A continent, a country, a people (actually several peoples),
Population: 27 million (2025)
King of Australia: Charles. The culture is also very similar to England.
Australia is big! It's the 6th largest country in the world. We went from Cairns to Sydney, 3,000 km. Compared to Europe:
Capital: Canberra, not Sydney or Melbourne. They couldn't agree and chose the city in between.
Economy
Australian dollar: €0.56. Groceries are European prices, rent is much higher in the cities. Oh, a liter of gasoline costs only one euro, honestly.
Animals
Lots of animals everywhere. And 80% of the animals are native, you won't find them anywhere else.
There are quite a few dangerous animals, here you can find them in Australia:
And the black areas are where land AND water creatures can bite you!
Poster with dangerous creatures:
https://fathomaway.com/scary-creatures-australia
So swimming on the beach in the north/east is often not allowed because of: saltwater crocodiles (Salties), two nasty species of jellyfish, and ten species of sharks.
This is the most poisonous animal in the water: the Irukandji jellyfish, or box jellyfish.
Within half an hour of a sting, you'll experience incredible pain, nausea, and heart problems. Vinegar, available on many Australian beaches, provides some relief from a sting. You don't need to call 000; 112 works just as well.
The Australians
85% lives within 50 km of the coast, 95% within 100 km. The interior, the 'outback', is very dry and hot, and therefore difficult to live in.
The Aboriginal people, the original inhabitants, have lived there for over 50,000 years, divided into tribes. Today, approximately 1 million Aboriginal people live in Australia, representing approximately 41% of the population. They are divided into various tribes:
Climate
The climate varies considerably across Australia: it's temperate near Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, desert in the central regions, and tropical with rainforests in the north. People often don't talk about summer and winter, but rather about dry and wet seasons.
Near Canberra you have a high mountain range, with snow, skiing, all the trimmings.
But in many places, the sun is shining, and not just a little. Australia is the land of slip-slop-slap. Slip on a shirt, slather on plenty of sunscreen, and slap a hat on your head. We say: very good with all that UV: slipslapslop! And also seek (shadow) and slide (sunglasses)! Here's how Crocodile Dundee does it:
Oh, and don't slap the roo!
Language
English of course, but with a little accent and lots of fun words of my own.
Favorite phrase: no worries mate!
Well-known abbreviations, guess what you mean:
- Selfie, yes it comes from Australia
- Swimmie
- Sunny
- Barbie
- Ambo
- Arvo
- Macca's
- Uni
- Breakfast
- Red
- Straya
Funny huh?
In addition, dozens of aboriginal languages.
Fun facts
Number of beaches: over 10,000, some nearly 200 km long. And the whitest beaches in the world.
Largest natural structure: Great Barrier Reef, 2,300 km long, 900 islands, home to many fish species.
Oldest tropical rainforest, Daintree (been there, very beautiful, the houseplants at home are large, among the trees that grow to the sky).
More camels than in Egypt (imported, but not a natural enemy, like rabbits)
Founded by a fleet of Englishmen in 1788, half of whom were convicted criminals. Some later helped establish the police force, so the story goes.
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