Australia

Australia is the smallest of the seven

continents, and the only one country.

Australia is the sixth largest country in the

world, after Russia, Canada, USA, China

and Brazil.

Winter in Australia is from June to august

and summer is from December to

February. It’s about the size of U.S

without Alaska and Hawaii. Australia

formed 50 million years ago, separating

itself from the other continents. That’s why

it’s animals and plants are so different.

such as the platypus, kangaroo, echidna,

and koala. Australia has 516 national

parks to protect its unique plants and

animals. and has a lot of fertile land, more

than one-third of Australia is desert. One

of Australia's most amazing sites rises like

an enormous whale's back from a flat red-

soil desert called the Red Center. This site

is called Uluru, and it is a sacred natural

formation at the heart of the country.

Rising 1,100 feet (335 meters) tall, it is the

largest rock in the world! Australia is home

to many of the deadliest species of

animals on the planet. There are 36

species of poisonous funnel-web spiders

in eastern Australia. There are also 20

types of venomous snakes, including the

taipan, which attacks without warning and

bites repeatedly, killing its victim in

minutes.

There are several types of rain forests in

Australia. Tropical rain forests, mainly

found in the northeast, are the richest in

plant and animal species. Subtropical rain

forests are found near the mid-eastern

coast, and broadleaf rain forests grow in

the southeast and on the island of

Tasmania. As a commonwealth of the

United Kingdom, Australia's head of state

is the British monarch. Many Australians

think the country should end its ties to

Britain and become republic. Australia is

an important exporter of agricultural goods

like wool, wheat, beef, fruit, and wine. The

country is also rich in minerals and metals

and is the world's fourth largest producer

of gold. Aboriginal people arrived in

Australia about 50,000 years ago. They

may have travelled from Asia across land

bridges that were exposed when sea

levels were lower. The hardy Aborigines

have learned to live in the harsh

conditions of the outback.

Dutch explorers first landed in Australia in

1606, and the British began to settle there

in 1788. Many settlers were criminals sent

to live in Australia as punishment. For a

short time, the newcomers lived

peacefully with the Aboriginal people. But

soon, fighting broke out over who owned

the land. In 1851, gold was discovered in

Australia. A rush to find riches brought

thousands of new people, and by 1859,

six separate colonies existed. In 1901,

these colonies joined to form a British

commonwealth.

Nature

The Golden Wattle

The golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) ,

most commonly known as the golden

wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae

native to south-eastern Australia. It grows

to a height of 8 m.

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

The great barrier reef is the world's largest

coral reef system made out of over 2,900

different reefs and 900 islands stretching

for over 2,300 kilometres.

INLAND TIAPAN

The inland taipan (Oxyuranus

microlepidotus), also commonly known as

the western taipan, the small-scaled

snake or the fierce snake,is a species of

extremely venomous snake in the family

Elapidae.

KANGAROO

The kangaroo is a marsupial from the

family Macropodidae (macropods,

meaning "large foot"). There are other

species from this family like the red

kangaroo, as well as the antilopine

kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo, and

western grey kangaroo.

EMU

The common emu may not be able to fly,

but for such a big bird it sure can run. This

flightless bird has small wings relative to

the size of its body. Its long, powerful legs,

though, allow it to run up to about 30 miles

per hour. Each emu foot has three

forward-facing toes that allow it to grip the

ground, thrusting the bird forward.

WOBAT

Wombats are marsupials, which means, they

carry their babies in their pouches. Wombats

have sharp teeth, but are herbivores. This

means they eat grasses, bark and roots.

Wombats are mainly night-active, but can

also be seen out looking for food on cool and

overcast days.

Koala

Koalas are marsupials. This means that they

are mammals that carry their young in a

pouch. They look like cute bears but koalas

are definitely not bears! Koalas live in

eucalypt forests along the eastern coastline of

Australia. They grow up to 80 cm/ 2.2 ft in

height. Baby koalas are called joeys.

Dingo

Dingos are the biggest carnivorous mammals

in Australia. Carnivorous means meat-eating.

They can be found all over Australia except

for Tasmania although they mainly live in the

country’s outback. A dingo looks similar to a

domestic dog, but has a longer muzzle, larger

pointed ears and sharper teeth. It has a

brown furry coat and bushy tail

PLATYPUS

The platypus is one of the monotremes

(Monotremes are one of the three main

groups of living mammals). The egg-lying

animal lives along the river banks in burrows.

The platypus has a brown furry body and

webbed feet. With a bill like a duck as well as

a tail like a beaver it looks truly unique. A

platypus can grow up to 60 cm/ 2 ft in length.

Platypus are very shy animals and quickly hide

underwater if approached. If they are

attacked and cannot flee, however, they

inject poison through spurs in their hind legs.

The poison is so strong it can kill a dog!

THIS LINK IS LITTLE IMFORMATION MADE ME

PLATYPUS.docx

Top 9 foods

1. Chicken Parmigiana

2. Barbecued sausages

3. Lamingtons

4. A burger with ‘the lot’

5. Pavlova

6. Meat pies

7. Barramundi

8. Vegemite on Toast

9. Pumpkin soup

Top 6 tourist-attractions

1. Sydney Opera House

2 Barrier Reef Marine Park

3. Uluru

4. Melbourne

Brisbane

6. Perth

Sport

The Australians mostly play cricket and

football. There football is like a rugby.

Australia is also important for water-based

sports, such as swimming and surfing. And

play other popular sports including horse

racing, basketball, and motor racing.

Main rivers

The main rivers in Australia are:

Cooper Creek, Darling River, Lachlan,

Murraydarling, Murrumbidgee, Murray,

Murrumbidgee River, Paroo River, Warrego

River,

FACTS

Population: About 25.5 million (2021)

National Symbols: Golden wattle (flower),

opal (gemstone), green and gold (colours)

and the Commonwealth Star (a seven-

pointed star)

National Animals: Kangaroo, emu

National Holiday: 26 January (Australia

Day)

National Anthem: Advance Australia Fair

Australia Superlatives

The highest mountain of Australia is

Mount Kosciuszko with 2,228 m/ 7,310 ft.

The Great Dividing Range is the longest

mountain range in Australia stretching

over 3,500 km/ 2,175 miles.

Uluru, previously referred to also as Ayers

Rock, is located in the centre of the

country and is the largest alone standing

rock in the world.

The longest river of Australia is the Murray

River with 2,508 km/ 1,558 miles.

The Great Barrier Reef in Eastern

Australia is the biggest coral reef system

in the world. The reef consists of more

than 3,000 reefs and 900 islands. The

Barrier Reef is home to over 350 species

of corals and over 1,500 species of fish.

Australia is the world's largest exporter of

coal.

Sydney is Australia's biggest city with

more than 5 million inhabitants.

Australia's largest desert is the Great

Victoria Basin which covers most of

Western Australia and South Australia.

Famous People

Macfarlane Burnet - Medical researcher

Russell Crowe - Actor

Mel Gibson – Actor

Steve Irwin - Crocodile hunter and

naturalist

Hugh Jackman - Actor

Nicole Kidman – Actress

Kylie Minogue – Singer

Rupert Murdoch - publisher

Olivia Newton-John - Singer and actress

Greg Norman - Professional golfer

Andres 'Banjo' Patterson - Poet