What do you know about Australia

AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH

In Australia people speak English.
But their English is not quite the same.
In England people say Hello.
But in Australia people say G’day.
In England people say banana.
But in Australia people say nana.
In England people say English person.
But in Australia people say pom.
In England people say Have you eaten yet? (Present perfect. Yuck!)
But in Australia people say Did you eat yet? (That’s much easier!)
In England people say How are you?
But in Australia people say How are you going?
Not sandwiches, but cut lunch, not sausage, but snag.
And they say chalkie instead of teacher!

SEASONS AND WEATHER

We live in the Northern hemisphere and Australian seasons are the opposite of ours.
If it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in Australia.
If it is autumn in the northern hemisphere, it is spring in Australia.
If it is winter in the northern hemisphere, it is summer in Australia.
If it is spring in the northern hemisphere, it is autumn in Australia.
So winter months in Australia are June, July and August.
Spring months in Australia are September, October and November.
Summer months in Australia are December, January and February.
Autumn months in Australia are March, April and May.
The hottest months in Australia are December, January and February. In these months they where shorts, T-shirts and sandals. And people spend a lot of time on the beach: swim,, play volleyball, go snorkelling or scuba diving or lie in the sun and do nothing.
The coldest months are June, July and August – a perfect time for winter sports.

UNIQUE AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS

KOALA
The koala lives in the eucalyptus forest (gum forest). Its name is an aborigine word. It means "no water“. Koalas don’t drink, they eat eucalyptus leaves. They sleep for 18 hours a day. Koalas are marsupial animals.
KANGAROO
When European explorers first saw these strange hopping animals they asked an aborigine what they were called. He replied "kangaroo“ ("I don't understand“) your question. The explorers thought this was the animal's name. And that's how the kangaroo got its name. The kangaroo has got a long tail, short front legs and a big pouch with a baby kangaroo in it.
PLATYPUS
The platypus lives on the riverbanks. It has a bill like
a duck.
The only mammal that lays eggs is the platypus.
Platypuses eat shrimps, insects and worms.

HOLIDAYS IN AUSTRALIA

26th January is a very special day in Australia. It’s Australia Day, the anniversary of the arrival the first ships from Great Britain. They celebrate everything about their country. At school pupils do projects and learn about the history of Australia. Most of Australians spend the holiday relaxing with family and friends.
AUSTRALIA DAY
CHRISTMAS
In December it’s very hot in Australia and Australians spend Christmas day on the beach! They have barbecues. Australians surround themselves with Christmas Bush, a native plant with little red flowered leaves. At many beaches Santa Claus arrives on a surfboard.

THE FLAG, THE HERB
AND THE ANTHEM

THE AUSTRALIAN FLAG
THE COAT OF ARMS
«Advance Australia fair!»
THE ANTHEM OF AUSTRALIA
The Australian flag uses three symbols:
the Union Flag
the Commonwealth Star
the Southern Cross .
The Australian Coat of Arms consists of:
the badges of the six states of the Commonwealth
the Crest of the Arms
the supporters of the Coat of Arms: the Kangaroo and the Emu.

THE ABORIGINAL CULTURE

The first inhabitants of Australia, called aborigines, believe that their people arrived in Australia when the Earth was created. They call their creation story "Dreamtime." During "Dreamtime" spirits rose from below the Earth and turned into nature (rocks, rivers, …) in Australia. Aborigines of Australia believe that these spirits are alive.
The aboriginal culture represents nature. They have a traditional instrument called the didgeridoo.
This is a BOOMERANG. The aborigines used it to hunt. There are also two types of boomerang, returning and non-returning. Nowadays the art of boomerang throwing is an international sport.
ABORIGINAL DANCE
ABORIGINAL PAINTINGS
He is playing the DIDGERIDOO

NATURE IN AUSTRALIA

ULURU (AIERS ROCK)
It is a magnificent rock which changes colour during the day. It’s pink, orange, red, brown…
The Pinnacles Desert is in Western Australia, in Nambung National Park.
These pinnacles are 4 metres tall and they came from seashells. The best season to see the Pinnacles is spring from August to October.
TASMANIA
It is a beautiful island. You can visit beaches, national parks and mountains.
THE PINNACLES DESERT
It is more than 2000 km long. You can
see lots of colourful fish and coral there. The reef is unforgettable.
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

AUSTRALIAN CITIES

HOBART is the capital
of Tasmania.
The biggest cities in Australia is SYDNEY, the capital of New South Wales. It is a big multicultural city. This is the famous opera house.
MELBOURNE is the capital of Victoria.
CANBERRA is the capital of Australia. This is Parliament House.
ADELAIDE is the capital of South Australia.

CHILDREN
IN AUSTRALIA

I want to tell you about Mark.
Mark is from Western Australia. He is twelve. He lives on a farm. Mark can’t go to school because there isn’t a school near the farm. The school is in the town of Albany 150 kilometres away. Mark watches TV to do his lessons.
Every morning, he gets up at seven o’clock. He turns on his TV at half past eight. There is a video link to his school. Mark can see his friends in class and his teacher. He watches the lesson, so he learns the same things as the children in town. Every month, his teacher comes to the farm and studies with him.
In the afternoon Mark often helps his father on the farm. He’s got a horse called Sprinter and he often rides him in the countryside. He loves his horse very much.
But Mark doesn’t want to be a farmer. He has a dream He wants to be a pilot one day.

NOW ANSWER
THE QUESTIONS

Name three unique Australian animals.
How do Australians say “Hello”?
What are summer month in Australia?
When do Australians celebrate Australia day?
What animals can you see on Australian coat of arms?
What is the capital of Australia and what’s the biggest city?
Does Mark go to school?
How long is the Great Barrier Reef and how tall are the pinnacles in the Pinnacle Desert?
What is the aboriginal traditional musical instrument?