Guide to Australia

Summary: If you are interested in learning a little about Australia, this introduction should be a good place to start your research.

An introduction to Australia

If you are interested in learning a little about Australia, this introduction should be a good place to start your research.

Australia is the world’s smallest continent but the sixth largest country and it is located between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.

A guide to Australia - climatically and environmentally

Australia has an incredibly diverse and breathtaking landscape.  From deserts in its interior, to hills, mountains, tropical rainforests, coastal strips with long beaches, coral reefs off the shoreline etc.  And as Australia is isolated from other continents it has an abundance of unique and rare plant and animal life. 

In fact, the Australian Government is so protective of the Australian eco-system that the list of goods to declare at customs can be a surprise to some people arriving in the country for the first time!  Items to declare or those that cannot enter Australia include outdoor boots and clothing which might have different soil types on them, camping equipment, food, seeds, plant matter and many types of wood.

An historical guide to Australia

Aboriginal settlers were the first people to arrive on the continent of Australia.  They traveled from Southeast Asia some 40,000 years before the first Europeans arrived. 

In 1770 Captain James Cook took possession of Australia in the name of Great Britain with the first settlement being made there in 1788.  Subsequently 6 colonies were created in Australia which eventually became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.

Australia has developed its agricultural, manufacturing and tourist industries to generate its major income streams and it made a major contribution to British war efforts in both World Wars I and II.

In 1999 there was a referendum to change Australia’s status from a commonwealth headed by the British monarch to a republic - it was defeated.

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