Travelling to Australia

Welcome to Australia

Read all the words correctly!

• Australia, marsupial, aborigines, kangaroo, koala, bushwalking, dingo, emu, echidna, possum, platypus, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, wildlife, multicultural, natives, southern hemisphere, desert, species, settlement, Great Barrier Reef, souvenir, unique, island.

Now you all have your tickets to Australia!

What do you know about Australia?

If you look at the map of the world, you’ll see that Australia is the biggest island in the world and its smallest continent. In fact, it’s only a little smaller than the USA and 30 times bigger than Great Britain! Australia is washed by two oceans – ……………...

Its area is about 8 million square kilometers.

Who are the natives of Australia?

The Aborigines are the Australian natives that had been living there for thousands of years before the first Europeans came to Australia.

Do you know who discovered Australia?

Captain James Cook discovered Australia in 1770, but the first European visitors were the Dutch. They settled there in 1616.

How many states and territories are there in Australia?

There are six states and two territories in Australia. Each state has its own government and its own capital city. The population of Australia is 20 million people. It’s a multicultural country.

What do you know about the climate of Australia? Is it the same as in Belarus?

The climate of Australia is mild in the south, hot and wet in the north and dry in the centre. Although there are some mountains along the east coast and some along the west coast, the centre of the country is very flat. You can drive for hundreds of kilometers through the great deserts of Western Australia along roads that never seem to go up or down. There are great salt lakes and strange rocks that stand out of the flat desert floor.

Do you know what Uluru is?

It is the largest piece of rock in the world, famous as Ayers Rock. It’s red, it’s 335 metres high and you can see it from many kilometres away. Native Australians call it Uluru and believe it is holy – there is magic there! As you can see in the picture, William and Kate know about it!

What is Australia famous for?

Australia is famous for gold mining, wheat and fruit growing, sheep and cattle farming and the production of minerals, oil, wool, meat and sugar.

What is the capital of Australia? Is it Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, or Canberra?

Canberra

Perth

Sydney

Melbourne

Canberra is the capital city of the country. The population of the capital is over 300 000 people who live in an area with around 12 million trees.

What do you think Canberra means in the local language?

• a friendly place
• a lovely place
• a meeting place
• a public place

There are two big industrial cities in Australia – S………. and M………….

The local wildlife is fantastic!

Wild dog dingo

Echidna

Emu

Kangaroo – there are 50 species of kangaroos in Australia

Koala

Black swan

Platypus

Do you want to listen to a platypus song?

Kookaburra

Kookaburra laughs like a human! Listen!...

What is the largest living thing on earth? It’s not a whale or an elephant. It’s …………….!

It’s the world’s largest coral reef. It can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms.

The coral reef consists of over 2500 individual reefs and 900 islands. It is home to 400 different kinds of coral, as well as birds, fish, worms and crustaceans.

Time for a listening task!

Listen to a woman talking about Australia to get information about this wonderful country. Please, make notes about:

• Outdoor activities
• Sports
• Animals
• Farming and industry
• Immigration

Can you find the mistakes in the following sentences?

Australia is situated south of Asia between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.

Canberra is the capital of Australia and the biggest city of Australia.

Emu is the largest bird of Australia. It can fly and it is a good runner.

Aborigines now comprise only 50 per cent of the population.

What should we have with us while travelling?

Passport of Australia

Name

Area

Population

Capital city

Main cities

Climate

Famous for

History

Australia, Down Under

Australian slang!

• Do you know Australian slang? Can you guess what these words mean?

• LIPPY...?

LIPSTICK!

• OLDIES…?

PARENTS!

• CHOKKIE…?

CHOCOLATE!

• CHRISSIE…?

CHRISTMAS!

• EXY…?

EXPENSIVE!

• VEDGIE…?

VEGETABLES!

• KINDIE…?

KINDERGARTEN!

• OZ…?

A U S T R A L I A !

What are your associations with the word “Australia”?

Good bye!