Portal:Australia Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Australia

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Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi), Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country. Australia is the oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, with deserts in the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east, and mountain ranges in the south-east.

Indigenous Australians have inhabited the continent for approximately 65,000 years. The European maritime exploration of Australia commenced in the early 17th century with the arrival of Dutch explorers. In 1770, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788, a date which became Australia's national day. The European population grew steadily in subsequent decades, and by the time of an 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and an additional five self-governing crown colonies established. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and wealthy market economy.

Politically, Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy, comprising six states and ten territories. Australia's population of nearly 26 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Canberra is the nation's capital, while the five largest cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Australia's demography has been shaped by centuries of immigration: immigrants account for 30% of the country's population, and almost half of Australians have at least one parent born overseas. Australia's abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to the country's economy, which generates its income from various sources including services, mining exports, banking, manufacturing, agriculture and international education.

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An Australian light machine gun team in action during the Aitape–Wewak campaign, June 1945.

Australia entered World War II on 3 September 1939, following the government's acceptance of the United Kingdom's declaration of war on Nazi Germany. Australia later entered into a state of war with other members of the Axis powers, including the Kingdom of Italy on 11 June 1940, and the Empire of Japan on 9 December 1941. By the end of the war, almost a million Australians had served in the armed forces, whose military units fought primarily in the European theatre, North African campaign, and the South West Pacific theatre. In addition, Australia came under direct attack for the first time in its post-colonial history. Its casualties from enemy action during the war were 27,073 killed and 23,477 wounded. Many more suffered from tropical disease, hunger, and harsh conditions in captivity: of the 21,467 Australian prisoners taken by the Japanese only 14,000 survived. (Full article...)

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Mary Bell at a council meeting of the
Women's Air Training Corps, 1941

Mary Teston Luis Bell (3 December 1903 – 6 February 1979) was an Australian aviator and founding leader of the Women's Air Training Corps (WATC), a volunteer organisation that provided support to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II. She later helped establish the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF), the country's first and largest women's wartime service, which grew to more than 18,000 members by 1944. (Full article...)

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... that the founder of the Australian Flying Arts School took flying lessons so that he could travel throughout the Queensland Outback providing art lessons to its inhabitants?
... that Australian actress Betty Bryant was honoured by Hillary Clinton for her humanitarian service?
... that Australian pop band Autumn was one of four artists co-credited with a number-one hit in the Australian charts on 31 October 1970, each with a version of the song "Yellow River"?
... that Australian racing driver Mark Webber was given an impromptu podium ceremony for finishing fifth at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix?
... that the only ever hijacking of a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft began at Baucau Airport, East Timor, in 1975?
... that Australian soprano Ada Baker toured India and China before becoming a singing teacher in Perth in 1889?
... that Australian and Greek troops under Lieutenant Colonel Ian Ross Campbell held off a force of over 1,000 German paratroops on Crete for ten days?
... that Australian rules footballer Kate Lutkins, the best on ground at this year's AFL Women's Grand Final, played with a painful foot injury that required surgery?

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In the news

11 July 2022 –: New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet announces that the Australian Aboriginal Flag will be flown permanently above the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is widely regarded as an iconic Australian landmark. The flag will be flown on top of the bridge's arches alongside the national flag, replacing the flag of New South Wales, after the state government decided against accommodating all three flags. (CNN)
10 July 2022 – 2022 Wimbledon Championships: Novak Djokovic of Serbia wins his seventh Wimbledon and overall 21st Grand Slam title after defeating Nick Kyrgios of Australia in the men's singles final, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 (7–3). (BBC Sport)
3 July 2022 –: Fifty-one people are arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy while trying to emigrate to Australia by sea. Police said that undocumented immigration has increased because of Sri Lanka's economic crisis. (Outlook)
17 June 2022 –: The English men's cricket team achieve the highest ever One Day International score of 498 against The Netherlands, beating their previous world record of 481 against Australia in 2018. (BBC Sport)

