Australia
The Land Downunder
Can you locate Australia on the map to the right?
What are the surrounding oceans?
Like all countries in the southern hemisphere, Australia's seasons are opposite those of the northern hemisphere (where we live!).
December-February is summer
March-May is autumn
June-August is winter
September to November is spring
What do you think the weather is like today in Australia?
What season is it in Australia?
Let's visit the Bureau of Meteorology website to find out...see if you notice anything different about their temperature readings!
See the climate map below to get an idea of what types of terrain exist in Australia.
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.
Outback
- Outback is a term that is used for any sparsely populated regions of Australia.
- Temperatures in the central deserts can sore as high as 50°C (120F) on summer days, and drop below freezing to -10°C (15F) during winter nights.
- The Outback makes up about 70% of Australia's landmass, but is inhabited by less than 3% of the population.
Alice Springs
Uluru or Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation located 450km (280 mi) away from Alice Springs in the middle of the Australian Outback.
Officially, the rock has a dual place name of Uluru / Ayers Rock.
The rock is a holy place for the Anangu tribe of Aboriginal people in Australia who have been in the area for around 10,000 years.
What kind of bird is this?
What is the name of this wild Australian dog?
Crocodile or Alligator?
Australian Expressions You Will Need to Practice!
Here’s a list of 10 Australian slang words you should know.
cya this arvo – See you this afternoon.
Cya this arvo in class!
daks – pants
I got some new daks yesterday at the shop.
dunnie – toilet, bathroom
D’ya know where the dunnie is, mate?
earbashing – constant chatter/talking
Her earbashing while I tried to study was driving me crazy!
fair dinkum – genuine, real
Anna’s a fair dinkum Aussie.
heaps – a lot, lots
Thanks heaps for your help.
hooroo – goodbye
Hooroo mate, see ya tomorrow.
rellies – relatives
The rellies are in town this weekend and we’re going to the beach.
spiffy – great-looking
Those blue thongs are pretty spiffy, I think I’ll buy them.
thong – flip flops
I need a new pair of thongs, these are about to break.
The Ten Things I loved About Australia!
This is where I went to school
Scuba Diving
What animal is this?
Lake McKenzie
The Daintree Rainforest
The Sydney Opera House
Aboriginal Art
The Stars!
Lorikeet
Surfing at Byron Bay
Do you know what this is?
A boomerang is a thrown tool, designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to be thrown in a closed arch path, which returns to the thrower.Boomerangs have been historically used for hunting, as well as sport, and entertainment.