History of Australia

The current Australian National Anthem, Advance Australia Fair, became the National Anthem on 19 April 1984.

Harold Holt served as the Prime Minister of Australia from January 1966 to December 1967. Holt was notorious for the manner of his disappearance. On 17 December 1967, Holt went swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne, Victoria. After plunging into the notoriously rough surf, Holt disappeared. He was never seen again, and there have been many theories regarding his fate since then. These theories include that he committed suicide, faked his own death in order to run away with his mistress, or that he was a Chinese spy. Despite an extensive search, neither his body nor any trace of his clothes was ever found. He was officially presumed dead on 19 December 1967.

After the Second World War, Australia reformed its immigration policy, which resulted in an influx of new people into the country, and the economy boomed, especially the manufacturing industry. During World War 2, over 27,000 Australians were killed, and thousands more were wounded.

James Cook, who was not yet a captain when he first visited Australia, did not call it anything. However, he claimed just the eastern coastline for Great Britain under the name of "New South Wales".

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Australia sent a squadron of Centurian tanks, mechanized infantry, artillery, and some aerial assets. Australia deployed it's units more closely related to the way the enemy deployed their units; Meaning Australia fought "fire with fire". Sources indicate, that the enemy in South Vietnam, held MUCH respect for the Australian Fighting Man.

The expedition of Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth was unusual because it was the first successful European expedition to find a route across the Blue Mountains.

Instead of following the river gullies as all previous expeditions had done, the explorers sought a route over the ridges, and this was why they succeeded where all previous expeditions had failed. The route they traversed is essentially still the one used by travellers driving over the mountains today. Their exploration was significant because the discovery of a traversible route over the Blue Mountains meant that the colony of Sydney could now expand to the rich grasslands on the other side.

The main purpose of the aboriginal dreamtime stories was to explain how particular land features came to be created, and how the animals came to be. The Dreamtime stories were the Aborigines' stories of creation. They embodied the very essence of Australian aboriginal belief about creation and their own spiritual and physical nature.

Australia is a multicultural society which is a mixture of many religions and customs.

However, unique to Australia are the Aboriginal ceremonies, corroborees and Dreamtime stories. Australia's history is also built on stories of the hard working men and women of the Bush and the Outback. Stockmen - jackaroos and jilleroos - are the stuff that Australian legends of heroism are built upon. Their influence is still seen in the popular wearing of wide-brimmed hats when outdoors, and in the popularity of tourist attractions such as the Stockman's Hall of Fame at Longreach.

Traditionally, and some customs which continue in many quarters of Australia today, Australian customs (which have largely stemmed from the United Kingdom) include the concept of eating three meals a day, where at dinner time the whole family attends the meal together. Even today, in more homes than not, the meal is more often cooked by the women in the home than the men. In many homes and in restaurants, the table is set in a certain manner, with knives and spoons to the right of the main plate and the fork to the left; usually there are also drinks or water provided, and the bread plate is on the left.

These form the main eating utensils in Australian homes. Many like to have a drink of tea, coffee or hot chocolate following the meal or as a snack between meals.

As in most countries, religious observers may also have a blessing on the meal prior to eating and together before bedtime. This, of course, differs from religion to religion and place to place, but has been and remains common in many quarters.

Further, Australians generally sit on chairs in their homes and at the meal table. It is traditionally considered 'bad manners' and unthoughtful to be putting feet up on other furniture in the home. It is also becoming increasingly customary for Australians of many backgrounds to take off their shoes when entering their home or in a host's house or at some guest house. Smoking is also becoming more and more discouraged - especially in public places, where laws now apply as reinforcement. Also, except in restaurants and hotel bars, very few people drink alcohol in public places now as opposed to some decades ago.

Although nothing is a 'hard and fast rule', it remains common practice for many couples to 'go out' for a date on Friday or Saturday evenings. Common such outings included the theatre, the movies, dining out, dancing, music concerts or just a nice quiet place.

It is also becoming quite customary for mothers or fathers to pick their children up from school each day - especially at primary levels; though many are being picked up from high schools as well these days.

Another custom is that people line up in queues to be served in turn at almost every public place, although I might imagine this practice might be common in many places worldwide.

It is also the common practice that most Australians (other than that necessary for 'shift workers') perform their work, where they can, from 9am to 5pm or some time between 8am and 6pm with an hour or less for a lunch period near the middle - no siesta periods, etc.

