Australia is a country like no other. An island continent almost as large as the continental United States, with a population of just 20 million, or roughly that of New York State. A vast, ancient and breathtakingly beautiful land that is as unique as it is wonderful.
It is hard to imagine a land that is so big, so diverse, yet for most part, so empty. Imagine that the United States, from Boston to Washington, D.C., and then over to Los Angeles, with only the least populated sections of the American West in between. Imagine a country with no Midwest. Imagine driving for hours and even days without seeing a town, a person or sometimes even a tree - only the red-ochre earth of the Australian outback.
Yet Australia is a land of contradictions. Despite our small population, we are one of the most urbanized nations on earth, with some 70 percent of the population living in the 10 largest centers, and some 40 percent of the population living in just two cities, Sydney and Melbourne.
Inhabiting the land for more than 40,000 years, indigenous Australians have a mystic tradition that explains their close relationship to the land and tells of a dreamtime rich in stories and creations.
Civilizations such as the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians wrote of a great land to the south and century’s later Japanese, Indonesian, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish mariners probably sighted the continent. However, the first recorded sighting of Australia was made by the Dutch in 1606. Subsequent explorers described the land as a wild, inhospitable country.
More than a century and a half later, after Britain lost her American Territories in the War of Independence, interest in Australia was aroused. British jails were overflowing and the option of transporting prisoners to colonial America was permanently closed.
In 1788, Australia was established as a British penal colony. From this inauspicious start, Australia has prospered into a sophisticated, modern, English-speaking nation which can no longer define itself culturally or ethnically as simply white Anglo-Saxon. Australia is now a multi-cultural society that has a culture and national identity that are constantly evolving.
Since 1945, the end of World War II, immigration has had a big impact on the face of Australia, with more than 4.2 million people emigrating from some 120 countries. In the immediate post-war period most immigrants were Europeans, many of Mediterranean descent, who brought with them foods, sports, arts and values that enriched our cultural landscape.
More recently Australia has changed its focus towards neighboring Asia, the fastest growing economic region in the world. Immigration from Asia, particularly since the 1970’s, has been strong and a large percentage of Australians are now of Asian descent. Strategically placed on the doorstep of the Asia-Pacific, Australia and its Asian neighbors are partners in business and trade, education and travel.
In our modern, sophisticated cities you will find an abundance of international standard sporting facilities, restaurants, nightclubs and a rich cultural life. You’ll also find McDonald’s, Nike, and many other things that will remind you of home. But the real spirit of Australia can be found in the legendary Aussie pubs, Australian rules football, snags on the “barbie” – the outdoor grill, not the doll – lamingtons (chocolate-coconut cakes), Anzac biscuits (oatmeal cookies) and friendly, hospitable people with a great sense of humor.
You won’t find chipmunks, squirrels or deer and you won’t hear robins sing: but you’ll see kangaroos, koalas and wombats, and hear kookaburras, rosellas and cockatoos screeching out of tune.
Australians are generally creative people. In scientific and humanities research and in the arts we continue to make major international contributions. Our music, films and literature are enjoyed internationally. Bands such as INXS, Silverchair, Midnight Oil, actors such as Nicole Kidman, Heath Ledger and Mel Gibson, to name only a few, take our talent to the world.
From the palette of bustling cities to the rich red-ochre of desert sands....the brilliant blues of clear sea and sky to the jewel-like fish and coral of the Great Barrier Reef...the lush greens of tropical rain forests to long stretches of golden sands and crisp, clean snowy mountain peaks...
...these are the wonders and colors of Australia.