Topic file: AustraliaSubtopics: a) animals

b) geographyc) culture

animals geography culture

- whale sharks- great white sharks- crocodiles- the dingo- the Tasmanian devil- kangaroos- koalas- the wombat- the platypus- camels- snakes- spiders- lizards- birds

- Sydney- Melbourne- Darwin- Alice Springs- Perth- Adelaide- Canberra- Kakadu National Park- Great Ocean Road- Daintree Rainforest and Fraser Island- Uluru - Uluru National Park- Great Barrier Reef

- general facts- Flying Doctor Service- Aboriginal Culture: beliefs,

Dreamtime, music, paintings, sculptures- Christmas and New Year’s Eve- Australia Day- surfing- sports- music- Stolen Generations- history- Australia and the sun- School of the Air

Task for the oral exam:

Be able to give a presentation on each of the three subtopics: Animals, geography and culture.

- You won’t know which topic you are going to present and your talk has to be at least five minutes long.

- Some basic knowledge about the topics from our lessons below is required reading and should be known by everyone, no matter what other items your personal preparation may include:

- kangaroos- koalas- the wombat- the platypus

- Sydney- Canberra- Uluru- Great Barrier Reef

- general facts - Flying Doctor Service- Aboriginal Culture- Stolen Generations- history- Australia and the sun

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kangaroos

- Kangaroos are found in Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. Some kangaroos have been introduced to Hawaii and New Zealand.

- The number of kangaroos is increasing in Australia.

- Kangaroos are mammals, and they are also marsupials. A marsupial is an animal that carries their young around in a pouch.

- The red kangaroo is the largest marsupial in the world. They can reach a weight of 200 pounds (90 kg).

- Kangaroos belong to the Macropodidae family. The Macropodidae include kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos, pademelons, tree kangaroos and forest wallabies.

- The kangaroo moves by hopping. They hop on their powerful hind legs and use their tails for balance and for steering. Even though kangaroos jump with their legs moving together, they are able to kick each leg separately when swimming.

- Kangaroos cannot move backwards. They can hop at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour (60 km/h). A Red Kangaroo can leap as far as 25 feet (8 m) and 10 feet high (3m).

- Kangaroos have very good eyesight but only when an object is moving. They also have excellent hearing, and they have the ability to swivel their ears in all directions to pick up sounds.

- Kangaroos are grazing herbivores. They eat grass and leaves. Kangaroos need very little water to survive. An adult kangaroo is capable of going for months without drinking anything at all.

- Most kangaroos move about at night hunting for food. This makes them a nocturnal mammal. Most kangaroos spend the day resting in the shade.

- A male kangaroo is known as a buck, boomer, jack, or old man. The female kangaroo is the doe, jill, or flyer. The baby is called a joey.

- Kangaroos are social animals that live in groups or “mobs” of at least two or three individuals. The mob can sometimes be made up of 100 kangaroos.

- Kangaroos usually have one joey each year. The joey remains in the pouch for nine months and continues to suckle until twelve to seventeen months of age. When the joey is born it is not much more than a pink hairless tiny worm.

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- Kangaroos can have 3 babies at one time. One becoming mature and just out of the pouch, another developing in the pouch and one embryo in pause mode. There are 4 teats in the pouch and each provides different milk for the different stages of development of each baby.

- Male kangaroos can be seen boxing when competing for the attention of a female. The tiny front legs aren’t much threat, but the powerful hind legs with their long sharp toenails are a dangerous weapon.

koalas

What do Koala bears look like?

They look like bears (Koalas are mammals) and they have round, fuzzy ears and look cute and cuddly, like a teddy bear. Koalas look soft but their fur feels like the coarse wool of a sheep.

Where do Koala bears live?

They live in south-eastern and eastern Australia — in the states of Queensland, New South Wales, south Australia and Victoria — in the eucalyptus forests and woodlands. They live in eucalyptus trees and spend most of their time wedged between forks in the tree’s branches.

