Some Facts About Australia
Australia is an independent Western democracy with a population of more than 20 million. It is one of the world’s most urbanised countries, with about 70 per cent of the population living in the 10 largest cities. Most of the population is concentrated along the eastern seaboard and the south-eastern corner of the continent.
Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change Australia’s status, from a commonwealth headed by the British monarch to a republic, was defeated in 1999.
A little over 200 years ago Australia was sparsely inhabited by the aboriginal people. In 1788 the first European settlers arrived in the First Fleet. From that small party australia now have a population of around 18 million.
Australia is the only nation to occupy an entire continent. Its land mass of nearly 7.7 million km2 is the flattest and (after Antarctica) driest of continents, yet it has extremes of climate and topography. There are rainforests and vast plains in the north, snowfields in the south east, desert in the centre and fertile croplands in the east, south and south west. About one third of the country lies in the tropics. Australia has a coastline of 36 735km.
Isolation of the Australian island-continent for 55 million years created a sanctuary for the flora and fauna. Marsupials were saved from competition with more highly developed mammals. Birds unique to Australia also survived, and distinctive trees and plants developed. Australia’s best-known animals are the kangaroo, koala, platypus and spiny anteater. Of more than 700 bird species listed in Australia, 400 - including the large, flightless emu - are found nowhere else. Australia has 20 000 species of plants, including living fossils such as the cycad palm and the grass tree, and brilliant wildflowers such as the waratah, Sturt’s desert pea, the flowering cones of banksia trees, and the red and green kangaroo paw. The continent has 700 species of acacia, which Australians call wattle, and 1200 species in the Myrtaceae family which includes eucalypts or gum trees.
Australia’s national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, is a revised version of a late 19th-century patriotic song. It was declared the national anthem in April 1984, replacing God Save the Queen, which was designated the royal anthem. In the same year, Australia officially adopted green and gold as its national colours.
Australia’s official language is English, by common usage rather than law. Australian English does not differ significantly from other forms of English, although some colloquial and slang expressions are unique.
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 the Territories, and the small stars form 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 King 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.
Australia’s national day, Australia Day, on 26 January, marks the date in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip, of the British Royal Navy, commanding a fleet of 11 ships, sailed into Port Jackson (Sydney Cove). Phillip formally took possession of the eastern part of the continent for England and established a settlement, now Australia’s largest city, Sydney.
Air travel and the great variety of Australia’s attractions are combining to bring more international tourists to Australia every year. Overseas tourists are drawn by Australia’s sunshine, sandy beaches, the vast outback, rainforests, the Great Barrier Reef, unique flora and fauna, the Gold Coast of Queensland, and the attractions of the cities, Australia’s friendly, multicultural society, and the safe and welcoming environment. Tourism is one of Australia’s largest and fastest-growing industries. In 2002, 4.8 million international tourists visited Australia, a quarter of them from Japan and another quarter from other countries of East Asia.
In 2000, Australian exports grew by 25 per cent to reach a total value of $143 billion, representing the best export growth Australia had experienced for 21 years. This figure increased again in 2000 - 01, to $154 billion. In 2001 - 02, the total value of Australian exports dropped by one per cent, reflecting a more difficult global trading environment. Australia’s export structures have changed considerably over the past 10 years.
Although trade in commodities remains strong, new services and sophisticated manufacturing export markets have emerged. Merchandise exports were valued at $121 billion in 2001 - 02. During the same year, Australian exports of services totalled $31 billion. Exports have recorded 8 per cent average annual growth since 1991 - 92. They now account for 21 per cent of GDP, compared with around 17 per cent in 1991 - 92.
Japan remains Australia’s largest single export market, buying 19 per cent of total merchandise exports in 2001 - 02. The United States accounts for 10 per cent, Korea 8 per cent and New Zealand 6 per cent. China, Singapore, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Indonesia were also significant export markets. (Merchandise exports to East Asia grew by 35 per cent in 2000 and to the Middle East by 38 per cent in the same year. Growth was small in 2001 - 02: to East Asia almost zero, and to the Middle East up just one per cent).
Australia’s imports have always been dominated by manufactures. In 2001 - 02, 84 per cent of Australia’s merchandise imports were manufactures.
