Connecting you with Australian culture online
Chief Petty Officer Andrew Stapleton plays the Last Post at the ANZAC Day Dawn Service in Baghdad, 2004. The Australian War Memorial, in its section on the Anzac Day Tradition, says 'The Last Post is the trumpet or bugle call sounded at 10 pm each night ...
Even though the four 'official' calendar seasons have the same names as the northern hemisphere seasons, the weather during these seasons is very different to northern hemisphere weather patterns. Indigenous Australians have long had their own seasonal c...
On 25 April every year, Australians commemorate ANZAC Day. During the Second World War, ANZAC Day became a day on which the lives of all Australians lost in war time were remembered. Commemorative services are held at dawn on 25 April, the time of the o...
Easter commemorates the resurrection (return to life) of Jesus Christ following his death by crucifixion. Easter eggs are traditionally eaten on Easter Sunday, however stores start stocking Easter treats well before the Easter holiday period. Early on Ea...
Mr Salchany, lighthouse keeper of Neptune Islands signals a passing ship, 1963. In Australia, lighthouses are built in harbours, on islands, coral reefs and beaches. Courtesy of the Australian Heritage Photo Library, Department of Environment, Water Her...
McFarlane & Erskine, Gold escort attacked by bushrangers, 187-, print: lithograph. Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia: nla.pic-an8420450. Black Caesar escaped into the bush in 1790 with a musket where he later joined five or six other es...
Merchant vessels Barossa and Neptuna burning in Darwin Harbour near the jetty after receiving direct hits during the first Japanese air raid on 19 February 1942. During the Second World War, the Japanese flew 64 raids on Darwin and 33 raids on other targ...
Unknown, Portrait of the bushranger Ned Kelly, 1880, glass plate negative. More books, songs and websites have been written about Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang than any other group of Australian historical figures. Unknown, Kate Kelly, sister of Ned Kelly...
But perhaps our most mysterious animal is the thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, which is considered to have become extinct in 1936. The now-extinct Tasmanian Tiger. Although commonly called the Tasmanian Tiger or Tasmanian Wolf, the thylacine has more in co...
J. C. Armytage, Return of Burke and Wills to Coopers Creek, engraving, in Australia by Edwin Carton Booth, opp. Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia. Explorers set out to discover rivers and land suitable for agriculture as well as to surv...
Since then, Australian television has grown to include: five national free-to-air stations; regional stations; community stations; and countless cable stations. The government-owned Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) also expanded its radio broadca...
Brett Whiteley is one of Australia's most revered artists. He won many prizes and awards and his work hangs in numerous galleries, including the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, the Tate Gallery in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New Yor...
Australia has a strong and vibrant history of political cartooning. Since the 1830s, when political cartoons were first featured in Australian newspapers, they have provided satirical, witty or humorous comment on political and public affairs, social cus...
In 1788, the eleven ships of the First Fleet landed their 'cargo' of around 780 British convicts at Botany Bay in New South Wales. From 1788 to 1823, the Colony of New South Wales was officially a penal colony comprised mainly of convicts, marines and th...
Image courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney. Fiona Hall, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane; Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 2005. Fiona Hall, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, 2005....
Image courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney. Fiona Hall, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane; Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 2005. Fiona Hall, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, 2005....
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia represents the monarch of Australia - currently Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The functions and roles of the Governor-General include appointing ambassadors, ministers and judges, giving Royal Ass...
Sydney Harbour Bridge at sunset. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Australia's most well known and photographed landmarks. It is the world's largest (but not the longest) steel arch bridge with the top of the bridge standing 134 metres above the harbo...
Unknown, Portrait of Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith, between 1919 and 1927. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith's love of excitement led to career as a pilot. Charles Kingsford Smith was born in Hamilton (a suburb of Brisbane), Queensland, in 1897. ...
Building materials varied from locally quarried stone, as well as concrete, in addition to pre-fabricated iron and timber structures where local materials were unsuitable. The management, preservation and restoration of lighthouses is now shared variously...
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