How old do Koalas get?

Koalas may live from 13 to 18 years in the wild. While female Koalas usually live this long, males may die sooner because of their more hazardous lives.

What do Koalas eat & drink?

An adult Koala eats between 200 and 500 grams of leaves each day. Koalas eat mainly eucalyptus leaves (gum leaves). Koalas fulfil their water requirements through eucalyptus leaves (i.e.: they don’t drink).

How long do Koalas sleep?

They sleep usually 18 to 22 hours to conserve energy as their diet requires a lot of energy to digest.

Do Koalas have pouches?

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Tip:Look at page 11 of your book: Revision – Facts about Australian Animals

As marsupials, female Koalas have pouches where their young stay until fully developed. Unlike kangaroo pouches, which open towards the top, koala pouches are located towards the bottom of their bodies and open outward.

Threats and dangers to the Koala

- Loss of habitat - Increased disturbance by humans - Injury or death from traffic - Injury or death form dogs and cats - Effects of garden pesticides getting into waterways - Increased stress on animals, making them more susceptible to disease

the wombat

What Does A Wombat Look Like?

General facts

- Wombats are sturdy, burrowing marsupials that are found only in Australia.

- There are three species:- the Bare-nosed, or Common wombat - the Northern hairy-nosed wombat - the Southern hairy-nosed wombat

- They are burrowing creatures and are most active at night.

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- Wombats live in large, complex tunnel-and-chamber burrows which they excavate with their powerful claws and rodent-like front teeth.

- Common wombats are usually solitary and live in their own burrows, however, the other species are more social and live together in larger burrow groups.

- All three species are approximately 100 cm long and weigh between 20 and 35 kg. - They have short legs, a thick, muscular body with a large square head, short neck, round

ears and very small eyes. Their hind-legs are longer than their fore-legs.

- In body shape, wombats resemble badgers or small bears. Wombat fur can vary from gray to black or a sandy colour. The tail is short and stubby.

- Being marsupials, wombats have a pouch for rearing their offspring. One distinctive characteristic of wombats is that their pouch opens backwards. This prevents soil (=dirt) collecting in the pouch; especially important when the female is carrying young.

- Wombats are usually slow movers. However, if threatened, they can sprint up to 25 mph (40 km/h) for brief periods of around 90 seconds.

Diet and Feeding

- Wombats are herbivores and nocturnal. - They emerge from their burrows to eat mostly grasses, roots, herbs and bark. Their

incisor teeth resemble those of rodents and grow constantly as they are adapted for gnawing on tough vegetation.

- The front paws of the Bare-nosed wombat are quite nimble-fingered and they can use them like hands to grasp vegetation, tear it up, and pass it to their mouth. Hairy-nosed wombats do not have this dexterity and cannot make a fist with their hand. This difference means that Bare-nosed wombats can climb trees whereas Hairy-nosed wombats cannot.

- Wombats have a very slow metabolism which is an adaptation to help their survival in arid conditions. It takes around 8 to 14 days for them to complete digestion. Wombats have cube-shaped feces which they use to mark their territories; it’s thought that the unusual shape of the feces prevents them from rolling away.

Defense

- The wombat’s tough hide gives it protection against predators.

- The main predators of wombats are Tasmanian devils and dingoes. Wombats initially avoid being caught by having a very tough rear hide, with most of the rump made of cartilage. This prevents teeth or claws from easily grasping the wombat. Their very short tail also makes it difficult for a predator to catch them.

- Wombats try to drive off attackers with two-legged kicks, like a donkey or horse. - If chased, wombats dive into a nearby tunnel and use their hardened rump to block the

attacker. In some cases, wombats allow the attacker to force their head over the

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wombat’s back, and then use their powerful legs to crush the skull of the attacker against the tunnel roof.

