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Welcome to Australia

  • Uluru – Ayers Rock

    © Stanislav Fosenbauer/Shutterstock

    Photo of Uluru (Ayers Rock)

  • Sydney – the state capital of New South Wales

    © Paul Liu/Fotolia

    Photo of Sydney – the state capital of New South Wales

  • Melbourne – the state capital of Victoria

    © Rafael Ben-Ari/Fotolia

    Photo of Melbourne – the state capital of Victoria

  • Great Ocean Road, Lorne

    © David Iliff, via Wikimedia Commons

    Photo of Great Ocean Road – a scenic ocean drive in Victoria

  • Daintree National Park

    © Marko Saracco/Fotolia

    Photo of Daintree National Park in Queensland

  • A kangaroo and her joey

    © idiz/Shutterstock

    Photo of a kangaroo and her joey

  • Cricket – one of the most popular sports in Australia

    © Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

    Photo of two men playing cricket
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Welcome to Australia

Welcome to Australia

convict – domfelt fange / domfeld fange

Who were the first people to discover the enormous island of Australia? The ancestors of today’s Aboriginal people left Africa about 75,000 years ago, and have been in Australia for about 50,000 years. The Europeans arrived more than 49,000 years later – first the Dutch, then the British. Captain James Cook was a famous British explorer who mapped many areas in the Pacific Ocean. He claimed the eastern coastline of Australia as British territory in the 18th century.

The first British settlers were convicts sent to solve a problem. At that time you could go to prison for stealing as little as a loaf of bread. As there were many poor people, the prisons were very full and many prisoners were kept in rotting prison ships. Some prisoners had been sent to the American colonies, but after the American War of Independence, Britain could no longer send them there. The new land discovered in the south seemed a perfect alternative, and thousands of prisoners were sent “Down Under” from the 1780s until the 1860s.

In 1901 the colonies decided to become a federation called the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the country has been an independent democracy since the 1930s, there are still strong ties with Britain. The British monarch is the Head of State, and is represented by an Australian Governor-General. Australia now consists of six states, two mainland territories and some smaller territories. The capital of the whole country is Canberra, a relatively small city compared to the state capitals of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Over the last century people have emigrated to Australia from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The population is now close to 24 million, with the Aboriginal people accounting for about 2.5%. The climate and landscape are more favourable on the east coast and this is home to about 80% of Australians. The country is also home to many unusual animals and birds that do not exist anywhere else in the world. The emu, the kangaroo, the koala, the platypus and the kookaburra are probably the best known. However, the vast area inland known as the Outback is mostly desert.

Do you know Australia’s nickname? The Lucky Country. It‘s far away from the problems in the rest of the world, it’s rich, peaceful and has plenty of good weather. But not everyone there has a good life. Aboriginal people, in particular, have far more social problems than other Australians. In some parts of the country, racism is also an issue. As a tourist, however, you’ll find it a welcoming place. People are informal, open and friendly, and the beaches are some of the best in the world. Definitely the best, according to Australians.

DOCUMENT Getting the gist


DOCUMENT Word building 1


DOCUMENT Word building 2


DOCUMENT Your turn to talk


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