Australia Downunder Golden Sun Rays

The largest island in the world, Australia has been called The Lucky Country, because of its beautiful coastline of beaches, its natural wildlife and its immense wealth in minerals and naturally occuring resources.

The indigenous people of Australia, the aborigines, are known worldwide for their art and dancing. Their culture has a history of forty thousand years or more which is longer than any other recorded culture. The rainbow serpent and other deeply held beliefs characterize a people acutely tuned in to nature, to DNA and the very essence of life. They belong to the unified wholeness of the earth, acknowledging 'spirit of place' and unity with all ancestors. Their heritage is essentially spiritual. 

Having a population of only 20 million people means that the wealth and space are spread out widely per head of population. There is food in abundance and employment levels are usually good because of the export trade to China, South Korea, Japan, India and The United States. I live in Western Australia which has a large mining industry. We export iron ore, alumina, oil and gas, gold and nickel, diamonds and very soon, uranium. The boom was great for our state but now things are a little quieter as the world tries to recover from the economic downturn.

Everyone knows the kangaroo, koala bear, platypus and the emu. Australia has rather unique animals and even thousands of wild crocodiles up in the tropical northern areas of Queensland. That area exports mostly sugar cane out of Bundaberg and is extremely popular with Japanese tourists at Cairns in the far northeast. Further north you would run into Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Sydney is the largest Australian city and it features the world famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, shaped like a collection of sea shells. Melbourne is perhaps the cultural and sporting centre, where cricket is played at the MCG. It is a city packed full of exotic european and asian restaurants.

Canberra is the seat of federal government. The Commonwealth Of Australia started back in about 1901 under British design: The Westminster System of government. Australia is indeed a healthy democracy and everyone can speak their mind and be heard. The Aussie idea of mateship means that everyone is given a fair go and class structures are not nearly as strong here in Australia as they still are back in Mother England.

Australia has several historic milestones. In 1788 the first tall ships arrived in Sydney Harbour from England with convicts and settlers. In 1831 the first settlements took place at Fremantle in Western Australia. During the 1914 to 1918 First World War, thousands of Australians lost their lives at Gallipoli in Turkey. During the 1939 to 1945 Second World War Darwin in the Northern Territory was bombed by Japanese forces. The United States entered the war, in about 1942 and defeated the Japanese Navy in the Pacific. Ever since those historic events, Australia and The United States have been the closest of allies.

So that's a little about the attractions and the history of the country in which I now live, Australia. I was born in New Zealand to an Australian father and a New Zealand mother. I now live on 5 acres of bushland in Western Australia, near Perth 6000.

I remain, your avid Internet supporter,

Geoff Dodd, Perth 6000