Reproduction

- Female wombats have a brief gestation period of only 20 to 21 days, after which they give birth to a single, tiny, undeveloped young, usually in the spring. The youngster immediately crawls through the fur to the pouch on their mothers’ bellies and attaches to one of the 2 nipples inside. The young leaves the pouch after about 6 to 7 months, but will still frequently climb back into the pouch to suckle or when threatened. The mother weans the youngster at about 15 months. Wombats become sexually mature at about 18 months of age and can live for 5 to over 30 years.

Are Wombats Endangered?

- The Northern hairy-nosed wombat is endangered due to several threats including its small population size, predation by wild dogs, competition for food with livestock and disease.

- They inhabit only two places one of which is home to only 138 of this species according to the latest study.

- The common wombat is still hunted as vermin.

Fun Facts

- A group of wombats is called a “wisdom”.- A wombat can move up to 3 feet (1 metre) of dirt in a single day when building a burrow.- There are reports of human injuries from wombat attacks, including injuries from being

bowled over by charging wombats.- Wombats have special bones in their backsides which allow them to squeeze and form

their feces into cubes.- During the Ice Age, there used to be giant wombats the size of a rhinoceros.- Wombats live in large complex burrows up to 100 ft (30 m) long.- Wombats are the largest burrowing animal in the world.- Wombats have the most developed brain of any marsupial.- The bones and musculature around the jaw are very much like the beaver – but they are

not related.- Although generally quiet, if wombats become angry, they make hissing sounds.

the platypus - version a

- The platypus is an egg laying mammal that lives in the east of Australia.

- The platypus has a very unusual appearance, it is duck-billed, has a beaver-like tail, lays eggs, has otter-like fur and webbed feet: It has a web

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between its fingers which allows it to swim in water. The platypus has no teeth, but horn plates at the lower and the upper jaw.

- The platypus is only found in eastern Australia in small rivers and streams within the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

- When descriptions, drawings and even live specimens of platypus were first taken back to Europe for study by British scientists many believed the animal was a hoax, a beaver's body sewn together with a duck's bill as some sort of joke.

- The platypus is one of few mammals that poisons its opponent. The poison is not deadly but it hurts very badly.

- The average length of a male platypus is 50 cm, the smaller females average 43 cm in length. Platypus weigh 1 to 2.4 kg.

- Platypuses can live more than 12 years in the wild. Their natural predators include snakes, water rats, hawks, owls, eagles and sometimes crocodiles.

- The platypus is an excellent swimmer, diving under water on average for around 30 seconds to forage for food before coming up for air.

- The platypus uses pouches in its cheeks to carry prey back to the surface where it is eaten. The platypus eats about 20% of its own weight in food each day.

- The platypus is usually nocturnal, coming out at night or twilight to feed, sometimes they are also active on overcast days.

The platypus sleeps on average up to 14 hours per day.

- The platypus was hunted for its fur until the early 20th century. It is now an Australian protected species.

- The platypus is the state animal of New South Wales (NSW).

- The platypus has been used as a mascot for national events in Australia and is featured on the Australian 20 cent coin.

Diet

- The platypus is a carnivore: it feeds on annelid worms, insect larvae, freshwater shrimp, and freshwater yabby (crayfish) that it digs out of the riverbed with its snout or catches while swimming.

- It uses cheek-pouches to carry prey to the surface, where it is eaten.The platypus needs to eat about 20% of its own weight each day, which requires it to spend an average of 12 hours daily looking for food.

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the platypus - version b

What do Platypuses look like?

The duck-billed platypus is 19-22 inches in length and it looks like it is made up of pieces of other animals. It has thick, waterproofed brown fur; a flat, rounded, beaver-like tail; and webbed feet.

How old do platypuses get?

In captivity platypuses have survived to 17 years of age, and wild specimens have been recaptured when 11 years old.

Where do platypuses live?

They make their homes in the freshwater areas that flow throughout the island of Tasmania and the eastern and south-eastern coast of Australia. They also waddle onto the riverbanks to dig burrows with their claws.