More Australian current events
See also: Current events on Wikinews

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Image 1
Tawny Frogmouth
Photo: Benjamint444
The Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) is a large species of frogmouth found throughout the Australian mainland, Tasmania, and southern New Guinea. Unlike the owl for which it is often mistaken, the Tawny Frogmouth is not a bird of prey. Instead, it is almost exclusively insectivorous. For defense, it relies on cryptic camouflage, standing still to appear part of a branch.
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Image 2
Cairns Birdwing
Photo credit: Fir0002
The Cairns Birdwing (Ornithoptera euphorion) is a birdwing butterfly of the Papilionidae family. It is Australia's largest butterfly, and is native to the tropical north of Queensland.
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Image 3
Hobart
Photo credit: Noodle snacks
A view of the greater Hobart area, as seen from Mount Wellington. The state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania, Hobart is located in the state's south-east, on the estuary of the River Derwent.
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Image 4
Papilio ulysses
Photo credit: Fir0002
The Ulysses Butterfly (Papilio ulysses) is a large Australian swallowtail with a wingspan of about 14 cm (5.5 in). The top of the butterfly’s wings are an iridescent electric blue; the underside is a more subdued black and brown coloration. When the butterfly is perched the intense blue of its wings is hidden (as seen here), helping it to blend in with its surroundings.
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Image 5
Fleet Air Arm (RAN)
Photo: Fir0002
A Eurocopter AS350 "Squirrel" helicopter flown by 723 Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the section of the Royal Australian Navy responsible for the operation of aircraft. The FAA is currently an all-helicopter force, operating four separate models in the anti-submarine warfare and maritime support roles.
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Image 6

Heard Island and McDonald Islands is an Australian territory comprising uninhabited, barren islands in the Southern Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The islands have been a territory of Australia since 1947 and became a World Heritage Site in 1997. It contains the only two active volcanoes in Australian territory, one of which, Mawson Peak, is the highest Australian mountain.

Photo credit: NASA World Wind

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Image 7

Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban rail network of the Victorian capital of Melbourne. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the central business district, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city blocks. This 1927 photo shows a mix of motor vehicles and horse drawn carts on the streets, as well as both electric and non-electric trams. The station opened in 1910, replacing an ad hoc collection of weatherboard train sheds.

Photo credit: Victoria State Transport Authority
Image 8
2008 Australian Grand Prix
Photo credit: Fir0002
Nick Heidfeld and Nico Rosberg at corner 6 of the 2008 Australian Grand Prix, during one of the race's safety car periods. This first race of the 2008 Formula One season was won by McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Heidfeld and Rosberg finished second and third, respectively.
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Image 9
Zizina labradus
Photo credit: John O'Neill
A Common Grass Blue (Zizina labradus), a small Australian butterfly. This specimen, perched on a rose, is approximately 10 millimetres (0.4 in) in size. Females generally have a larger wingspan compared to males (23 and 20 mm or 0.9 and 0.8 in respectively).
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Image 10
Jeremy Doyle
Photo: Sport the Library
Jeremy Doyle (1983–2011) was an Australian wheelchair basketball player. Left paraplegic after a car accident, he was classified as a 1 point player. While representing his country Doyle won two gold medals, first at the 2009 Paralympic World Cup and again at the 2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship.
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Image 11

Government House in Perth is the official residence of the Governor of Western Australia and was built between 1859 and 1864. The building is a mansion in the Jacobean Revival style set on 3.2 hectares of English gardens in the centre of the Perth business district, between St. Georges Terrace and the Swan River. The buildings and gardens are listed on the Western Australian Register of Heritage Places and are open to the public from time to time. The building has 16 rooms on the ground floor and 25 on the first floor.

Photo credit: Greg O'Beirne
Image 12
Common bluetail
Photo credit: Fir0002
The Common bluetail (Ischnura heterosticta) is a small Australian damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae. Most males have blue eyes, blue thorax and a blue ringed tail. The females are green or light brown.
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Image 13

The Three Sisters are a famous rock formation in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Located close to the town of Katoomba in the Jamison Valley, the sandstone monuments are one of the most popular attractions in the Blue Mountains National Park. The name of each mount in order of height is Meehni (922 m), Wimlah (918 m), and Gunnedoo (906 m). The Three Sisters feature in stories of the Indigenous Australian Dreamtime.

Photo credit: Diliff
Image 14
Tasmanian devil
Photo: JJ Harrison
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial found in the wild only on the Australian island of Tasmania. It is characterised by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. Its large head and neck allow it to generate the strongest bite per unit body mass of any living mammal.
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Image 15

The Mount Lofty Botanic Garden is situated on a 97 hectare crescent-shaped estate on the eastern slopes of Mount Lofty in the Adelaide Hills east of Adelaide in South Australia. The cooler, wetter location suits plants from temperate climates which are difficult to grow on the Adelaide Plains. Amongst the native Australian flora are cultivated plants from cool climates including Rhododendron and Magnolia and the National Species Rose Collection.

