January English 5
_
Text: AUSTRALIA
_Sure it's got deadly spiders, snakes and sharks, but they don't stop
people from coming here, never mind living here. And for good reason.
From the prehistoric gorges of Kakadu National Park, to the white sails
of the Sydney Opera House, Australia is a country as big your
imagination. Kick back on a beach as white as your mother's wedding
dress in Western Australia; lose yourself in the labyrinthine alleys
of culture-rich Melbourne or be humbled by red desert sunsets over Uluru
or take on Sydney, and you'll soon realise Australia is a place to be
discovered, not feared.
The locals seem to love the big “out back” – the vast uninhibited part of the country. They go for hiking or week-end travels. And it's a big out back; you can travel indefinitely without coming across a phone call or an email. Nuts! Instead you have to make do with landscapes that shift from saffron to ochre beneath a seamless canopy of deep indigo. Some Australians simply go walkabout, others whiz through the landscape on mountain bikes or apply ropes to their limbs, chalk to their hands and scale lofty summits like bronze-backed insects. And some simply launch themselves into the sky with parachutes attached to their backs.
Then there are the Australians who feel separation pains if they stray from the coast. So they don't. They sport permanent golden hue and wear cheeky grins. They glue themselves to surfboards, kayaks and boats and loll in the surf for hours (days even!). As if that weren't enough, they flee to the immense Great Barrier Reef and spend days under the water defending themselves from colossal whale sharks, giant turtles and mischievous dolphins.
Fortunately, this lovely country is not without its urban havens, and in its dizzying cities you'll find folk who indulge in saner delights. Rather than risk life and limb in the Australian bush, they take part in the country's culture in myriad of museums, theatres, festivals and galleries. A solid study of the bars and restaurants will reveal the population's helpless addiction to coffee, seafood, organics and global cuisine.
In general, Australians are a pretty laid-back mob. This is the driest continent in the world, and water restrictions are now the norm in most cities. But Australians tend to face such difficulties with the same cocky spirit as anything else, and although the question of when will it rain/how will it rain/will it please bloody rain is a constant, they cope with little complaint.
So yep, it's a tough life down under. But only if you're against wide open skies, dramatic landscapes, countless activities, fine wining and dining, and friendly locals. We know, because we've done our research.
Australia Travel Guide
Capital: Canberra
Money: Australian dollar
History: Captain Cook stumbled onto Australian shores in 1770 to find an Aboriginal way of life that went back some 40,000 years. By 1868, Britain had sent more than 160,000 convicts to Australia.
Many tensions still exist between mainstream Australia and its Aboriginal people. The first European settlers treated the Aboriginal population with appalling brutality. However, the slow march towards reconciliation was given a boost in 2008 when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a formal apology to the indigenous population for the suffering of the past.
Language: The official language is English. Many other languages are retained by minorities, including Italian, German, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese dialects and Aboriginal languages.
AMERICAN AUSTRALIAN
countryside bush
good day or hello g'day
sweater jumper
candy lollies
large ranch or farm station
ketchup tomato sauce
diaper nappy
cotton candy fairy floss
cookie biscuit
The locals seem to love the big “out back” – the vast uninhibited part of the country. They go for hiking or week-end travels. And it's a big out back; you can travel indefinitely without coming across a phone call or an email. Nuts! Instead you have to make do with landscapes that shift from saffron to ochre beneath a seamless canopy of deep indigo. Some Australians simply go walkabout, others whiz through the landscape on mountain bikes or apply ropes to their limbs, chalk to their hands and scale lofty summits like bronze-backed insects. And some simply launch themselves into the sky with parachutes attached to their backs.
Then there are the Australians who feel separation pains if they stray from the coast. So they don't. They sport permanent golden hue and wear cheeky grins. They glue themselves to surfboards, kayaks and boats and loll in the surf for hours (days even!). As if that weren't enough, they flee to the immense Great Barrier Reef and spend days under the water defending themselves from colossal whale sharks, giant turtles and mischievous dolphins.
Fortunately, this lovely country is not without its urban havens, and in its dizzying cities you'll find folk who indulge in saner delights. Rather than risk life and limb in the Australian bush, they take part in the country's culture in myriad of museums, theatres, festivals and galleries. A solid study of the bars and restaurants will reveal the population's helpless addiction to coffee, seafood, organics and global cuisine.
In general, Australians are a pretty laid-back mob. This is the driest continent in the world, and water restrictions are now the norm in most cities. But Australians tend to face such difficulties with the same cocky spirit as anything else, and although the question of when will it rain/how will it rain/will it please bloody rain is a constant, they cope with little complaint.
So yep, it's a tough life down under. But only if you're against wide open skies, dramatic landscapes, countless activities, fine wining and dining, and friendly locals. We know, because we've done our research.
Australia Travel Guide
Capital: Canberra
Money: Australian dollar
History: Captain Cook stumbled onto Australian shores in 1770 to find an Aboriginal way of life that went back some 40,000 years. By 1868, Britain had sent more than 160,000 convicts to Australia.
Many tensions still exist between mainstream Australia and its Aboriginal people. The first European settlers treated the Aboriginal population with appalling brutality. However, the slow march towards reconciliation was given a boost in 2008 when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a formal apology to the indigenous population for the suffering of the past.
Language: The official language is English. Many other languages are retained by minorities, including Italian, German, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese dialects and Aboriginal languages.
AMERICAN AUSTRALIAN
countryside bush
good day or hello g'day
sweater jumper
candy lollies
large ranch or farm station
ketchup tomato sauce
diaper nappy
cotton candy fairy floss
cookie biscuit