Everything About Australia | Basic Info, History, and Fun Facts
The country that started as a prison colony for thieves, rebels, and murderers is now a prominent country we all know for its dangerous animals and its iconic opera house. Sitting near the bottom of the globe, Australia is a country filled with unique animals, a unique culture, and unique people.
Story Chapters
Basic Info
What is The Capital of Australia?
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
What is The Population of Australia?
Population: (As of 2022): 25,890,773 people
How Big is Australia?
Landmass: 2,968,464 sq. mi., 7,688,287 sq. km.
What is The Main Language of Australia?
English
Who is The Current Leader of Australia?
PM Anthony Albanese (Nov. 2022)
What is The National Animal of Australia?
The Kangaroo!
Flag Breakdown
The Australian flag was made in 1901, when the first Prime Minister of Australia, Sir Edmund Barton, announced an international flag design competition for Australia. In the end, over 30,000 submissions were made, but surprisingly, five of the entries looked almost identical.
The 5 winners shared the £200 prize, which is $30,000 in today’s money, and the 5 similar designs were combined to create the Australian flag. And that’s how Australia’s flag was born.
So what does it actually represent?
So why does Australia's flag have that design? In the top left corner is the Union Jack, the British flag, symbolizing Australia’s past as part of the British Empire.
Below the Union Jack is the Commonwealth Star. Each of its points symbolizes a state of Australia, with a seventh point representing Australia’s territories.
On the right is the Southern Cross. It’s a constellation that can be seen from anywhere in Australia and symbolizes Australia’s location "Down Under".
Want to show your love for Australia? Here's a cool, simple Australian flag mug for you to check out!
Some Australians want a new flag design...
The Australian Flag was never voted on by the people. The 1901 competition was for the government flag and had to be approved by the British Government. So people are suggesting it’s time for the people to pick a flag. Here are 5 of the possible replacements:
National Anthem
“Advance Australia Fair”
Australia’s national anthem has a long and somewhat confusing history. "God Save the Queen" was originally Australia’s national anthem, but in 1973 there was a competition to create a new national anthem. However, the results weren’t that good, and so Australians took a poll to decide between three songs. "Waltzing Matilda," "Song of Australia," and "Advance Australia Fair" were those three songs. "Advance Australia Fair" won with 51.4% of the vote. As a result, it became the national anthem... for two years. It was replaced by "God Save the Queen" again. A year later, another poll was done, and "Advance Australia Fair" finally became the National Anthem of Australia.
Basic Australian History
Early History
Australian history begins with the Aborigines migrating to Australia thousands of years ago. There were many different peoples that inhabited Australia, and most had their own unique language, traditions, and strong ties to the land they lived on.
Although not much is known about Aboriginal Australia, it seems that they built fisheries, irrigated farms, and established villages. They also made art, some of which still survives today and art we will talk about later.
Although Aboriginal Australia was mostly isolated from the outside world, various outsiders were in contact with the Aborigines. Chinese sailors, Muslim traders, and various oceanic mariners may have all come into contact with the Aborigines of northern Australia before the Europeans. However, Australia still remained that elusive, "undiscovered" southern continent.
Here Come The Europeans!
And then came the 1600s. The Age of Exploration Europeans for thousands of years had believed in "terra australis incognita," the unknown southern continent.
Even though Europeans had been sailing around the East Indies near Australia, nobody had actually landed on the continent. Finally, the Dutch were the first to set foot on Australia's west coast in 1606. Europeans continued to chart the Australian coast, mainly Dutch explorers such as Abel Tasman, the man who discovered Tasmania, an island below Australia. Australia was even called New Holland under the Dutch.
Then the British came. In 1699, William Dampier explored even more of Western Australia, and when he arrived back in Britain, the British became interested in the potential southern continent. And so they sent James Cook. He was in charge of a scientific expedition sent to the South Pacific, with the added goal of claiming Australia for Britain. And on April 20, 1770, Cook and the crew of the H.M.S. Endeavor discovered the eastern coast of Australia. Cook would go on two more expeditions around the oceans, discovering other islands, until he was killed on the beaches of Hawaii by the locals.