Photo credit: Diana Quinn
Image 16
Metallic Ringtail
Photo credit: Fir0002
A female Metallic Ringtail (Austrolestes cingulatus), an Australian damselfly, eating its prey. Each abdominal segment is marked by a pale "ring"; this combined with its glossy metallic coloration give the insect its common name.
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Image 17
Dusky Robin
Photo: JJ Harrison
The Dusky Robin (Melanodryas vittata) is a small passerine bird native to Tasmania. A member of the Australian Robin family, it is not related to European or American Robins. It is a brown-plumaged bird of open woodland, measuring 16–17 cm (6.3–6.7 in) in length.
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Image 18

Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.7 million^[1] (2006 estimate). It is a coastal city located at the northern end of the Port Phillip Bay. The city's name is pronounced as either /ˈmel.bən/ or /ˈmæl.bən/. Formerly the capital city of Australia from 1901 until 1927, Melbourne is today a centre of finance and entertainment and is considered a minor world city.

Photo credit: Diliff
Image 19
Tasmanian Native-hen
Photo credit: Noodle snacks
The Tasmanian Native-hen (Gallinula mortierii) is a flightless rail between 43 to 51 cm (17 to 20 in) in length, one of twelve species of birds endemic to the Australian island of Tasmania. Although flightless, it is capable of running quickly and has been recorded running at speeds up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h).
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Image 20

The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It is located west to south-west inland from Cairns, well into the tropics, but its elevated position provides a climate suitable for dairy farming. It has an area of around 32,000 km² with an avaerage altitude between 600 and 900m AHD. The area was originally explored for its tin and gold deposits, but today is primarily agricultural.

Photo credit: Mike Lehmann
Image 21
Australian Synchrotron
Photo credit: John O'Neill
A panoramic view across the interior of the Australian Synchrotron (a subatomic particle accelerator) in Clayton, Victoria. Dominating the image is the storage ring, showing the optical diagnostic beamline at front right. In the middle of the storage ring is the booster synchrotron and linac. The yellow, green and red magnets on the trolley (front left) are a demonstration of the bending and focusing magnets used in the storage ring to produce the synchrotron radiation and maintain the electron beam.
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Image 22
Forked tongue
Photo credit: LiquidGhoul
The head of a Coastal Carpet Python, the largest subspecies of Morelia spilota, a non-venomous Australian python, showing its forked tongue, a feature common to many reptiles, who smell using the tip of their tongue. Having a forked tongue allows them to tell which direction a smell is coming from.
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On this day

8 August:

1895 – The steamship SS Catterthun strikes Seal Rocks, New South Wales, and founders, killing 55 persons.
1914 – Enlistment for World War I begins.
1918 – Australian forces contribute to one of the greatest advances in World War I at the Battle of Amiens.
1973 – Landscape designer Edna Walling died.

