Fun Facts! Australia was founded by Dutch man Willem Janszoon
in the early 1600s. Australia's population is 22,328,800 (2010)
Australia is the only nation that governs a whole continent It is
the sixth-largest country in the world. The capital of Australia is
Canberra Australia is both the largest island and the smallest,
flattest continent on earth. The highest point in Australia is
Mount Kosciuszko. The currency in Australia is the Australian
Dollar
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History of Australia On January 26, 1788, a fleet of ships
landed at what is now Sydney, Australia. These ships were under the
command of Captain Arthur Phillip and had brought a lot of
prisoners from England. The prisoners on the ships were not all
criminals as we would think of them today. Many of them were people
who had been arrested because the government didn't like what they
had to say. And some were poor people who had been jailed because
they owed money. These prisoners were the first Europeans to settle
in Australia. A lot of people from ireland were sent to Australia
in this way, and that is why there are so many people in Australia
now that are the descendants of Irish people.
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Language Australia has no official language, but most
Australians speak English. In fact, this is their national
language. Despite the deep English language heritage, they do have
terminology and lingo of their own. A barbecue in Australia is a
"Barbie." They call clothes, "clobbers." If something is terrific,
it's "ripper." "Fairy floss" in Australia means cotton candy. Males
are "blokes" and females are "sheilas." Australians called New
Zealanders, "Kiwis.
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Climate Most of Australia's climate is hot. The record
temperature was recorded in 1889 at 51.3 degrees Celsius. An easy
way to tell what season it is in Australia is to relate it to what
season it is in the United States. If the season is winter in
America, then it's summer in Australia. The same is said for summer
in America.
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Slide 9
Ayers rock/Uluru
Slide 10
Ayers Rock/Uluru Ayers rock/Uluru is the worlds biggest rock.
It stands 348 m (1,142 ft.) high. The Aborigines have known about
Uluru for thousands of years. Explorer William Gosse is believed to
have been the first European explorer to see Ayers Rock. Gosse
discovered the rock by accident. The need to find water for his
camels forced him to take a more southerly course than he had
originally planned. On 18 th July 1873 he sighted Ayers Rock.
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Sydney Opera House
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The Sydney Opera House has about 1000 rooms, including five
theatres, five rehearsal studios, two main halls, four restaurants,
and souvenir shops. The Opera House was designed by Josh Ultzon.
The Opera House was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October
20,1973. It cost $AU 102,000,000 to build. It conducts 3000 event
each year. The opera house is 185 metres long and 120 metres
wide.
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Great Barrier Reef (PICTURE HERE)
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Great Barrier Reef The great barrier reef is a series of
smaller reefs. Reefs form under water and can be made of coral,
rocks or sand. Reefs can be found in warm, shallow, clean water.
The reef is the largest reef of all, stretching an amazing 1,250
miles. There are many islands on the Great barrier reef made of
coral sand that has piled up to make islands. Coral sand is formed
when waves constantly wash over the dead coral, breaking it in to
sand. These islands have been given the name Coral Cays. Most Coral
Cays are impossible to reach by boat.