Places Around the World – Chapter 6 🌎
A tour of places around the world. Let's discover amazing places on our planet 🌎🙂
Australia 🇦🇺
Grab your sunscreen, because we're about to learn amazing facts about Australia!
Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, so its seasons are the opposite of ours in the north. When it’s winter in Europe, North America or Israel and we’re wearing coats, it’s summer in Australia and people are heading to the beach in shorts. And when it’s summer up north, Australians are wearing coats and winter clothes.
This happens because the Earth is tilted. When the northern half of the Earth leans toward the sun, it gets summer and long days, while the southern half leans away and has the cold, short days of winter. When the southern half leans toward the sun, it’s the other way around.
Australia's amazing nature!
Australia is one of the largest countries on Earth, and the only country that covers a whole continent. Even though it’s rich in natural resources and has plenty of farmland, more than a third of Australia is desert.
Most of Australia’s cities and farms are in the southwest and southeast, where the climate is milder. The remote inland, called the Outback, has the country’s biggest deserts, with scorching temperatures, little water and very few plants. In the northeast there are thick, green rainforests.
Along Australia’s eastern edge runs the Great Dividing Range. This chain of mountains, about 3,500 kilometers long, feeds the country’s most important rivers, and beneath this part of the country lies one of the largest underground water reserves in the world.
Because Australia is so far from other continents, many of its animals aren’t found anywhere else on Earth – like kangaroos and koalas. Australia has more than 500 national parks to protect its unique plants and animals.
Australia has several kinds of rainforest, full of different plants and animals. It also has the largest sand island in the world, K’gari (once called Fraser Island), which stretches about 120 km along the east coast.
Australia's government and economy:
Australia is part of the Commonwealth, and its head of state is the British king or queen. Many Australians think the country should end this link and become a republic. In a 1999 vote, Australians decided to keep things as they are, but the debate continues.
Australia is an important exporter of farm products like wool, wheat, beef and fruit. It’s also rich in minerals and metals and is one of the world’s biggest producers of gold.
Places in Australia:
Sydney:
Australia’s biggest city. It’s a wonderfully diverse city with a beautiful harbor at its heart. The harbor is home to Sydney’s two most famous symbols: the impressive Harbour Bridge, with a breathtaking view of the city and bay from the top, and the famous Opera House, which looks like it’s about to sail away.
The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 2,000 km along the coast of Queensland in eastern Australia. Besides its incredible beauty, it’s hugely important for science and nature. It holds some world records: it’s the largest coral reef system in the world and the biggest structure made by living things – it’s so big that astronauts can see it from space!
The Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains get their name from the bluish haze that rises from the eucalyptus trees that cover them. They’re about 100 km west of Sydney. The area has mountains (the highest point is just over 1,000 meters), green plains, dramatic cliffs, rivers, impressive waterfalls and a few towns. Above the valleys stand three amazing rock towers called the “Three Sisters.”
The Great Ocean Road
One of the most beautiful scenic roads in the world, the Great Ocean Road winds along Australia’s southeastern coast. It was built between the two world wars by soldiers who had returned home, in memory of their friends who died in World War I. Along the way are breathtaking views of the Southern Ocean and many lighthouses.
Uluru
Uluru is a giant natural sandstone rock in the middle of Australia, often called the “red heart” of Australia. At sunrise and sunset it glows in amazing shades of red and orange. It rises about 348 meters above the ground and is about 9.4 km around – and most of it is hidden underground! It is a sacred place for Australia’s Aboriginal people.
Western Australia: the unknown land
Australia may be the smallest continent, but it’s still enormous. Most tourists visit the big cities on the east coast. Some travel to the Northern Territory, the heart of Australia, with endless open spaces and stunning nature reserves. Only a few make it to Western Australia, with its remote cities, beautiful beaches and spectacular scenery.
This huge region is home to fewer than three million people, most of them in and around the city of Perth. Western Australia is the least-visited part of the continent, mostly because it’s so far from the crowded east. Perth, the capital of Western Australia, is one of the most isolated big cities in the world. The fastest way there is a flight of about four to five hours from Sydney or Melbourne. Or you can take the train from Sydney to Perth – a journey of about four days!
Animals in Australia:
Australia is one of the countries with the most varied wildlife on Earth. The amazing thing is that you don’t need a zoo – it’s easy to see many animals free in nature.
🦘) Marsupials, like the kangaroo – Australia’s most famous animal and its unofficial symbol. Tens of millions of kangaroos live in Australia, and they can live for around 20 years. They’re plant-eaters and munch on grass and plants.
Koalas – not bears!
🐨) One of the cutest animals around: a small marsupial (not a bear at all!) that loves to sleep in trees, especially eucalyptus trees. It sleeps up to 18–20 hours a day!
Reptiles and spiders
🐍) Did you know that Australia is home to some of the most dangerous animals on Earth? There are dozens of kinds of venomous funnel-web spiders and many venomous snakes, including the snake with the most powerful venom in the world – the inland taipan. One bite has enough venom to be extremely dangerous – but luckily, it’s very shy and rarely meets people.
