From its
dusty, dry desert to its lush coastal retreats, Australia is a haven for
Backpackers of all ages and is host to one of the most amazing
environments on earth. Visitors to this island continent can relax on
beaches all year round, ski during winter, participate in tours of some of
the world's greatest wineries, experience vast national parks, camp on the
world's biggest sand island, dine out at world-class restaurants, visit
many excellent art galleries and museums and lose themselves in some of
the remotest places on the planet.
Sure, Australia may carry the stigmatic images of "Crocodile Dundee" and
more recently, "Wolf Creek," but the truth about the country's urbanized
areas is that they are beautiful metropolis' that are teeming with culture
and life. As a whole, Australia caters for the backpacking community with
absolute enthusiasm and with myriads of hostels and tours available, there
is something for everyone's taste.
Facts About Australia
Australia was part of the
giant continent Gondwana which broke apart over one hundred million years
ago. If you don't believe us, ask someone who was around at the time.
The name Australia comes from "Terra Australis" - the southern land.
If it was in the north, it would be called something else.
The Wet Tropics of Queensland are home to thirteen species of ancient
flowering plants surviving from the time when Australia was part of
Gondwana. When you visit, be sure and look up the ones that we're talking
about.
The first Australians arrived in Australia between forty to sixty thousand
years ago. They liked the place so much that they decided to stay.
Indigenous Australians believe that creation took place in "Dreamtime".
Stories are passed orally down the generations. Crocodile Dundee both
created and told his own story.
Although hunters have used throwing sticks in many parts of the world, the
most famous of all such weapons is the boomerang, which may be the world's
only returning throwing stick. If you throw one, try and keep your head
out of the way when subjected to its imminent return.
Uluru (Ayer's Rock) is one of Australia's World Heritage sites. You can't
miss it - its a bloody great rock in the desert.
The Great Barrier Reef, also on the World Heritage List, is over two
thousand kilometres long. If you get really lucky, you may want to try and
walk along its length.
Fraser Island, south of the Great Barrier Reef, is the largest sand
island in the world. Its a beach surrounded by - well, beaches.
Kakadu National Park, in the north, may have been inhabited up to forty
thousand years ago. Unfortunately no-one is around taht we can ask.
The Tasmanian Wilderness, a World Heritage Area, is home to some of the
world's oldest trees - some are up to two thousand years old. The
Wilderness has one of the best preserved collections of Ice Age rock
paintings. It is also home to the mythical Tasmanian Tiger, if you can
take a photograph of one you might end up very rich.
Wolf Creek Crater, in the north of Western Australia, is the second
biggest meteorite crater in the world. If you intend going up there, watch
the movie before planning your trip.
The folk hero Ned Kelly (1854-1880) who became a bank robber and is famous
for wearing homemade armour was captured and hanged in his mid twenties.
He was of Irish descent ..........
The Federal Commonwealth of Australia came into being in 1901, with the
British Monarch as the Head of State. Asutralia is still part of the
British Commonwealth, despite thumping the mother country at every sport
known to man.
Australia is responsible for three island territories in the Pacific:
Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands. Many of Norfolk
Island's people are descended from the mutineers of the Bounty and may
well share the same "Christian" name.
The national anthem of Australia is "Advance Australia Fair" which was
composed by a Scot, Peter Dodds McCormick: "Australians all let us
rejoice. For we are young and free: We've golden soil and wealth for toil:
Our home is girt by sea: Our lands abounds in nature's gifts Of beauty
rich and rare: In history's page, let every stage Advance Australia Fair."
If you are British, this anthem is usually heard by those attending
sporting events prior to Australia thumping the mother country.
Australia gave the vote to women in 1902. Enough said.
Indigenous Australians people did not have vote until 1969. This statistic
is not something that the Australians are particularly proud of.
The "White Australia" policy ended in 1973. The Australians are
not particularly proud of that fact either.
The Flying Doctor service started in 1928 and provides emergency and health
care to Australians in the outback. How else would they ever get to a
hospital?
The School of the Air provides education by radio for children living in
isolated areas. They listen to it every day before going to bed with their
Ovaltine.
In the England-Australia Cricket Test Series in 1932, the English bowlers
employed a technique known as "bodyline. The bowlers aimed at the batsman
causing many injuries and arousing a great deal of ill feeling. That
feeling has probably subsided since Australia won the 2007 Ashes series
5-0.
In 1953 the British exploded an atomic bomb in the South Australian
desert. Quite naturally, they never had any intention of exploding it
anywhere near the UK.
The missile testing site in the desert was named Woomera, using the
Aborigine word for spear thrower. Today, it is a detention centre for
immigrants.
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Tourist Q&A's about Australia
Q:
Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it
rain on TV, so how do the plants grow?(UK). A: We import all plants fully grown and
then just sit around watching them die.
Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the
street? (USA) A: Depends how much you've been drinking.
Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney -
can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden) A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles,
take lots of water.
Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes
in Australia? (Sweden) A: So it's true what they say about
Swedes.
Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in
Australia? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane,
Cairns, Townsville and Hervey? (UK) A: What did your last slave die of?
Q: Can you give me some information about
hippo racing in Australia? (USA) A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped
continent south of Europe. Aus-tra-lia is that big island
in the middle of the Pacific, which doesn't... Oh forget
it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings
Cross. Come naked.
Q: Which direction is North in Australia?
(USA) A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees.
Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of
the directions.
Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia?
(UK) A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir
schedule? (USA) A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little
country bordering Ger-man-y, which is... Oh forget it.
Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in
Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia?
(UK) A: You are a British politician, right?
Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and
is milk available all year round? (Germany) A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of
vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal.
Q: Please send a list of all doctors in
Australia who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA) A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca, which
is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are
perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good
pets.
Q: I have a question about a famous
animal in Australia, but I forget its name. It's a kind of
bear and lives in trees. (USA) A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so
called because they drop out of gum trees and eat the
brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare
them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you
go out walking.
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