Australia

At the end of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago (as of 2009 A.D.), the melting ice caused sea levels to rise all over the world and Bass Strait slowly covered the land bridge between Tasmania and the Australian mainland.

Yes, it is. With a low, dark horizon, the pole star, Polaris, is visible anywhere more than about 5 degrees north of the equator; on the other hand, Crux, the southern cross, is visible (at the right time of night) anywhere south of 25 degrees north latitude. Since Trinidad is about 11 degrees north latitude, it is ideally situated for such a double sighting.

The fourth largest barrier reef in the world is the New Caledonia Barrier Reef, which is located in the French territory of New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific Ocean. It is known for its biodiversity and pristine coral ecosystems, making it a popular destination for diving and snorkeling.

Brumbies? We can't say exactly, but according to some Australians there are too many. Culling is happening, shooting the horses from helicopters, which some believe isn't altogether humane. Why culling is essential is uncertain, but we do the same to dingos and to our national symbol, the kangaroo. This is possibly because these creatures get between our cattle and their grazing land and our farmlands, which we have so carefully cleared since settlement in order to provide meat, wool, and grain.

To be quite frank no.

Though it does hold the record lowest temperature for Australia there are certainly colder places higher up in the alps (there just arn't any weather stations right up in the highest parts)

I assume the coldest place in Australia is in one of the high valleys right up on the main range in the snowy mountains (above 2000m). high altitude valleys tend to be slightly colder than the surrounding peaks because cold air generally sinks and accumulates, these are called frost hollows.

Though the highest parts of the snowy mountains tend to have the coldest winter temperatures they are prone to quite harsh summer temps.

But then I would say the coldest place in Australia on AVERAGE out of Australia's main states and territories would have to be Macquarie Island (Tasmania) where the summer temps rarely rise above 9 degrees in the peak of summer at the sea.

But having said that the coldest place in the whole Australian COUNTRY would then be heard island with summer maximums of 5 degrees at the hottest of times.

Other Australian cold places would also include the Tasmanian Highlands with snow commonly settling right down to 600 meters in the southwest near the coast.

14th February 1966 was the date for the conversion of Australia's currency from Pounds, Shillings and Pence, to Dollars and Cents.

The conversion to Metric for units of measurement was completed for most usages during 1974.

The change to Metric measurement conversion was commenced in 1969, and was completed in 1988. The conversion was done slowly because of the cost to many industries, and the need to "tool up" for it.

For example, cars were built with some metric changes in 1974, such as speedometers in both kilometres and miles.

Odometers in these speedos read in kms, but the speedometers read in both kilometres per hour and miles per hour.

By 1976, all newly-manufactured road-going vehicles were required to have speedometers with all metric readings and markings, and older vehicles were encouraged to have their speedometers changed to metric.

There was a roaring trade in speedometer conversions for a few years.

The fasteners used in manufactured items such as motor cars were changed slowly, with many Australian-built items, using a mixture of metric and imperial fasteners from the late 1970's to the mid-1980's.

The WB model Holdens for example (built 1980-1985), were mostly imperial fasteners from the front door pillars back, but the front section from the firewall forward, used metric fasteners.

This mixture of fasteners leads to problems in re-assembly, if care isn't taken, and the thread type must be checked carefully.

Uluru was the traditional indigenous name of the monolith that is found in central Australia. It was named after Sir Henry Ayers, then-Premier of South Australia, by explorer William Gosse of the South Australian Survey Department.

The timing of carbon tax rebates varies depending on the specific program or policy in place in your region. It is best to check with your local government or relevant authority for the most up-to-date information on when you can expect to receive your rebate.

• Uluru changes colour depending on the time of day, and whether or not it is raining.
• After the rain, tiny water invertebrates start breeding in the numerous water puddles formed on the top of the Rock. These invertebrates may lie dormant for many months in between rains.
• Uluru is the second largest monolith in Australia and in the world; correctly speaking, it is not a monolith but an inselberg.
• About seven-eighths of the rock lies underground. It stands 348m (1142ft) high at its highest point and is believed to extend another 2.5 km into the ground.
• Uluru was not discovered by Europeans until 1873. It was originally named Ayers Rock by explorer William Gosse.
• Uluru is about 5 kilometres in length, but this is difficult to measure as it is an irregular shape, not the oblong-shape it often appears from the ground. Its circumference is 9.4km.

Wattle trees are of the genus Acacia, in the Mimosa family, and common throughout Australia, where there are over 600 different species. Varying in size, they may grow as low shrubs, or tall trees. Remarkably adaptable, they grow from rainforest areas to coastal heaths and remote, parched desert country. Wattle seeds grow in pods which need heat to release them and to stimulate germination. The shape of the pods vary, to coiled, looped and twisted. The seeds have a very hard outer covering. The golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) was officially gazetted as Australia's national floral emblem in 1988. This species also features on the Australian coat of arms.

The Great Sandy Desert in Australia has a hot desert climate, characterized by very hot temperatures during the day and cooler temperatures at night. Rainfall is sparse and unpredictable, resulting in arid conditions with low humidity. Sand dunes and scrubland dominate the landscape in this region.

September is the first month of Spring in Australia. Australia's Spring in the eastern states is a time of increasing humidity, but still tempered with the freshness of winter. Apart from warmer temperatures, there is little difference between spring and winter except in the high country, where the snowfalls begin to melt. The southern states tend to be a little wetter during winter, so these states begin to dry out more as summer approaches.

Although many native plants flower through the winter season, there are both native and introduced species which flower prolifically in September. Non-native jacarandas are a spectacular sight as they burst out in purple flowers.

September is still a time of birds nesting and newborn marsupials - which usually do not emerge from their mothers' pouches for several months - but this continues right through the summer. Magpies bombard passers-by who just might happen to get too close to their nests. Springtime storms are quite common as the temperatures and humidity increase.

Latitude: 25°20′42″S

Longitude: 131°02′10″E

The Great Barrier Reef was formed by nature, with hundreds of years of living coral building upon the skeletons of other coral.

The corals that build reefs are not single animals. Coral is made up of colonies comprised of many individual animals called polyps, which join together. Coral polyps are a little like sea anemones, having tentacles that extend outwards, but they are not actually anemones.

Corals which create coral reefs have a symbiotic relationship with algae known as zooxanthellae. This algae, which lives within the tissues of the coral, causes a photosynthetic reaction which enables the polyps to make skeletons about three times faster in the light than in the dark. This means the corals deposit skeletons faster than the environment can remove it, and these skeletons build upon each other over time, creating a coral reef.

4.5 hrs. from April to October

5.5 hrs. from October to April

Two trees native to Australia are the eucalyptus tree, known for its aromatic leaves and smooth bark, and the Acacia tree, which is commonly seen in the country's arid regions with its distinctive yellow flowers.

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, meets the criteria as a World Heritage Site due to its outstanding universal value as a natural wonder and cultural site. It is a sacred place for the Anangu people, who have continuously inhabited the area for thousands of years. Its unique geological formation and rich cultural significance make it a site of significant global importance.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a self-governing nation.

The Murray River is Australia's second largest river, flowing through the states of Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia. It is an important water source for agricultural irrigation and supports a diverse range of aquatic and bird species.

That is the correct spelling of Ayers Rock (aka Uluru), a sandstone massif in the Northern Territory of Australia.