Officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, this amazing
country half a world away, is the largest land mass in the South
Pacific, the sixth largest country by total area, the largest
island in the world and the smallest,
flattest continent in the world. It sits between the
Indian Ocean to the West, the Southern Antartic Ocean to the South
and the South Pacific to the North and East. It comprises of
the main island of Australia, Tasmania, Melville Island, Kangaroo
Island plus a large number of smaller islands - 8,222 in total
within its maritime borders! Australia's coastline stretches
for 50,000 km and has over 10,000 beaches.
European settlement started in the late 18th century, but before
they arrived, the islands were inhabited by indigenous
Australians, known as Aboriginals, who spoke 250 different
languages, with 600 different dialects! Only a handfull
remain in regular use and most Aborigines speak English with
Aboriginal words or phrases added.
In the present day, Australia is amongst the
lowest inhabited nation, with only 2.8 inhabitants per sqkm and
most of the population is centered along the temperate
south-eastern coast line, between the cities of Brisbane,
Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. There are more sheep and
cattle than humans, with mainly Merino sheep, producing most of the
worlds' Merino wool, and the 24.4 million cattle helping to make
Australia the worlds' biggest exporter of beef.
Australia also export a huge amount of opals and gold, from mines
in Western and Southern Australia.
Most of Australia is barren, baking desert, known as the
Outback, surrounded by large areas
of dry grassland. There are sub-tropical
areas on the central east coast and the south-west coast,
a tropical climate on most of the north coast and pleasant
temperate climate on the south-eastern coastal area.
Australia is divided into 6 distinct territories; Western
Australia in the west, Northern Territories in the central north,
South Australia in the central south, and Queensland, Victoria and
New South Wales on the eastern coast. The capital city is
Canberra, in New South Wales, but Sydney is usually the main city
that most people know of and are attracted to.
85% of Australians live within 50km of the coast, and the beach
and water activities feature highly in most Australian lives, and
usually, most tourists, too. From surfing, swimming,
beach barbecues to snorkelling, scuba diving, sailing,
parasailing, fishing, celebrations, fireworks and parties
- life beside the sea is an integral part of daily life and
their social calendar.
Sports are also widely enjoyed, almost fanatically, and tourists
are always welcome to join in or spectate with the locals. The
nation can't get enough football, cricket, rugby, tennis, rowing,
cycling and horse racing. There are festivals in every city that
peak the interests of the locals, as well as tourists, and
Australia is famous for its wine production, with winery
tours being a popular way to spend a day.
The majority of visitors to Australia will need a Visitors Visa
for tourist travel. For more information, give us a call or
contact a dedicated visa company.