Australia is a country in the Southern hemisphere comprised of the Australia continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous other smaller islands.

AUSTRALIA TRIP

Melbourne, Alice Springs, Uluru, Cairns, Sydney

MARCH 2011

Australia’s indigenous people, the Aborigines, were the first settlers here. They can trace their culture back 50,000 years. This culture flourished for tens of thousands of years with no interference from other groups. The arrival of white people brought an end to the traditional Aboriginal way of life. Thousands of Aborigines died from smallpox, venereal disease, and other infections…..and their lifestyle rapidly declined.

Today, most Aborigines live in cities and towns or in isolated settlements near tribal lands. Most have given up their nomadic ways. White Australians have become sensitive and interested in improving their standard of living, so many services have been extended to them. Their art galleries are highly valued and sought after by art collectors.

The British arrived in 1688 , and when Captain James Cook made his voyage in 1770, Great Britain claimed possession of the island. After the American Revolutionary War, Britain exiled their convicts here, so a penal colony was set up in what is now the city of Sydney. In order to prevent further immigration from countries outside of Europe, Canada, and America, they set up a policy called White Australia. Consequently, about 40% of the population came from Asia… along with a population that was predominately of English and Irish heritage.

Australia participated in both World Wars, fighting alongside Britain in WWI; its participation in WWII solidified its relationship with the United States.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional democracy based on a federal division of powers. The government is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Australia. She is represented by the Governor-General at the federal level and by the Governors at the state level.

There are six states in Australia: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia, and two major territories, Northern and Australian Capital. Each state and territory has its own parliament. During our trip, we visited New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Northern Territory.

School attendance is compulsory. All children receive 11 years of education from the age of 6 to 16 (Year 1 to 10), before they can undertake two more years (11 and 12), contributing to an adult literacy rate that is assumed to be 99%. Government grants have supported the establishment of Australia’s 38 universities; all but one is public.

Medicare came into existence in 1984. The management of public hetitleh has been split between the state and federal governments. Their hetitleh plan allows the federal government to take full responsibility for primary hetitleh care, with control of hospitals and outpatient services from the states.

MELBOURNE

The discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851 led to the Victorian Gold Rush, and Melbourne, which served as the major port, provided most services for the region, experiencing rapid growth. Within months, the city's population had increased from 25,000 to 40,000 inhabitants. Thereafter, growth was incredible; by 1865, Melbourne had overtaken Sydney as Australia's most populous city.

An influx of migrants, particularly Irish, German and Chinese, saw the development of slums including a temporary "tent city" established on the southern banks of the Yarra River. Chinese migrants founded a Chinatown in 1851, which remains the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the Western World.

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. Since 1997, Melbourne has maintained significant population and employment growth. As of 2009, the population was 4,000,000. Today it is a centre for the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, sports and tourism. In 2003, it was named a UNESCO City of Literature. It has been ranked as one of the top three World’s Most Liveable Cities. Centre Place is one of many busy laneways and arcades in Melbourne. The laneway is home to several vibrant bars, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, sushi bars and shops, as well as some of Melbourne's best examples of street art and grafitti. Melbourne’s laneways are intriguing, captivating places for artistic exploration and expression. The best way is to discover for yourself by exploration.

Queen Victoria Market is the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere. Here you will find fresh meat, seafood, produce and gourmet goods in addition to general merchandise, gifts, souvenirs, clothing, etc. It is quite a shopping destination and also an historic landmark and leading tourist attraction.

ALICE SPRINGS

Referred to as "The Alice", this small town is in the center of Australia and inhabited by both Aussies and Aborigines. The climate is warm and dry so water useage is highly respected. Cattle ranches can be as large as 100,000 acres, so children’s education is administered via the School of the Air… communication to the child via computer on a one-to-one basis ( around 120 students). Additionally, the Royal Flying Doctors Service provides for the medical needs of these remote homesteads.

ANZAC

With the coming of the Second World War, Anzac Day became a day on which to commemorate the lives of Australians and New Zealanders lost in that war as well and in subsequent years. The meaning of the day has been further broadened to include those killed in all the military operations in which the countries have been involved. Anzac Day was first commemorated at the Australian War Memorial in 1942, but due to government orders preventing large public gatherings in case of Japanese air attack, it was a small affair and was neither a march nor a memorial service. Anzac Day has been annually commemorated at the Australian War Memorial ever since.

