Australia Overview

• Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous people of the Australian mainland and many of its islands.  They are said to be part of the oldest cultures on Earth. They are a people deep rooted in strong traditions passed down over generations.  Australian Aboriginal culture includes a number of practices and ceremonies centered on a belief in the Dreamtime and other mythology. Reverence and respect for the land and oral traditions are emphasised. Australian Aboriginal art has existed for thousands of years and ranges from ancient rock art to modern watercolour landscapes. Aboriginal music has developed a number of unique instruments. 

• The didgeridoo is a wind instrument.The didgeridoo was developed by Aboriginal Peoples of northern Australia, likely within the last 1,000 years, and is now in use around the world. A didgeridoo is usually cylindrical or conical, and can measure anywhere from 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 ft) long. Most are around 1.2 m (4 ft) long. Generally, the longer the instrument, the lower its pitch or key. However, flared instruments play a higher pitch than unflared instruments of the same length.

Just a few Points of Interest…

• Great Barrier Reef: If you love to snorkel, you have to check out the largest coral reef system in the world , located in the Coral Sea off the coat of Queensland, Australia. It is an extremely ancient, enormous host of living things, composed of living coral growing on dead coral dating back perhaps as much as twenty million years.  It is composed of over 2,900 individual reef! It is a host to literally millions of animals and plant life. Learn more about coral reefs here.

• Australia Zoo:  The zoo grew from a two acre wildlife park into the amazing facility they know today through the love and dedication of the Irwin Family. The Australia Zoo not only has a mission to save animals in need all over Australia, but to educate people on all types of animals and how we can all live together.  Take a trip through the zoo with Robert Irwin and see what you think!  

• Mount Augustus: for all its isolation, it is one of the true wonders of Australia. It is the largest single rock in the world. Rising 715 metres above the flat plains which surround it (it is 1105 m above sea level), Mt Augustus covers an area of 4,795 hectares. Mount Augustus is an inselberg, meaning ‘island mountain’. There are rocky creeks, gorges and open plains supporting a variety of vegetation and wildlife.    You can take a helicopter ride around Mount Augustus here!

• Sydney Opera House: The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre at Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the 20th century's most famous and distinctive buildings. Take a 360 Tour Here.

Animals of Australia

• Koala: Koalas are not bears. They are not placental or 'eutherian' mammals, but MARSUPIALS, which means that their young are born immature & they develop further in the safety of a pouch. It’s incorrect to call them ‘Koala bears' - their correct name is simply 'Koalas' Koalas have 5 digits on each front paw, two of which are opposed to the others, much like our thumbs are able to be moved differently from the fingers. This helps them to hold firmly onto the branches and to grip their food.  Koalas are mostly nocturnal. Nocturnal animals are awake at night and asleep during the day. Koalas, however, sleep for part of the night and also sometimes move about in the daytime. They often sleep for up to 18-20 hours each day! You can adopt a Koala here!

• Kangaroo: Kangaroos are also native to Australia and Marsupials, like the Koalas. Kangaroos possess powerful hind legs, a long, strong tail, and small front legs. Kangaroos belong to the animal family Macropus, literally "big foot." Thanks to their large feet, kangaroos can leap some 30 feet (9 meters) in a single bound, and travel more than 30 ​miles (48 ​kilometers)​ per hour​. Watch this video about kangaroos!

Bring a Little Bit of Australia Into Your Home!