18 years later, on January 26, 1788, after Cook first landed in Australia, a British fleet landed in Botany Bay to colonize Australia. And so every year, Australia Day is celebrated on January 26 to commemorate the "founding" of Australia. Funny enough, around half of the original settlers were convicts. One of the reasons Britain was interested in colonizing Australia was to alleviate the overcrowded prisons in Britain. The problem had only gotten worse after the American colonies broke off to create the United States.
At first, there was a western boundary 150–200 miles around Sydney. Colonists were encouraged not to settle past the boundary. Over the course of the early 1800s, that boundary pushed west as more colonists and convicts came to Australia. More colonies were created. Tasmania was settled. Prison colonies outside of Sydney were created too. Moreton Bay was one, and eventually it became Brisbane. Finally, in 1827, Britain finally claimed the whole continent of Australia.
The Outback Outlaws
As mentioned before, Australia was made up of a lot of convicted criminals. Sometimes they would escape into the harsh outback. They preferred to face the hard conditions free than being forced to work as prisoners. These men became known as bushrangers and have become popular in Australian culture. Some notable bushrangers are "Gentleman Bushranger" Martin Cash, "Brave" Benjamin Hall, and the infamous Ned Kelly.
The Eureka Rebellion
Australia in the 1800s wasn’t a united country under one government. The different colonies had relatively representative governments, and were self-governed instead of being directly ruled by Britain. Despite this, people were dissatisfied with their governments. Gold was found in Victoria in 1851, and people rushed to find it. The rush of people caused the government to issue expensive licenses for gold miners to mine gold.
The Eureka Rebellion eventually started as a result of the growing tension. The rebellion ended when the military rushed the Eureka stockade and killed 22 people, and arrested over a hundred more.
Australia The Country
In 1901, Australia finally became one united country. Technically, a commonwealth is still subject to British rule. The founders of the new country wanted to create a nation that valued the common man. They established the Commonwealth Bank, the High Court, and a federal army and navy. The capital of the new country was moved from Melbourne to the newly established Canberra in 1927.
Australia at War
Australian troops had been sent all over the world to assist the British in conflicts, such as in Sudan and South Africa during the Mahdi War and Boer Wars.
So when World War I broke out, Australians rallied to support the British. Around 330,000 men volunteered to fight. 60,000 never made it back and died in the war. 165,000 suffered injuries, around half of all the volunteers.
Australian and New Zealand (ANZAC) troops notably distinguished themselves at Gallipoli, a campaign intended to easily strike the capital of the Ottoman Empire. However, things went wrong, and in the end, the Allied forces evacuated without accomplishing much… except causing the deaths of tens of thousands of men. The bravery and determination shown during Gallipoli and the war in general seemed to embody the Australian spirit. So every year on April 25, Australians and New Zealanders celebrate ANZAC Day to commemorate veterans of past wars and people who currently serve their country.
Australia After The War
After the war, Australia’s economy began to fail. Social and political divisions began, and tension grew. Like most places after the war, Communism began to spread. Most of the country was conservative, so the Communist movement never really took off. But neither did fascism. Fascism was never fully accepted, but parts of it did catch on. During this time of economic hardship, the Great Emu War broke out. It all started because emus were destroying Australian farmers' livelihoods and ways of making money.
Australia at War… Again
Peace after World War I only lasted 20 years until World War II broke out. Australian forces fought mainly against the expanding Japanese Empire in the Pacific. Australia declared war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The Japanese bombed Darwin, Australia, soon after. The Australians fought in the South Pacific and were able to recapture territory taken over by the Japanese. They even fought with the British in Northern Africa and captured Tobruk.
Peace?
The 1950s were an era of growth for Australia. Immigration was on the rise, and people were excited and driven. The economy had recovered and was doing well. People were buying houses, and TVs were coming to Australia.
The world came to Australia in 1956 when Melbourne hosted the Olympics.
