Australia

About country

The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines, who migrated there at least 40,000 years ago from Southeast Asia. There may have been between a half million to a full million Aborigines at the time of European settlement; today about 350,000 live in Australia.
Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish ships sighted Australia in the 17th century; the Dutch landed at the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606. In 1616 the territory became known as New Holland. The British arrived in 1688, but it was not until Captain James Cook's voyage in 1770 that Great Britain claimed possession of the vast island, calling it New South Wales. A British penal colony was set up at Port Jackson (what is now Sydney) in 1788, and about 161,000 transported English convicts were settled there until the system was suspended in 1839.
The continent of Australia, with the island state of Tasmania, is approximately equal in area to the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). Mountain ranges run from north to south along the east coast, reaching their highest point in Mount Kosciusko (7,308 ft; 2,228 m). The western half of the continent is occupied by a desert plateau that rises into barren, rolling hills near the west coast. The Great Barrier Reef, extending about 1,245 mi (2,000 km), lies along the northeast coast. The island of Tasmania (26,178 sq mi; 67,800 sq km) is off the southeast coast.

Sightseeing

Australia, one of the most beautiful countries in the world is an island continent. Officially known as the commonwealth of Australia, this country is the sixth largest country of the world. One of the most urbanized countries, Australia is also a highly developed country. Seventy percent of the population is concentrated in 10 major cities. The official language of Australia is English. There is not much difference in Australian English with British English. The economy of Australia is diverse. Australia has a well developed service sector. There is a host of secondary manufacturing sector. There are various sightseeing in Australia. Australia travel Guide would give you a good idea on the various sightseeing in Australia. Some of the moist important tourist attractions in Australia would be Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park, Willandra Lake Region and Lord Howe Island Group.

Traditions

Australia doesn't have many traditions. Attempts to get Halloween off the ground have stalled due to one too many homeowners telling little kids to get off their property or they will see a scary sight. Australia's equivalent of America's Thanksgiving Day is Australia Day on January 26, the landing of the First Fleet of Convicts in Botany Bay.
Although ANZAC Day has been around for a long time, its mainstream popularity is a recent phenomenon. Like Australia Day, it is built on the anniversary of a tradegy. On the 25th of April 1915, the British landed Australian soldiers at Gallipoli as part of an offensive against the Turkish control of the Dardanelles. Quite stupidly, they landed the Diggers not on an open plain but on scrub-covered hills. The Turks were dug in from elevated positions and mowed down the Diggers as they leapt from the boats. Of the 1500 men who landed in the first wave, only 755 remained in active service at the end of the day.

Cuisine

Australian Cuisine today is a blend of cuisine from all parts of the world combined with true indigenous cuisine. The local seafood, lamb roast, kangaroo meat, wichety grubs and other staple Aboriginal foods, Irish stew, meat and four vegs, bangers and mash of the early migrants have now been complemented with lasagna, kebabs, mousaka, sweet and sour pork, dim sums, hot curries, bouillabaisse, venison, Creole carri poule, ghoulash, lahksa, frankfurter dishes and many more. In addition, the advent of tourism has created a whole new range of modern day foods skillfully prepared with the abundant supply of local and imported ingredients.  World class Australian wines have also added to the enjoyment of this rich Australian cuisine, enjoyed by all Australians and visitors to the country.
The Aborigines have been using Australia's natural food resources for the last 40,000 years. Bushfoods include deliciously tangy fruits from the rainforests, aromatic herbs from our woodlands, zingy pepperleaf and delicate snowberries from the southern highlands, spicy bush tomatoes from the desert, and lean rich game meats from kangaroo and emus.