What do platypuses eat?

The platypus is a carnivore: it feeds on annelid worms, insect’s larvae, freshwater shrimp and freshwater yabby (crayfish) that it digs out of the riverbed with its snout or catches while swimming. It uses cheek-pouches to carry prey to the surface, where it is eaten.

Threats to platypuses

The biggest threat of the platypus is the loss of habitat, especially land clearing and dams that disrupt the natural water flow, and predation. Natural enemies include snakes, water rats, goannas, and introduced animals, such as foxes, cats and dogs.

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Sydney

Overview

Location: East coastFounded: January 26th, 1788Area: 12.369 km²State: New South WalesPopulation 5,230,330

History

- The first European ships came to Australia in the 16th century. - Between 300.000 and one million Aborigines already lived there.- In 1770 captain James Cook claimed Australia. - In 1788 the captain Arthur Phillip brought the First Fleet to settle in Australia and Sydney

was founded.- The settlers were mostly convicts from crowed prisons in England and Ireland.- Sydney was named after Thomas Townshend-Lord Sydney (1733-1800).- Between 1788 and 1868 Britain sent more than 160.000 prisoners to Australia.- Later in 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia was founded and became independent.

Places to visit

- Sydney Opera House- Queen Victoria Building - Sydney harbour Bridge

- Bondi Beach, - Coogee Beach - Manly Beach

Some fun things to do while in Sydney

Darling Harbour: - WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, which takes you on a journey through Australia's different ecosystems.

- SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, with the world's largest collection of Australian marine creatures, including the platypus and dugong.

- Madame Tussaud's; - and the Australian National Maritime Museum, where kids can

learn about Australia's seafaring history and board a replica of Captain Cook's ship, the Endeavor.

- Other highlights are the 9D theater and IMAX theater with the world's largest cinema screen.

Taronga Zoo: - Overlooking Sydney Harbour, Taronga is a zoo with a collection of more than 4,000 animals here, including native Aussie wildlife such as kangaroos, emus, bilbies, and koalas, as well as exotic species like lions, tigers, black rhinos, lemurs,

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Asian elephants, and western lowland gorillas. You can aslo relax and enjoy some of the live shows, including the popular free-flight bird show and seal show. For a bird's eye view of the animals, hop aboard the Sky Safari, Sydney's only cable car

Luna Park Sydney: Ride a Roller Coaster at Luna Park Sydney. "Just for fun" is the tagline of this iconic 1930s amusement park, which sits on the north shore of Sydney Harbour, and it delivers on this promise for kids of all ages. Overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, the park reopened in 2004 after a rocky history, with revamped rides and new additions.

Centennial Parklands: Horseback riding! One of the world's only urban parklands with riding facilities, Centennial Park, about 10 minutes from the city center, is a fun venue for young equestrians. The park is home to 210 stables and five riding schools, with lessons customized for all ages and skill levels. All the equipment is provided. The park is also home to well-maintained cycling paths for people who prefer to ride a bike rather than a horse. After trotting or biking around the park, you can relax with a picnic here under the large trees or head to the café.

Canberra

Overview

It is… … the capital of Australia (not Sydney, as many people believe).… has a population of 381.488… 814.2 km² large… located at the North end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)… the largest inland city of Australia and the eight-largest city in the world

History

- For thousands of years indigenous people (Aborigines) lived in Canberra.- 1820 European explorers arrived in the area of Canberra. - In 1824 the first settlers came to stay.- Some people think its name "Canberra" comes from the "Cranberry".- The location of the capital was chosen as a compromise between Melbourne and

Sydney

Places you should visit

- New Parliament House:

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The Parliament House is a wonderful building from the 20th century which opened on April 4th, 1988.The date in April was chosen to commemorate the first meeting in the old Parliament House.From a grassed walkway, which forms the roof, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of Canberra and see how parliament forms the central focus of the city´s street layout: The Parliament, the National Gallery of Australia and the Supreme Court form a triangle when viewed on a map from above!

