A Visit to the Land Down Under

During the first week of December, 2002, Australians experienced two different types of "light" shows: wildfires near the city of Sydney, pictured left, and a total solar eclipse best viewed from the edge of the country's Great Southern Desert.

Australia is an interesting continent to explore. It's settlement history is somewhat similar to that of America, but its landscape is quite different. While the areas near the various ocean and sea shores are heavily populated, the continent's interior - generally referred to as the Outback - is so hot and dry that people's homes are few and far between.

In this week's lesson, you'll learn about Australia's history and landscapes, which provide clues as to how this continental country lives today.

Overview of the Land & Its People

Start your lesson by exploring a website called Trishan's Oz, created by an 11-year-old Australian student. As you move through the site's pages, you can click on any of the underlined words to learn more about a topic along with following the links provided in this lesson.

Begin at the page titled Australia. Why is the country referred to as the "Land Down Under"? Visit some of the cities Trishan lists, like Melbourne and Canberra. About how much of the nation's people live in cities, and how far away do they typically live from the shoreline?

Also visit some places in the "country," such as the Great Ocean Road, and make a stop in the Outback. What are some of the differences between the cities, the country areas and the Outback? How and why do people live in these places?

So how did all those people get where they are now? The clues for finding those answers start at the Who Discovered Australia page. After reviewing the brief outline, visit with the Aborigines. Read about how these people may have come to this continent and how they have adapted to living here. What do they call themselves? Read on about their first encounter with Captain James Cook and how the aboriginal people and their lifestyles changed after that.

In what ways did the various cultural differences between the aborigines and the Europeans influence what happened between them? What may have happened instead if the cultures had been more similar? How are the experiences of Australian aborigines different and similar to those of other indigenous peoples elsewhere? What is today's Australian government trying to do to reconcile this historic injustice?

Also explore The History of Immigration to Australia page. Who has migrated to this continent and why? What was the difference between the "First Fleet" and the "Free Settlers"? When did the gold rush happen and how did it change the country? About how many immigrants does Australia accept annually, and what are the criteria?

Not Just a Home for Koalas and Kangaroos

Of course, a visit to Australia wouldn't be complete without a tour of the continent's unique array of animals. Make a stop at Trishan's Animals page, and browse through the Australia gallery. Read about why the continent is home to such unusual animals, and click on some of the names of them, like Long-Nosed Bandicoot, Frilled Lizard, and Wombat. How do these animal species survive? What is a "marsupial"? Which of the animals listed reproduce and nurture their young this way?

Also check out the Great Barrier Reef gallery. What kinds of creatures live offshore in the depths?

Even before these animals existed in or around Australia, this continent had a long history of change and development. For a step back in time, go to Australia's Lost Kingdoms. Start at the Snapshots Through Time portal. After reviewing what geological time is, browse through the different time periods, from 110 million years ago to 8 million years ago to 10,000 years ago. Make sure to jump to each time period's pages listed under Australian fact file, Animal superstars and Visit a fossil site, when you can. What was the position of the Australian continent during each time period? How did its climate change? How did these conditions affect how animals populated the continent?

You can also browse the Fascinating Facts section to find out more about prehistoric animals listed by name and grouped by time period. Do any animals look similar to others that paleontologists have discovered elsewhere? Which seem unique?

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