Jorn Utzon. The total cost of over 100 million dollar ultimately seems money well spend, as people all over the world recognize and admire the building as typical for the city of Sydney. Nowadays, all Australians are extremely proud of their Architectonical Icon and Utzon is hailed for his daring design.

42. Uluru (Ayers Rock) It is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area. It has many springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a World Heritage Site.

43. Great Barrier Rief It’s one of Australia's most remarkable natural gifts, blessed with the breathtaking beauty of the world's largest coral reef. The reef contains an abundance of marine life and comprises of over 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays and literally hundreds of picturesque tropical islands with some of the worlds most beautiful sun-soaked, golden beaches. It is one of the seven wonders of the natural world, and pulling away from it, and viewing it from a greater distance, you can understand why. It is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living thing on earth visible from space.

45. Australia Day On 26th January, Australia celebrates Australia Day, which finds their resonance in varied performances through out the country all through the day. Australia Day Celebrations aspires to imbibe the true spirit of Australia by promoting participations of Australians regardless of age, culture in celebrating the grandness of the country. This celebration initially originated to commemorate the arrival of Captain Arthur Phillip who took control of the colony of New South Wales 200 years ago. The day was hailed as the Foundation Day as it frequently entailed the reenacting of the arrival of the First Fleet, which was usually marked by sporting events. From 1994, 26th January kicked off as a National Holiday! Over the years, the Australia Day is celebrated with flag raisings, presentations of the- Australian of the year Award, Local Government Awards and a variety of local events and competitions.

46. Anzac Day It is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga.

47. Australian X-Mas Christmas in Australia and New Zealand comes in the middle of summer, which means there is no such thing as a white Christmas for these people. On the contrary, it means blue skies, bright sunshine and temperatures well into the eighties. It also means that in addition to preparing for Christmas, families are preparing to take their summer vacations, making this an extremely enjoyable time of year for most people. Preparations for Christmas start in early December when decorations are put up. These decorations are similar to those put up in America and Europe, including door wreaths, artificial trees and nativity scenes. Because it is so warm during this time, lots of flowers are used to decorate, particularly the native Christmas Bush, which has little red flowered leaves and the Christmas Bell. Christmas cards with designs similar to those found in the UK and the US, including holly and snow scenes are sent out to family and friends during the first few weeks of December. Also during this time, there are many professional and amateur productions of Handel's Messiah performed throughout the country. One version in particular is that presented by Radio Community Chest in Sydney Town Hall - a tradition that has taken place for over 50 years, with proceeds going to those in need. A choir of over 500 is drawn from churches throughout Sydney.

48. On Christmas Eve, 'Carols by Candlelight' takes place at the Myer Music Bowl. This has been a tradition since 1937, with thousands of people gathering to sing their favorite Christmas songs, lighting up the night sky with candlelight. Most people attend the midnight service on Christmas Eve before returning home to wait for Father Christmas/Santa Claus to come and leave presents under the tree. Before going to bed, children leave a glass of milk or coke for him and some carrots for his reindeer, similar to what children in the United States do.Christmas Day is a time for families to get together and exchange gifts before either going to church or having Christmas lunch. Due to the diversity of cultures in these two countries as well as the fact that the weather is so hot at this time of year, people eat many different things for Christmas lunch and sometimes even have their Christmas lunch on the beach.Boxing Day is a public holiday in Australia. It is a day to relax and watch the annual Boxing Day Test Match or to begin traveling to holiday destination spots. This day also marks the beginning of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.'Christmas in July' is a new tradition that has been forming in Australia over the past few years. July is Australia's coldest month and even though temperatures are still well above freezing, it is cooler than it is in December. During this time, families will gather together and have a traditional Christmas meal together with all the trimmings, including party hats and streamers.

50. Sports in AustraliaSports in Australia are very popular and so in Australia most sports are available.In many ways Australia seems to be the sports and outdoor activity capital of the world. The various climates available around Australia, throughout the year, enables a wide range of activities all year around.Surfing is the obvious sport associated with Australia, and if brave enough (or owner of a wetsuit) you can enjoy this sport all year around. Swimming is very popular both in swimming pools, and of course at a large number of Australia's spectacular beaches.