- Australian War Memorial: It commemorates the war victims, opened on 11th November 1941, after the 2nd World War. It is one of the most significant memorials in the world

- Lake Burley Griffin: Built from 1963 to 1964, the lake was named after the architect Walter Burley Griffin. Many of the city´s top tourist attractions and things to do are along its shores.The lake is used for water sport activities like rowing, fishing and sailing

- National Botanic Gardens: There are native plants from all parts of Australia. Cultivated plants threaten the native plants in the wild.

- National Zoo & Aquarium:Canberra is home to Australia’s only combined zoo and aquarium facility.The “ZooVenture tours” are particularly fun: you can feed a bear, pat a rhino, hand-feed a giraffe and much more in this 2-hour behind-the-scenes look at the zoo.

Uluru

General Facts

- In central Australia, you’ll find a very, very large rock known as Uluru, or as the Aussies call it: Ayers Rock.

- The rock is made of sandstone. It changes color during the day, depending on how the sun shines on it. Sometimes it looks brown. At dawn and at dusk, it looks red.

- Uluru stands 1,141 feet tall. That’s almost as tall as the Empire State Building. - It stretches over 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. Amazingly, most of the rock sits

underground, although no one is sure exactly how deep it goes.

- Uluru is the Aboriginal name for this rock. It is also called Ayers Rock, after Sir Henry Ayers. Explorer William Gosse gave it this name when he discovered it in 1873.

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- The rock was created over 600 million years ago. The Aborigines have lived there for 10,000 years.

- The rock was originally at the bottom of a large ocean.- Uluru is a monolith, which means one really big stone or mountain.- Climbing Uluru would be hard work. Most of the sides go almost straight up. The top is

flat. As from October 31st 2019 climbing Uluru is prohibited by the Australian government. The rock will be handed back to Anangu people.

- Uluru is covered with crevices, caves and valleys.

Great Barrier Reef

- The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world.

- It is found in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

- The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest living structure.

- It is made up of around 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands.

- The Great Barrier Reef is around 2600 kilometres (1616 miles) in length.

- Astronauts can see the Great Barrier Reef from space.

- Marine animals called coral play an important role in the formation of the Great Barrier Reef. Coral create calcium carbonate which forms a hard, shell-like skeleton.

- The Great Barrier Reef is home to a wide range of life, including fish, sea turtles, giant clam, seahorse, sea snakes, nudibranch, sea turtles, stingray, sharks and many more.

- Over 1500 different species of fish live in the Great Barrier Reef, including clownfish, star of the animated film Finding Nemo.

- Whales, dolphins and dugong can also be seen in the Great Barrier Reef.

- Climate change is perhaps the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef.- Warmer ocean temperatures put stress on coral and lead to coral bleaching.

- The Great Barrier Reef is a popular tourist destination with around 2 million visitors every year.

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general facts

Capital CanberraLargest city SydneyNational language EnglishNickname Down Under

Area in total 7,692,024 km² (square kilometres)

Population in 2019 25,560,400Currency Australian dollar

(AUD)Driving side left

It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The population of 26 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. The country's major metropolitan areas are Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

It is a diverse country, its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes, with deserts in the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east and mountain ranges in the south-east.

history

- The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines

- On the 26th January 1788 the first fleet to Australia under Captain Arthur Phillip landed on Port Jackson / Sydney Cove. The ship had departed from Portsmouth in England on the 13th may 1787 and travelled for more than seven months.

- Great Britain wanted to have the continent, because it wanted a new place for its prisoners

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Tip:Look at page 9 of your book: A) Down Under: Quick factsLook at pag 10 of your book:3) Facts and figures

Tip:Look at page 9 of your book: B) A short history of Australia

Flying Doctor Service

Overview

- The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) is a medical service in Australia. - It was the first flying medical service in the world. - It provides emergency and other health care to people living in rural and remote areas. - It is a not-for-profit organisation.