Geography of Australia
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Location:
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Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean |
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Geographic coordinates:
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27 00 S, 133 00 E |
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Area:
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total: 7,686,850 sq km water: 68,920 sq km note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island land: 7,617,930 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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25,760 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin |
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Climate:
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generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north |
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Terrain:
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mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m |
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Natural resources:
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bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum |
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Land use:
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arable land: 6.88% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 93.09% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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24,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires |
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Environment - current issues:
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soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Kyoto Protocol |
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Geography - note:
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world’s smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as “the Doctor” occurs along the west coast in the summer |
Population of Australia
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Population:
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19,913,144 (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 20.1% (male 2,044,449; female 1,948,574) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 6,747,687; female 6,623,995) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 1,121,522; female 1,426,917) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 36.3 years male: 35.5 years female: 37.1 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.9% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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12.4 births/1,000 |
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Death rate:
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7.38 deaths/1,000 |
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Net migration rate:
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3.98 migrant(s)/1,000 |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 80.26 years male: 77.4 years female: 83.27 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.76 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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12,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Australian(s) adjective: Australian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% |
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Religions:
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Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11%, other 12.6% |
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Languages:
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English, native languages |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (1980 est.) |
Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia conventional short form: Australia |
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Government type:
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democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign |
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Capital:
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Canberra |
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Administrative divisions:
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6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia |
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Dependent areas:
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Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island |
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Independence:
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1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) |
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National holiday:
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Australia Day, 26 January (1788) |
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Constitution:
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9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 |
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Legal system:
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based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen of Australia |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Federal Parliament consists of
elections: Senate - last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held by NA February Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal |
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Judicial branch:
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High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Australian Democrats [Andrew BARTLETT]; Australian Labor Party [Mark LATHAM]; Australian Progressive Alliance [Meg LEES]; Country Liberal Party [Paul BUNKER]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [Len HARRIS] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Australian Monarchist League [leader NA]; Australian Republican Movement |
Economy
Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP on
par with the four dominant West European economies. Rising output in the domestic
economy has been offsetting the global slump, and business and consumer confidence
remains robust. Australia’s emphasis on reforms is another key factor behind the
economy’s strength. The impact of drought, weak foreign demand, and strong import demand
pushed the trade deficit up to $14 billion in 2003 from $5 billion in 2002.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $570.3 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2.8% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $28,900 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 3% industry: 25% services: 72% (2003 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% (2001 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 25.4% (1994) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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35.2 (1994) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.7% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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9.2 million (37256) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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6.1% (2003) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $86.8 billion expenditures: $84.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
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Industries:
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mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel, tourism |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1.1% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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198.2 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 8.3% other: 0.9% (2001) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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184.4 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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731,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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796,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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523,400 bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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530,800 bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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3.664 billion bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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33.08 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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23.33 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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9.744 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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2.407 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry |
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Exports:
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$68.67 billion (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment |
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Exports - partners:
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Japan 18.5%, US 9.6%, South Korea 8.3%, China 6.9%, New Zealand 6.5%, UK 4.7%, Singapore 4.1%, Taiwan 4% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$82.91 billion (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products |
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Imports - partners:
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US 18.3%, Japan 12.3%, China 10.1%, Germany 5.7%, UK 4.6% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$193 billion (2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA, $894 million (FY99/00) |
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Currency:
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Australian dollar (AUD) |
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Currency code:
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AUD |
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Exchange rates:
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Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.54 (2003), 1.84 (2002), 1.93 (2001), 1.72 (2000), 1.55 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July - 30 June |
Unusual facts about Australia
Mass moonings - In 1832, 300 female Convicts at the Cascade Female Factory mooned the Governor of Tasmania during a chapel service. It was said that in a “rare moment of collusion with the Convict women, the ladies in the Governor’s party could not control their laughter.”
Swimming - In 1838 it was declared illegal to swim at public beaches during the day! This law was enforced until 1902.
The secret ballot was first used in Victoria and South Australia following the granting of responsible government. Other states introduced secret ballots as follows: 1856 - Victoria & South Australia 1858 - New South Wales & Tasmania 1859 - Queensland 1893 - Western Australia. The secret ballot was referred to as ‘kangaroo voting’. World wide, secret voting is often referred to as the ‘Australian ballot.
Female vote - Australia was the second country to give women the vote.
Police force - Australia’s first police force was a band of 12 of the most well behaved Convicts.
In 1932, Francis De Groot, a retired cavalry officer, managed to get himself selected as part of the honour guard at the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. When the ribbon was about to be cut, he galloped forward on his horse and slashed the ribbon with his sword, declaring the bridge open in the name of ‘the decent citizens of New South Wales’.