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General images

The following are images from various Australia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Governor Arthur Phillip hoists the British flag over the new colony at Sydney in 1788. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 2Anzac Day dawn services are held throughout Australia every April. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 3The Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne (from Culture of Australia)
Image 4The surf lifesaving movement originated in Australia. (Pictured: surf lifesavers, Bondi Beach, 1930s). (from Culture of Australia)
Image 5Nan Tien Temple, a Buddhist temple in Wollongong. Multicultural immigration has increased Australia's religious diversity. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 6Kylie Minogue is hailed as one of Australia's most successful pop musicians (from Culture of Australia)
Image 7Bush tucker harvested in Alice Springs (from Culture of Australia)
Image 81st row: Windradyne, David Gulpilil, Albert Namatjira, David Unaipon, Mandawuy Yunupingu 2nd row: Truganini, Yagan, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Bennelong, Robert Tudawali (from Aboriginal Australians)
Image 9The University of Sydney (from Culture of Australia)
Image 10Donald Bradman is often cited as statistically the greatest sportsman of any major sport. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 11The SBS building in Melbourne's Federation Square. SBS is Australia's multicultural broadcaster. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 12An Aboriginal encampment near the Adelaide foothills in an 1854 painting by Alexander Schramm (from Aboriginal Australians)
Image 13Sheep grazing in rural Australia. Early British settlers introduced Western stock and crops and Australian agriculture now produces an abundance of fresh produce. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 14Convict architecture at Port Arthur, Tasmania (from Culture of Australia)
Image 15PCA of Orang Asli (Semang) and Andamanese, with worldwide populations in HGDP. (from Aboriginal Australians)
Image 16St Mary Mackillop established an extensive network of schools and is Australia's first canonised saint of the Catholic Church. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 17A billycan used for heating water (from Culture of Australia)
Image 18Founded in 1993, Sydney's Tropfest is the world's largest short film festival. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 19Didgeridoo performers (from Culture of Australia)
Image 20The Australian Aboriginal Flag (from Aboriginal Australians)
Image 21The initial human settlement of Oceania is estimated to be between 60 and 40 kya. The archaeogenetic results indicate a colonization of Australia (southern Sahul) before 37 kya and an incubation period in northern Sahul (Papua New Guinea) followed by westward expansions within Australia after ~28 kya. Principal component analysis of ancient and present-day individuals from Eurasian populations. (from Aboriginal Australians)
Image 22Phar Lap winning the Melbourne Cup, "the race that stops a nation" (from Culture of Australia)
Image 23The first State of Origin shield (from Culture of Australia)
Image 24The Wiggles performing in the United States in 2007 (from Culture of Australia)
Image 25Cricket match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, 1860s (from Culture of Australia)
Image 26A group of Australian men wearing budgie smugglers. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 27Aboriginal dwellings in Hermannsburg, Northern Territory, 1923. Image: Herbert Basedow (from Aboriginal Australians)
Image 28Cover of Old Bush Songs, Banjo Paterson's 1905 collection of bush ballads (from Culture of Australia)
Image 29Golden Wattle, Australia's floral emblem and the source of Australia's national colors, green and gold (from Culture of Australia)
Image 30Interior of St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney (from Culture of Australia)
Image 31Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney (from Culture of Australia)
Image 32Portrait of Madame Melba by Rupert Bunny (from Culture of Australia)
Image 33Skiing in Australia began in Kiandra, a goldmining town in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, in the 1860s. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 34The Princess Theatre in Melbourne (from Culture of Australia)
Image 35Victorian era buildings in Collins Street, Melbourne (from Culture of Australia)
Image 36Noongar traditional dancers, Perth, Australia (from Aboriginal Australians)
Image 37A typical Queenslander house in Brisbane (from Culture of Australia)
Image 38C. J. Dennis, poetic humorist of Australian English (from Culture of Australia)
Image 39A commemorative statue of John Simpson Kirkpatrick, a famous stretcher bearer who was killed in the Gallipoli Campaign. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 40Parliament House, Canberra (from Culture of Australia)
Image 41Statue in Fremantle of an Australian rules footballer taking a spectacular mark (from Culture of Australia)
Image 42Sydney Opera House (foreground) and Sydney Harbor Bridge (from Culture of Australia)
Image 43Corroboree at Newcastle by convict artist Joseph Lycett, ca. 1818. Aboriginal Australian religious practices associated with the Dreamtime have been practised for tens of thousands of years. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 44Countries of birth of Australian estimated resident population, 2006 (from Culture of Australia)
Image 45Men from Bathurst Island, 1939 (from Aboriginal Australians)
Image 46A Luritja man demonstrating method of attack with boomerang under cover of shield (1920) (from Culture of Australia)
Image 47Actor playing the bushranger Ned Kelly in The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), the world's first feature film (from Culture of Australia)
Image 48The Bulletin, founded by J. F. Archibald (left), nurtured bush poets such as Henry Lawson (right). (from Culture of Australia)
Image 49Federation Bungalow in Killara, Sydney (from Culture of Australia)
Image 50Dame Edna Everage, a comic creation of Barry Humphries (from Culture of Australia)
Image 51Historical image of Aboriginal Australian women and children, Maloga, New South Wales around 1900 (in European dress) (from Aboriginal Australians)
Image 52Birdsville Hotel, an Australian pub in outback Queensland (from Culture of Australia)
Image 53Singer-songwriter Paul Kelly (from Culture of Australia)
Image 54A swagman in bushman's apparel, wearing a brimmed hat and carrying swag, and billy can. (from Culture of Australia)
Image 55South Australian suffragette Catherine Helen Spence (1825–1910). The Australian colonies established democratic parliaments from the 1850s and began to grant women the vote in the 1890s. (from Culture of Australia)

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