Australian History

Life, history aside, reveals that wherever there is a goldmine, people will pack their bags and hurrily take flight like flocks of birds following the strong easterly winds. I mean, a literal "gold mine". Or call it a gold rush, if you will. It happened in 1851 in Victoria, Australia. It was then a colony of Britain. Upon learning that there were nuggets of gold to be found in almost all parts of Victoria, from Castlemaine to Ballarat and Bendigo, the population of Melbourne boomed. Evidently, the Victorian gold rush spawned an era of prosperity in this former British colony.

I was looking at a Gold Museum which reminded me of how rich Australia was in gold during that point in the country's history. Miners from Europe began to dig at Specimen Gully, Mount Alexander, Walhalla, and Mount Tarrengower. At Mount Tarrengower, the Aborigines actually found gold specks on the soil without digging. The most remarkable gold mining that occurred was at Walhalla, where after 40 years of mining, 50 tons of gold had been produced.

Even though gold mines have been exhausted in the 19th century, people are still speculating on the possibility of finding more gold. After the First World War, there have been few laborers left to dig. The Victorian gold rush has caused a population boom and prosperity. Profits went to England anyway, but there was still enough to sustain Australia to the next generation. This time, as the price of gold was beginning to soar, the government is looking at the prospect of gold mining once more. But the reefs were to be found in deeper soil now, and more sophisticated equipment would have to be used.

Have you heard of the so-called "The Order of Australia?" The Order of Australia actually is an order of chivalry that Queen Elizabeth II established on February 14, 1975. This is to recognize citizens of Australia and other persons for their achievement or for their meritorious service. This recognition is divided into general and military divisions, knight or dame, companion, officer, member, and medal of the Order of Australia. History has it that even before Order of Australia was established, Australians received British recognitions.

Accordingly, this order was patterned closely to the Order of Canada. But if we are going to compare the two, the Order of Australia is more liberal in giving honorary awards for foreigners. However, the Order of Canada has only been awarded to twelve "foreigners" up to now. Incidentally, one of my favorite athlete in the field of swimming had been awarded a medal of the Order of Australia. Ian Thorpe is an Olympic gold medalist who is regarded as one of the greatest middle-distance swimmers of all time. He holds the records of having the most number of gold medals more than any other Australian. Because of that, he is also considered as the most celebrated Australian athletes of all time.

For a country such as Australia, the form of art demonstrates a prolific mixed of influences and traditions taken from different practices from other countries. The arts can be composed of music, dance, theater, and the like. About 88 percent of the people in Australia appear in most of their cultural festivities and most of them gather in film festivals.

Why is it that films are so popular among Australians? Basically, when we talk about films, we usually think of performers acting behind a camera. We look at their actions and delivery of words that we see as something essential to this kind of work. But then, the success of Australian films has been proven from the brilliant works of Australian directors, even though most of them have actually started or resumed working from outside the country. Also award-winning actors came from the Australian descents such as Geoffrey Rush, Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, and more.

It is obvious that many of us are fascinated with Australian films. It all started with movies that tell us something about their past. This caught a lot of viewers' attention and gave them an understanding of the history of Australia. Although there are some issues regarding the funding or marketing of films and it took a little longer for modern flicks to make it big in the industry, movies created in Australia give us humour, emotion, and information. It is not just about presenting a story but how an idea can create an impact to an audience. So would you say that you would think about seeing an Australian film tommorow?

In actuality, there are no written records of the lives of the Aboriginals in Australia. But, historians believe that prior to the European settlement in Australia, Aboriginals are already living in a culture we can only describe as dream time. When the foreigners have invaded the country, a great number of the natives were killed because they objected to the policies while some, in order to live, bowed to the colonizers, but ended up as beggars.

Basically, when we talk of Aboriginals, we think of them as people whose clothings are made of animal skin, who eat raw or partially cooked food, and those who engage in tribal wars in order to preserve their race. Well, these descriptions fit the Australian native peoples. They also use spear in hunting and in fighting. They have very good spear fishing skills since Australia is bordered by bodies of water. They also have a very organized government. Archaeologists say that the natives are very particular with parity. Although there are designated leaders for each group, it was clear that females and males share the same privileges in their tribes. Meanwhile, the leaders in each group is the person who possesses distinctive qualities. He declares the law, particularly the laws on conduct, and the punishment system.