The 1960s, however, sent the Australians back into war. In 1962, Australia began to get involved in Vietnam. Over the 11 years they were involved, 60,000 troops were sent, but only 500 died. However, people still protested the war, and men were being encouraged to ignore the draft. The Australians ended their involvement in 1973, when they withdrew all troops except a platoon to defend the Australian embassy.
One victory of the 1960s was the inclusion of the Aborigines in the government. The people of Australia voted to allow the government to pass laws affecting Aborigines and the Torres Strait People. They also switched from pounds and shillings to dollars and cents during this time.
Australia grew even more during the late 1900s and hosted the Olympics in Sydney in 2000. Today, Australia continues to be a prosperous and unique country well into the 2000’s.
Keep reading to learn more about Australia’s unique and interesting culture, people, and places!
Famous Places in Australia
Sydney, Australia
Wouldn't it be cool to have a map of Australia's most iconic city on your wall? You can get your own map print of Sydney, Australia right here!
The Great Barrier Reef
Uluru
Kangaroo Island
Kakadu
Famous People From Australia
Steve Irwin (1962- 2006):
Born: Melbourne, Australia
Steve Irwin grew up in his parent’s wildlife park and was constantly around animals. When he grew up, he became the enthusiastic host of the popular TV show, "The Crocodile Hunter." On the show, he was known for his stunts like capturing a crocodile or handling various deadly snakes and spiders. But all animals in Australia are deadly, right?
Hugh Jackman (1968-):
Born: Sydney, Australia
Hugh Jackman grew up the youngest of five kids, and his mom left the family early in his life, leaving his father to raise them. He went to college at the University of Technology, Sydney, and graduated with a major in journalism. Jackman actually started his acting career in theater, and eventually appeared in international productions. He then started working in movies, becoming famous for his roles in X-Men, Les Misérables, and The Greatest Showman.
Baz Luhrmann (1962-):
Born: Sydney, Australia Baz Luhrmann grew up in the small town of Heron’s Creek, Australia, where his parents ran a gas station… and a movie theater. That’s where his passion for films began. He eventually moved to Sydney, where he got the nickname "Baz" to mock him, but he embraced it. He started as an actor, then wrote plays, and eventually became the director of the famous films Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge, Australia (the movie), and The Great Gatsby.
Nick Kyrgios (1995-):
Born: Canberra, Australia
Nick Kyrgios was born to a Greek father and a Malay mother in Canberra. His mother was actually a part of Malay royalty, specifically a princess, but lost her status when she moved to Australia. Kyrgios actually liked playing basketball growing up, but at 14, he started to focus only on tennis. Two years later, at the age of 16, he got a full scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport, beginning his career as an international tennis star.
Nicole Kidman (1967-):
Born: Honolulu, Hawaii
Yes, she was born in Hawaii, but her family is from Australia. Her family moved back home after her father completed his research on breast cancer. Although she had multiple interests as a kid, acting eventually became her passion. She dropped out of high school to perform, and after being successful in Australia, she moved into the American film industry, becoming the famous actor we know today.
Uniquely Australian:
Australia is a land full of many unique things. From a unique history to unique traditions, here are some of what makes Australia interesting and unique...
ANIMALS!
Australia is a land full of unique animals that can’t be found anywhere else on Earth. Here are some of our favorite animals…
The Koala
The life of a koala starts as a pink, blind, jellybean-sized baby koala that climbs into their mother’s pouch (yes, they have pouches) and lives in there for around 9–10 months. Fully grown, koalas are only about 2 feet (0.6 meters) tall and can weigh around 20–30 pounds. They then climb out and begin their life of munching on toxic, low-nutrition eucalyptus leaves and sleeping 18–20 hours a day to preserve energy.
The Kangaroo
Kangaroos are native to Australia and are probably its most iconic animal. The biggest of the kangaroos is the red kangaroo, which can grow to be around 6 feet tall. There are other, less violent species of kangaroos, like the western gray kangaroo, the eastern gray kangaroo, and the antilopine kangaroo. Male kangaroos are well known for fighting by kicking with their giant feet, and female kangaroos are famous for having a front pouch for little kangaroos (joeys) to stay in as they hop around Australia.