| SOME FACTS ABOUT AUSTRALIA | ||||
| Australia is the world's smallest continent and largest island. The land contains lush tropical rainforests, alpine areas, grasslands, forests and a desert centre; the oceans that surround it vary from the northern tropical waters f the Great Barrier Reef to the colder southern waters of Bass Strait. Australia's population lives mainly along the east coast in large bustling cities such as Sydney and Melbourne, but many of it's people choose to live in smaller towns and also in tiny settlements of only a few people. | ||||
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| Adelaide - South Australia is our home. | ||||
| HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA | ||||
| Australia is an ancient land, inhabited for at least 40 000 years by Aborigines. The early Aborigines were a tribal people who probably travelled to Australia from south-east Asia. There were about 300 000 Aborigines living in Australia when the first Europeans arrived. | ||||
| In 1770, English explorer Captain James Cook discovered the north-east coast. In 1778 the first fleet of British convicts and soldiers established the penal colony of Port Jackson (now Sydney). Van Dieman's Land (now Tasmania) was also settled due to the large numbers of convicts transported from Britain. | ||||
| With the demand for farm land and the urge for exploration, many new territories were discovered in the mid 1800's. Explorers crossed the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, and discovered the green pastures of Victoria's north-east and south-west. In 1851, fabulously rich goldfields were discovered in Victoria. The Gold Rush which followed encouraged the migration of thousands of free settlers as people from far and wide came to seek gold and their fortunes. | ||||
| The 1880's and 1890's saw the emergence of many Australian writers and artists. Politicians were keen to unite the colonies into one country, and the Federation of Australia was created on 1st January 1901. | ||||
| During the 1950's, after the destruction caused in Europe by two world wars, Australia was looked upon as a land of opportunity. Immigrants from Britian, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, Germany, Malta and Lebanon arrived to make Australia their home. Over the last twenty years, immigrants from China, Vietnam and Cambodia have contributed to making Australia the multicultural society that it is today. | ||||
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Click on the pic to view the Australian Cities page |
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 Thank you Fabio Ciucci for "Anfy Java" |
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