Communities in the Outback and the bush are generally small, and spread over large distances. Many farms, stations and outstations are located far from towns over rough trails. Because of this, many of these places do not have access to hospitals or doctors. The Flying Doctor Service brings medical service to them. It can land planes in any community that has an airstrip.

Today it has a fleet of about 70 planes. They fly from 21 bases located across Australia.

Aboriginal Culture

Overview

- The Aborigines were the first people in Australia and have their very own culture. The first people of Australia were nomadic people.

- Scientist don’t know exactly when they arrived but it is at least between 40.000 - 60.000 years ago.

- The People lived off the nature, hunted and collected their food themselves with spears and boomerangs.

- The Aboriginal people have many different groups, each with their own individual culture, believe, structure and language.

- Their whole live was change when the Europeans came to Australia: In 1788 British people came to Australia. The British took most of the land and manyAborigines died. They were either killed, died from disease and the loss of their hunting land. Today there are about 517.000 Aboriginal people in Australia.

Either they live in cities or they follow the traditional way of life: Today, some Aboriginal people still live in the outback, a very remote region of Australia. Most of those live near Uluru, also called Ayers Rock.

- The Aborigine’s religion is based on a story about the creation of the world, called The Dreamtime.

How many Aboriginal people lived and live in Australia?

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Similar topic:“School of the Air” – page 12 of your book

1900 around 39.200 people 2011 around 320.000 people2016 around 798.400 people

Aboriginal Music

- Music is one of the most special parts of the Aboriginal culture.- The most famous instrument is the didgeridoo (also called wind instrument) and it is

claimed to be the oldest instrument of the world.- Clapsticks are also very popular.- More recently, Aboriginal musicians have branched into rock and roll, hip hop and

reggae. - Youthu Yindi is one of the most well-known musicians for Aboriginal rock.

Art

Aborigine people in Australia have their own special art. Their art is mostly about The Dreamtime and is made for their ceremonies.The Aboriginal people loved to decorate caves with paintings and they would also decorate their bodies by painting designs on their faces and arms. Aborigines are known for their dot art.

Religion Aborigines have a unique way to tell their history and stories. They sing songs and stories

that are passed from generation to generation.

Most major religions of the world believe in a supreme being (= a god) who created the universe. The Australian Aborigines have a different idea: They believe in a mythical period of time called Dreamtime.

The Dreamtime has four parts: page 15

- The beginning of everything,- the life and power of the ancestors,- the way of life and death- and power in life.

The Dreamtime is often used to describe the time before time, or the time of the creation. In the Dreamtime all these four things exist at the same time because it is more powerful than time and space. In it all things exist at once.Most Aboriginals believe that all life is connected to the great spirit ancestors of the Dreamtime. Every hill, water hole, river, the sky, every feature was created in the Dreamtime. The journeys of the ancestors across the country created the landscape, and populated it with plants and animals. These journeys are often told in cycles of stories, songs and dances, known as iwara, or songlines. These great spirit ancestors have not gone, they are still present, even if they cannot be seen. The ceremonies of songs and dance keep the people in contact with the spirits: "Without ceremony the land soon dies..."The Aboriginal people call Dreamtime the “all-at-once time” because they think it is the past, present, and future at the same time. It is a beginning that has no end.All Australian Aboriginals believe in the Dreamtime. Each group and each person has their own stories and traditions.

The Stolen Generations

The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions.

The removals of those children were conducted in the period between approximately 1905 and 1967, although in some places mixed-race children were still being taken away from their families in the the 1970s.

Official government estimates are that in certain regions between one in ten and one in three Indigenous Australian children were forcibly taken from their families and communities between 1910 and 1970.

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Tip:Look at page 16 of your book2) Dreamtime

Tip:Look at page 17 of your book: 3) The ‘stolen generations’

Australia and the sun

See page 9 of your book and find out about Slip – Slap – Slop.

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