The ribbon was then tied back together and the ceremony continued. De Groot was carried off to a mental hospital, declared insane and later fined for the replacement cost of one ribbon.
Independence for WA- In April 1933, 68 per cent of West Australians voted in favour of seceding from the Commonwealth of Australia. However they needed permission from the British Parliament before they could officially become a new country.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Federal Parliament was arguing that Britain should not interfere in Australian politics.
The end result was that Britain never made a decision and so Western Australian remained part of the Commonwealth.
In 1954, Bob Hawke was immortalised by the Guinness Book of Records for sculling 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Bob later became the Prime Minister of Australia.
Sir John Robertson, five times premier of New South Wales, drank a pint of rum every morning for 35 years. Later said: ‘none of the men who have left footprints in this country have been cold water men.’
Alcohol- It has been reported that the first European settlers in Australia drank more alcohol per head of population than any other community in the history of mankind.
Prime Minister Harold Holt went for a swim at Cheviot Beach, near Portsea on 17th December 1967, and was never seen again. The event has been referred to as ‘the swim that needed no towel’.
Until 1984, Australia’s National anthem was “God save the Queen/King.”
Cartoonists - A cartoon is a drawing that makes a satirical, witty, or humorous point. On 17 July 1924, the world’s first society of cartoonists, the Black and White Artists’ Society, was formed in Sydney.
Yowie sighting - In 1987, the Alice Springs police station received a call from a frightened family. The family had stopped for a cup of tea after a morning of rabbit hunting. Then a huge ape like creature, two meters tall and covered in hair, leapt out of an empty water tank and began walking towards them. The family fled to their truck and the creature ran after them before disappearing into the bush. The man, Frank Burns believed it was a man however the women, Phyllis Kenny, told the press she could tell the difference between man and beast and this was definitely a beast. The following day police searched the area and found a man, 203 centimetres tall weighing a estimated 127-159 kg (or about two Oprah Winfreys) sitting naked by the roadside. The man was then taken to a local mental hospital.
Mungo man - In 1974, scientists discovered the Mungro man, a primate who was ritually buried 40-60,000 years ago. They also found the charred remains of Mungro lady who is now considered to be the world’s oldest record of a cremation. ANU’s John Curtin School of Medical Research, found that the skeleton’s genetic material contained a small section of mitochondrial DNA. It was analysed and compared to the genetic material from nearly 3,500 people, including Neanderthals, ancient Aborigines, and present-day Aborigines. It was found that Mungo Man’s DNA bore no similarity to the DNA taken from any of the other samples.
Australia day - January 26, Australia day, is the anniversary of ships arriving in Sydney carrying a load of Convicts.
Natural environment
The Australian Lyre Bird is the world’s best imitator; able to mimic the calls of 15 different species of birds in their locality and string the calls into a melody. Also been known to mimic the sound mobile phones.
The echidna is such a unique animal that it is classified in a special class of mammals known as monotremes, which it shares only with the platypus. The echidna lays eggs like a duck but suckles its young in a pouch like a kangaroo. For no apparent reason, it may decide to conserve energy by dropping its body temperature to 4 degrees and remain at that temperature from 4 to 120 days. Lab experiments have shown that the echidna is more intelligent that a cat and it has been seen using its spikes, feet and beaks to climb up crevices like a mountaineer edging up a rock chimney.
Purple wallaby - The Purple-neck Rock Wallaby [Petrogale Purpureicollis], inhabits the Mt Isa region in Northwest Queensland. The Wallaby secretes a dye that transforms its face and neck into colours ranging from light pink to bright purple.
The Fierce Snake or Inland Taipan has the most toxic venom of any snake. Maximum yield recorded (for one bite) is 110mg. That would probably be enough to kill over 100 people or 250,000 mice.
Australia is the smallest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent in the world. It is the only country which is also a whole continent.
Over 90% of Australia is dry, flat and arid. Almost three-quarters of the land cannot support agriculture in any form.
A baby kangaroo at the time of its birth measures 2 centimetres.
Kangaroos need very little water to survive and are capable of going for months without drinking at all. When they do need water, they dig ‘wells’ for themselves; frequently going as deep as three or four feet. These ‘kangaroo pits’ are a common source of water for other animals living in the kangaroo’s environment.
Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason.
A monotreme is a animal that lays eggs and suckles its young. The world’s only monotremes are the platypus and the echidna.
The male platypus has a poisonous spine that can kill a dog and inflict immense pain on a human.