ULURU

Kata Tjuta National Park is internationally known as a World Heritage Area. It has spectacular geological formations, rare plants and animals and exceptional natural beauty. Uluru is also referred to as Ayers Rock, a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory. It is sacred to the Aboriginal people of the area. It stands 1142 ft. high with most of its bulk underground and measures 5.8 miles in circumference. It appears to change colors as different light strikes it at different times of day. Rainfall is uncommon in this semiarid area. Visitors can only walk in certain areas (so as to respect the sensitivity of Aboriginal culture; some areas are sensitive under traditional men’s law, and others under traditional women’s law. Wearing a fly net over your head is essential to protect against the bugs.

KATA TJUTA/THE OLGAS

To the east of Uluru, you will see the enormous domes of Kata Tjuta rising out of the sand. This is the traditional aboriginal name; it means many heads. Weathered thru millions of years, they are now a series of rounded peaks. There are 36 separate domes; the tallest is taller than Uluru. There are many walks that lead you to a land of colors and textures you cannot imagine.

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

This is the world’s largest coral reef stretching over 1600 miles, located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. It can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. It has been labeled as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is a very popular destination for tourists to scuba dive and snorkel. Today it is being threatened by climate change which is causing coral bleaching and two recent cyclones have created much devastation. The Reef was disappointing to many of us on the trip due to the lack of brightness and clarity of the colors of the coral and fish.

CAIRNS

Cairns is a regional city with a population of 122,731 and is reliant on the sugar and tourism industries. It is a popular travel destination in Queensland for foreign tourists because of its tropical climate and proximity to many attractions. The Great Barrier Reef can be reached in less than an hour by boat. There are also several small theme parks. Among them are Rain Forestation Nature Park, Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park and the Kuranda Skyrail Gondola Cableway…and also a scenic railway is operative from Cairns. During WWII, Cairns was used by the Allied Forces as a staging base for operations in the Pacific. Like most of North Queensland, Cairns is prone to tropical cyclones, and some notable ones have affected the region.

SYDNEY

Sydney (1991 pop. 3,097,956), capital of New South Wales is Australia's largest city, chief port, and main cultural and industrial center. Its main exports are wool, wheat, flour, sheepskins, and meat; chief imports are petroleum, coal, timber, and sugar. Sydney has shipyards, oil refineries, textile mills, brass foundries, automobiles, electronics, and chemical plants. The city was founded in 1788 as the first penal settlement of Australia. In WWII the city was an Allied military base and has experienced tremendous growth since then. There has been extensive urban redevelopment since the 1970s. In the city are the Univ. of Sydney (1850), Macquarie Univ. (1964), and the Univ. of New South Wales (1949). Among its museums are the National Gallery of Art and the Australian Museum (natural history). The dramatic, modernistic Sydney Opera House complex is one of Sydney's most famous landmarks. Centrepoint Tower is Australia's tallest bldg. It’s one of the most multicultural cities in the world.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous and busiest performing arts centers in the world. Designed by Jørn Utzon, a Danish architect, it is one of the most distinctive twentieth- century buildings. Opened in 1973, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an expressionist modern design, with a series of large precast concrete shells, forming the roofs of the structure. It covers 4.5 acres of land, and its power supply is equivalent to that of a town of 25,000 people. The roofs of the House are covered with 1.056 million Swedish-made tiles, glossy-white/matte-cream in color. It contains five theaters, five rehearsal studios, two main halls, four restaurants, six bars, and numerous souvenir shops. The five theaters making up the performance facilities are: Concert Hall; Opera Theater; Drama Theater; Playhouse; Studio Theatre. It is a magnificent structure. I was thrilled to see a play in the theatre.

THE ROCKS

The Rocks, encompasses the past, present and future. The Indigenous Cadigal people inhabited the rocky headland and surrounding shoreline for thousands of years. Then in 1788, Australia’s first European settlers-British convicts and their overseers-claimed the land and built their camp atop the sandstone cliffs. The Rocks eventually grew into a vibrant port community. Its colourful history filled with tales of sailors, rough gangs, and gritty life can still be traced in the many surviving buildings from the last two centuries. But today the renovated former warehouses, sailors' homes, and dens of iniquity house offer a unique mixture of fine restaurants, one-of-a-kind shops, galleries,etc… a village echoing a colorful past.

Australia Photo Gallery

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