Background: Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990's, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980's. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.
July 25th 2008Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory » Canberra Hi All,
Well we don't have much to report except that Hervey Bay is experiencing an unseasonal wet period (surprise, surprise). We went for a drive on Saturday to some of the local areas along the C ... 3 photos[full story]
July 16th 2008Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory » Canberra Hi all,
Well we didn't find the fortune that we had hoped for and didn't even find a stone that was big enough to cut but we had fun trying. We spent a week at Sapphire looking for the elusive stone ... 10 photos[full story]
July 13th 2008Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory » Canberra Canberra is cold!!! (As in it was sleeting just a little on Friday!) Walking around this capital it also seems really surreal as there are hardly any people! Even the main shopping centre wasn't ver ... 7 photos[full story]
July 13th 2008Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory » Canberra Well thankfully the rain stopped just in time for our arrival in Canberra. When we arrived it was dark and damp and after ten hours traveling we just wanted some dinner and a bed so we didn't pay too ... 7 photos[full story]
July 11th 2008Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory » Canberra Well, we've been settled for a couple of days in Goulburn, just north of Canberra. We're being hosted by a typical Aussie batchelor, who has made us very welcome in his home. The weather here is WA ... 3 photos[full story]
July 6th 2008Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory » Canberra Hi All,
We have just returned to River Heads after a week of fishing at Boondooma Dam. Johns uncle from Gympie was there with another couple and we spent a very enjoyable week with them. We had a be ... 6 photos[full story]
June 30th 2008Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory So after finishing my final tour with Intrepid, I headed over to Bangkok on a 12 hour bus journey. I crossed the border into Thailand and thought I'd come home! The wee stops actually had service stat ... [full story]
June 23rd 2008Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory » Canberra Hi All
Well after two long days on the road and one very cold night at Glen Innes we have arrived at River Heads. This will be our base for the next few months. We haven't really made any plans from ... 1 photos[full story]
June 20th 2008Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory » Canberra Hi All,
The Formans are finally leaving. After a few delays we are finally ready to depart for the warmer regions of this country. We are leaving tomorrow morning at about 9.00 am and will just dri ... 1 photos[full story]
May 16th 2008Oceania » Australia » Australian Capital Territory » Canberra Canberra, the capital of Australia, does not usually make the list of 'Places I'd like to see in Australia' however I eagerly accepted Matt's offer to meet him while he was there on business. He did ... 4 photos[full story]
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