When a specimen of the platypus was first sent to England, it was believed the Australians had played a joke by sewing the bill of a duck onto a rat.
Box Jelly fish - The box jellyfish is considered the world’s most venomous marine creature. The box jellyfish has killed more people in Australia than stonefish, sharks and crocodiles combined.
The Sydney Funnelweb spider is considered the world’s most deadly spider. It is the only spider that has killed people in less than 2 hours. Its fangs are powerful enough to bite through gloves and fingernails. The only animals without immunity to the funnelweb’s venom are humans and monkeys.
Lung fish - Queensland is home to lung fish, a living fossil from the Triassic period 350 million years ago.
Migration
Robust - The first humans travelled across the sea from Indonesia about 70,000 years ago. The first visitors are called ‘Robust’ by archaeologists because of their heavy-boned physique.
Gracile - 50, 000 years ago, the more slender ‘Gracile’ people; the ancestors of Australian Aborigines, arrived in Australia. At the time of their settlement/invasion, the Gracile were the most technologically advanced people in the world.
Tasmanian Aborigine - The Tasmanian Aborigine was of a different race to those on the mainland with features more similar to Africans. On the orders of Governor Arthur, all Tasmanian Aborigines were ordered to be shot. No full bloods live today.
Convicts of African descent - Convicts comprised many different racial groups and many of these minority racial groups were very prominent in colonial society. Australia’s first bushranger was a Convict of African descent. Another African Convict was arguably Sydney’s first eccentrics as he walked around in a top hat and tails.
Gold Rush - During the Gold rush of the 1850’s, Australia received massive waves of migration from China, America, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England. An Italian migrant named ‘Raefello Carboni’ subsequently led the Eureka Rebellion.
People: 92% Caucasian descent, 7% Asian descent, 1% Aboriginal descent.
Post World War II - From 1945 through 1996, nearly 5.5 million immigrants settled in Australia.
Four out of 10 Australians are migrants or the first-generation children of migrants.
Sport
Happy birthday anthem - In 1977, Alan Jones scored a surprise victory in the Austrian Grand Prix. Initially officials were going to play the Austrian anthem but then realised that Australia and Austria were not the same country. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the Australian anthem so instead a local drunk played “Happy Birthday to You” on a trumpet.
Don Bradman - Don Bradman averaged 99.94 during his career. The next highest average in the entire history of the game is around 60.
Australian Football was invented by Sydney Tom Wills and Henry Harrison who were both born in Sydney. Tom played the Aboriginal game of Mangrook as a child and it is believed the native game inspired the rules he initially proposed.
America’s cup - In 1983, the yacht “Australia II” ended the Americans 132 year dominance of the America’s cup.
4 X 100 meters - The American 4 X 100 meters freestyle relay team had never been defeated until the 2000 Olympics when they were beaten by the Australians.
Duncan Armstrong - At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, underdog Ducan Armstrong upstaged the great American Matt Biondi to win the 200m freestyle. (Australians like to beat Americans.) The win was made extra enjoyable when American’s accused Armstrong of “surfing” the wave created by Biondi. Only thing more enjoyable that seeing Americans defeated, is them bitter as well.
Sydney Olympics - The Sydney Olympics were labelled the ‘best ever games’ by IOC president Juan Samaranch. What makes this a particularly sweet accolade for Australians is that they followed the Atlanta Olympics - staged by Americans.
A Sydney Australian football match was once stopped after fans smuggled a pig into the stadium, wrote the name of a big-boned player on the pig’s side and then released it onto the ground.
Dawn Fraser - Dawn Fraser is the only athlete to ever win gold in the same event at three consecutive Olympics. At the 1964 Olympics, Dawn Fraser marched in the opening ceremony and wore a custom made swimsuit. For these breaches of protocol, the Australian Swimming Federation banned her from competition for ten years.
Rod Laver is the only male tennis player to win the grand slam and he did it twice.
Jeff Thompson once bowled a ball that was calculated to be at least 160 kms per hour which makes him the fastest bowler of all time. He is reported to have said that the sound of the bowl hitting the batsmen skull was music to his ears.
Cazaly - When charging from their trenches, Diggers would yell “Up their Cazaly” in tribute to the ruckmen Roy Cazaly. “Up there Cazaly” was later made into a song that reached number one on the charts.
Susie Maroney is a swimmer who from time to time feels inclined to swim long distances - such as Cuba to Florida.
The day of the Melbourne Cup (a horse race!) is a public holiday in Melbourne.