The Aboriginals are assumed to have a pagan system of belief. They worship natural land formations, bodies of water, or animals. Their selection of animals or places depends upon the benefit they acquire from it. Also, the tribes live in groups. Since there are many islands that consist Australia, they randomly chose the land to occupy. Although the larger part of the country has been invaded by foreigners, we can still see some traces of the Aboriginals in some remote areas of the kangaroo country.

I have been very curious on the Australian flag. Maybe it is because of the similarities that it has with the uniquely beautiful Britain flag. There are so many flags that brought about the present Australian flag. But, what I found to be the most interesting was the 1901 Australian flag. This is because it was like a symbol of the "Defaced British Red Ensign".

During the 19th century, Australia has struggled hard for its independence and nationalism. This was the time when they really fought for what they wanted, an Australian emblem. There have been so many not-so-official flags before the 1901 flag, but, this one symbolizes many turning points for Australia. The 1901 flag is a combination of the Southern Cross constellation or the "Crus Australis". This was also the official symbol of the southern lands or the southern continent.

There have been contests wherein the citizens would submit different kinds of flag creations. The judges would choose two, one for the use of the government and the other, for commercial use. The flag that won had the British Red Ensign on it. Thus, the 1901 Australian flag was known. The one with the blue ensign was for the government to use.

Australia is one of the biggest countries in the world but the smallest continent. According to their history, the Dutch are the first to explore the continent. This foreign invasion by the Dutch was followed by the British who turned Australia as remote settlements for the Europeans. When the jails of Britain became crowded, the British transferred the prisoners in Australia. Those prisoners made the first territories in Western Australia and South Wales. Majority of these people were from the lower class of the towns of Britain. These uneducated people were used by the British government to develop their acquired lands. They held them as prisoners and only released them after they have accomplished their labors.

It was year 1793 when the new settlers entered Australia, who later developed the economy of the country. However, this caused clashes in culture that resulted too many wars and death of mostly Australian natives who are the Aborigines. Starting 1820s to 1880s, Australia experienced many changes that led to its present status. Colonies were formed, minerals and gold were discovered. Also, the people learned to breed cattles and sheeps. The immigrants of Australia gave a big worthy contribution in its progress until they have fully controlled their government.

Australia is well known for its marsupials such as kangaroos, wallabies, Tasmanian and bandicoots. Australia is sometime referred to as “the land down under,” but it is not just a land but a whole continent measuring about 7,617,930 sq km land area.

It was in 1770 that the explorer captain James Cook took possession of Australia in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were established in Australia in the late 18th and 19th century which later evolved to become a federal union and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. Originally Australia was a penal colony before any formal civil government was established. Australia today has an advanced market economy comparable to the most powerful nations of the world.

Australia was born in the history books on the 16th century. Like most islands in the world it was discovered via ship expeditions of the Dutch, then the British people. The western and northern coastlines were first called New Holland by the Dutch voyagers (notably Willem Janszoon). Then the eastern coastline was then dubbed New South Wales by the Lt. James Cook of the British ship Endeavor.

Australia became a British colony and has been separated further into several subcolonies: Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia. Aborigines were first thought of to be the natives of Australia. However because of the migration of the British people into Australia the Aborigines have become just a minority population.

Australia is one of the most beautiful regions in the world. The continent is not only well endowed with natural wonders, but also with a unique culture, nice people, and a rich history.

The earliest settlers of the place date back around 40,000 years ago. Yet it was in 1770 when Capt. James Cook claimed the territory under Great Britain. During the 18th and 19 centuries, six colonies were formed. But in 1901, all these united leading to the birth of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Through the succeeding years, Australia exploited and developed all its resources in order to raise its economy and ultimately earn its place in the world.

Australia is the only country that is at the same time also a continent in itself. Australia's territory covers an area of about 7,617,930 square kilometers that is home to the world-renowned marsupials.

The country's first settlers were Aboriginal and Torres Strait people. These people spoke diversed languages and cultural traditions. These ancient people settled in Australia centuries before the Europeans arrived. It was only in 1606 that Europeans made the first contact with Australia when the Dutch explorer, Willem Janszoon, discovered the continent. The first permanent European settlement of Australia was in 1788 when the country of Britain decided to use it as a penal colony.