Australia By Laura Ruane

Fun Facts!  Australia was founded by Dutch man Willem Janszoon in the early 1600’s.  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

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.

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.

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.

Ayers rock/Uluru

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.

Sydney Opera House

 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.

Great Barrier Reef (PICTURE HERE)

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.