Cities
Sydney - Australia’s first and largest city. Also known as Sin City. Wanted to be Capital of Australia but its convict stigma counted against it.
Melbourne - Wanted to be the Capital of Australia on the basis that it was the home to the Australian establishment and was not founded by Convicts. (Founded by John Batman; son of a Convict)
Canberra - Because Sydney and Melbourne kept bickering over which city should be the capital of Australia, it was decided that neither of them would be capital and instead, a new capital would be built in the middle of them both.
Hobart - Australia’s second oldest city. The too-frequent visits by French explorers concerned the British authorities and in 1803 it was decided that a colony should be established on the island to secure British territorial claims. Convicts were then sent.
Newcastle - Newcastle’s coal deposits were discovered by a party hunting escaped Convicts. Sydney’s difficult Convicts were then sent to Newcastle to mine the coal. Known as an egalitarian city where miners and winemakers share a beer or a fine drop.
Adelaide - Claim to fame is that it is a City that has lots of Churches. Adelaide is the Capital of the only Australian state never to have received Convicts. Is universally recognised as a hole.
Perth - The last Australian state to receive Convicts. It has been said most of them now work in parliament or business.
Brisbane - In 1824, a southern state governor sent a party of difficult Convicts to found a new settlement in Queensland. These days, southern state children send their difficult parents to Queensland to retire. Also a Mecca for Southern State teenagers who upon finishing school, head north for a week of booze and debauchery.
Language
Waltzing Matilda - ‘Waltzing Matilda’ the title of Australia’s most famous song, is German for ‘carrying a backpack’.
Bludger - Australians refer to lazy people as ‘bludgers’. The word is derived from ‘bludgeoner’ which is a prostitute’s standover man.
Larrikin - A larrikin is a comical, roguish individual who is prone to rowdy and unruly behaviour. The term was coined from an Irish policeman in a Melbourne court, claiming the prisoner was “larkin about”.
POME - Australians refer to English people as Poms or Pome. This is an acronym for Prisoners of Mother England. May have originally been an abbreviation for pomegranate which is rhyming slang for immigrant.
The name Australia comes from the Latin Terra Australis Incognito which means the Unknown Southern Land.
Seppo - Australians may refer to Americans as ‘Seppos’. This is an abbreviation for ‘Septic Tank’ which is rhyming slang for ‘Yank’.
Drongo - Australians may refer to fools, idiots and hopeless cases as Drongos. Drongo was a 1920’s racehorse that showed promise but never won anything in 37 starts. In the 1940s, the term was applied to recruits of the Australian airforce.
Digger - Australian servicemen are referred to as Diggers. This term comes from miners on the Australian goldfields of the 1800’s.
Kangaroo - The name for the Australian marsupial Kangaroo came about when some of the first white settlers saw this strange animal hopping along and they asked the Aborigines what it was called. They replied with ‘Kanguru’, which in the native language meant ‘I don’t know’ (what you are asking).
Mysteries
Stolen baby - On August 17, 1980, Lindy Chamberlain, the wife of a Church minister, told authorities that a dingo took her baby Azaria from their campsite near Uluru. Curiously, the Australian public was more inclined to place faith in the character of a wild dog rather than in a minister’s wife and as a consequence, Lindy was convicted of murder. Some years later, her conviction was quashed yet still, some Australians are adamant that the dingo was innocent.
Dropbears - Dropbears are an evil species of koala that fall from trees and attack humans. The evil strain of koala don’t actually exist rather the story was created to fool Americans.
Yowies- Like the Nth American big foot, the yowie emits a vile odour and screams offensively. Numerous sightings of Yowies have turned out to be escaped mental patients or hermits in jungle attire.
Lost Prime Minister - In 1967, Harold Holt, the Prime Minister of Australia went for a swim at the beach and was never seen again. Theories about his disappearance include kidnapping by a Russian submarine, eaten by a shark or being carried away by the tide.
Bunyips - Bunyips haunt rivers, swamps, creeks and billabongs. Their main goal in life is to cause nocturnal terror by eating people or animals in their vicinity. They are renowned for their terrifying bellowing cries in the night and have been known to frighten Aborigines to the point where they would not approach any water source where a Bunyip might be waiting to devour them.
Some scientists believe the Bunyip was a real animal, the diprotodon, extinct for some 20,000 years.