Australians also drive on the left hand side of the roads, with some streets being marked as "ONE WAY" streets in major cities.

Sports and outdoor activities of various kinds are a major part of life for much of traditional Australia.

In summer, customary favourite past times include cricket, water sports and recreation, picnics, hiking, biking or tennis, mostly. Many just like to relax on sofas or in front of the TV under a fan, as many places are very hot in Australian summers.

Favourite winter games include various football codes (mostly for the men, though not solely), netball for the women and basketball and hockey for both sexes.

Of course, each activity has its own unique customary 'Australian' codes. Although formal sports club meets or competitions traditionally take place on Saturdays and (to a lesser degree) Sundays, with the advent of modern amenities, potential indoor sports are more regularly occurring after regular work times during the week as well now.

Born Caroline Jones in the English county of Northamptonshire in 1808, Caroline's father was a landowner and pig farmer. She was the youngest of a large family and was raised by a governess, excelling in mathematics and French. At the age of 22, she married Captain Archibald Chisholm, of the East India Company, thirteen years her senior. Like her, Archibald came from a relatively privileged background, descended from Scottish land-owning highlanders whose fortune had dwindled over the years. Unusual among many of her contemporaries, Caroline agreed to marry Archibald on condition that he treat her as an equal and support her in her philanthropic activities. She did, however, convert from Protestantism to her husband's religion, Roman Catholicism.

The first British settlement was founded with the arrival of the First Fleet in Port Jackson on 26 January 1788.

The Captain of the First Fleet was Arthur Phillip.

When the British settlers came to Australia, they began to change the land in ways which would permanently affect the native inhabitants and the environment.

When the British and other European settlers came to Australia, the first thing they did was begin clearing bushland for agriculture and livestock. They cleared land for roads and houses, and quarried stone from the hillsides for construction projects.

They the explored beyond the immediate area of Port Jackson, as they required more land in order to become a self-sufficient colony. As a result, the Aborigines were dispossessed of their land and, much later, "encouraged" onto reserves, supposedly for their protection. They were forced off their traditional hunting grounds, and certainly herded away from the fertile coastal areas where there was plenty of food. White settlers wrecked the very effective native fishing traps, cleared native habitats and reduced the native food supplies, as well as polluting their water. They introduced non-native animals and plants which, eventually, caused massive ecological damage to Australia.

Massacres of the indigenous people occurred on a regular basis. The Coniston massacre, the massacre at Myall Creek, the "Battle of Risdon" in Tasmania and many others, all were perpetrated against the Aborigines by the Europeans. There were years of conflict between Tasmanian Aborigines and white settlers which eventually resulted in the loss of the purebred aboriginal race from Tasmania - virtually genocide.

The Europeans also introduced foods and diseases, all of which were perfectly harmless to the white settlers, but lowered the life expectancy of the aboriginal people. Simple diseases like Measles and Influenza had devastating effects on the aboriginal population.

It is not recorded how many voyages Dirk Hartog went on altogether. As a mariner and navigator, he was engaged in a great deal of sea trade. Prior to landing on Australia's western shores, Hartog made numerous journeys to sea ports in Europe.

Following his one and only trip to Australia, Hartog again engaged in many trips to other European ports.

Mary Reibey was convicted of horse-stealing in England. This is the crime for which she was transported. Chances are high that, because her parents had died, she was running away from home (she was believed to be living with her grandmother at the time), and so she just "borrowed" the horse to get away. However, because horses were such a valuable commodity, the crime was considered serious.

Van Diemen's Land became a colony because the British wished to offset the possibility of a French presence in the South Pacific. France and Great Britain were at war, with each nation seeking to expand its empire. The French had shown interest in the Australian continent since the late 1700s, but the English made the first formal claim, and wished to secure their claim by colonising the south and the west, as well as the eastern coast.

Yes he did at the time of being Governor of Australia, but he had not lived with her for years. When she died he married for a second time to a Miss Whitbread of the brewery family. Arthur Phillip had no living children with either wife.Keith Dawson.

blacksmiths shape metal by hand into horse-shoes, armor, tongs, spikes, and other iron things, by metling the metal in fire and banging it into the shape they want. Blacksmiths still live today on farm muesums or at ranches. Many people still learn the craft today, as an aprentice, but it not a well paying carrier.

The woomera is an Australian aboriginal "throwing stick", designed to help the indigenous people of Australia to throw their spears further.

She is called Bloody Mary because i the film about her she is almost dipped it blood. (Even though she is not real)