Portal:Australia

The AUSTRALIA PORTAL

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The Commonwealth of Australia is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the world's smallest continent and a number of islands in the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Australia's neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east.

The continent of Australia has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. After sporadic visits by European explorers and merchants from the 17th century onwards, the eastern half of the continent was claimed by the British in 1770, and officially settled as the penal colony of New South Wales on 26 January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were successively established over the course of the 19th century.

On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth Realm. The current population of around 21 million is concentrated mainly in the coastal cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

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Banksia ericifolia, the Heath-leaved Banksia (also known as the Lantern Banksia or Heath Banksia), is a species of woody shrub of the Proteaceae family native to Australia; it occurs in two separate regions of Central and Northern New South Wales east of the Great Dividing Range. Well known for its orange or red autumn inflorescences, which contrast with its green fine-leaved heath-like foliage, it is generally encountered as a medium to large shrub that can reach 6 m (20 ft) high and wide, though is usually half that size. In exposed heathlands and coastal areas it is more often 1-2 m (3-7 ft). Banksia ericifolia was one of the original Banksia species collected by Joseph Banks around Botany Bay in 1770 and was named by Carl Linnaeus the Younger, son of Carolus Linnaeus, in 1782. A distinctive plant, it has been split into two subspecies: Banksia ericifolia subspecies ericifolia of the Sydney region and Banksia ericifolia subspecies macrantha of the New South Wales Far North Coast which was recognised in 1996. Banksia ericifolia has been widely grown in Australian gardens on the east coast for many years as well as being used to a limited extent in the cut flower industry. Compact dwarf cultivars such as Banksia 'Little Eric' have become more popular in recent years with the trend toward smaller gardens.

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Fremantle Prison is a former Australian prison located in Fremantle in Western Australia. The 60,000 m² site includes the prison, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, tunnels, and prisoner art. The prison was built by convict labour in the 1850s, and transferred to the colonial government in 1886 for use as a gaol for locally-sentenced prisoners. It closed as a prison in 1991 and re-opened as a historic site and is now a public museum.

Photo credit: Sean Mack

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Subportals

New South
Wales Queensland Western Australia Northern
Territory South
Australia Victoria Tasmania Australian
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Related portals

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In the news

May 26: Paul Lennon resigns as Premier of Tasmania, and is succeeded by David Bartlett. Lara Giddings succeeds Bartlett as Deputy Premier.
Apr 19: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd launched the Australia 2020 Summit in Canberra.
Apr 13: Quentin Bryce named as the designated successor to Michael Jeffery as Governor-General of Australia. She will become the first female to hold the position.
Mar 16: The Australian Government announces that the wrecks of the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran and the HMAS Sydney have been found off the coast of Western Australia. The ships sank after a battle in 1941.
Mar 16: Lewis Hamilton wins the 2008 Australian Grand Prix
Mar 13: Melbourne, Adelaide, and Hobart experience some of their warmest weather on record for this season as result of an Australian autumn heatwave.

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On this day...

June 10:

1770 - Captain James Cook's ship HM Bark Endeavour strikes a reef within the Great Barrier Reef.
1835 - Australia's first political party, the Australian Patriotic Party, is founded.
1868 - Politician and unionist Harry Holland is born near Queanbeyan, New South Wales
1916 - A large majority approves a referendum in New South Wales deciding hotels should close at 6 o'clock for the duration of the war and six months thereafter; early closing came into force in NSW from 21 July lasting until 1955.
1933 - The Australian Women's Weekly magazine is launched by Robert Clyde Packer and his son Frank.
1960 - The Abel Tasman crashes at Mackay, Queensland, killing 29 persons, the largest air disaster in Australian history.

More Australian anniversaries

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Did you know...

...that the town of Bismarck in Tasmania was renamed Collinsvale due to anti-German sentiment during World War I?
...that Indigenous Australian activist Michael Mansell convinced Lybian leader Muammar al-Gaddafi to officially recognise a separate Aboriginal Australian passport in order to draw international attention to the issue of native land rights?
...that Wally Koochew was the first VFL player of Chinese background?
...that Wing Commander Stanley Goble and Flying Officer Ivor McIntyre, piloting a single-engined seaplane (pictured), became the first men to circumnavigate Australia by air in 1924?
...that a series of storms in south-east Queensland spawned two of the most powerful supercells and tornadoes in recorded Australian history?
...that the lamington cake is believed to have been named after Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, the Governor of Queensland at the time of its invention?
...that during the first seven years of the Australian edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? nobody won the top prize of one million dollars?
...that in New South Wales, a Sentencing Council which is the first of its type in Australia, conducts research to improve the consistency of sentencing of criminals? What are portals? | List of portals | Featured portals
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