Megafauna - 20-30 thousand years ago, Australia was home to Megafauna; giant species of marsupials including a wombat the size of a rhino, meat eating kangaroos, kangaroos three meat tall and lizards 7 meters long. It is not known exactly what happened to them. One theory is that were hunted to extinction by Aborigines or that the Aborigines use of fire destroyed their habitat. Another theory is their habitat was destroyed by the progressive drying of Australia.
Marree man - In 1998, a huge engraving of a Aboriginal warrior appeared in the Australian outback. It was 4km long, held a throwing stick, was bearded and had a penis which was estimated to be 200m in length. The markings appeared to have been made by a tractor pulling some sort of plough which created furrows 10m wide in the difficult terrain. To this day, the artist is a mystery.
Phar lap - Phar Lap was Australia’s greatest race horse winning 37 of his 51 starts. After handicappers saddled him with enough weight to stop a train, his owner took him overseas to race in America. He easily won his first race but then died in mysterious circumstances.
Mungo man- Although resembling modern humans, Mungo man appears to have been a separate species. His unique DNA has been used to challenge the ‘out of Africa’ theory of human evolution.
Eccentrics
Rosaleen Norton - Rosaleen was born in 1917. She lived outside the realm of respectable society; flouting all moral and social conventions. Her published book of illustrations was declared obscene by the censors and banned in 1952.
Popularly known as the Kings Cross Witch, she was hounded by the media who seized on her alleged satanic rituals, sex orgies and drug-taking. When asked whether she ever considered leading an ordinary life, she exclaimed: “Oh God no, I couldn’t stand it! I’d go mad or sane. I don’t know which.”
William James Chidley - William was born in 1860 and came to prominence due to his unconventional theories on sex, diet and clothing. Donned in a Spartan tunic, he preached living a ‘natural’ life of nudity and a diet comprising only fruit and nuts.
He suffered constant persecution by the authorities, was committed to various asylums and jailed. Ironically, he was regarded as a pervert for mentioning sex when he was something of a puritan in his teachings and lifestyle. However the public became fond of him and subsequently petitioned parliamentarians and the media to get him released.
Billy Blue - Billy was a Convict of African decent. He was quite a character due to his respectable attire of top hat and discarded military uniform.
So colourful was his personality that his frequent law infringements were looked upon with a ‘benevolent ‘ air by police.
Tim the Yowie man - Tim began his career as a mild mannered economist but during a bushwalking expedition, his life changed after coming face to face with a Yowie. (Australian bigfoot). Tim realised his calling and gave up the figures to investigate those mysterious occurrences that others were too afraid to openly discuss. Tim named his genre “cryptonaturalism” and to this day, he remains the genre’s only occupant.
Economy and lifestyle
Homicide - Australia was founded by Convicts. Its homicide rate is 1.8 per 100,000 population. The United States was founded by religious zealots. It’s homicide rate is 6.3 per 100,000. Almost 400% greater than Australia.
The ocker - 10 percent of Australians satisfy the definition of an ‘ocker’ . This 10 percent of the population consume 80 percent of the beer drunk in Australia.
Gun toting- On average, American soldiers fired seven times as many bullets as Australian soldiers during the Vietnam war.
Newspaper readership - Per capita, Australians read more newspapers than any other nation.
Urban dwellers - Australia is one of the world’s most urbanised countries, with about 70 per cent of the population living in the 10 largest cities.
Gambling - Per Capita, Australians spend more money on gambling than any other nation.
With less than 1 percent of the world’s population, Australia has more than 20 percent of its poker machines.
Australia’s expenditure on arts products ranks among the highest in developed countries.
The average world population density is 117 people per square mile, that of the United States 76 and that of Macao is 69,000. Australia’s is only 6
Employment of Australians - 80% service sector 14% manufacturing 5% rural.
2.3 percent of Australia’s GDP is derived from agriculture.
15 percent of Australia’s GDP is derived from mining.
.02 percent of the Australian land mass is used by mines. More land is occupied by pubs.
Rabbits - For each person in Australia there are two sheep and over 16 rabbits, the latter introduced in 1859 by one enterprising man who brought 24 wild rabbits from England in an effort to remind him of home.
Bicentenary - At the highpoint of the Bicentenary in 1988, 51% of Australians couldn’t see any good reason for celebrating.
Cannabis arrests- In 1999, 46,000 Australians were arrested for possession or use of Cannabis.
Cannabis use - It is estimated that 50% of Australians aged 14-19 are active users of Cannabis.
Cannabis industry - The sale of illegal cannabis industry constitutes 1 percent of Australia’s GDP and is twice the size of the Australian wine industry.
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