Australia: Digging Down into the Land Down Under
The Land Down Under has a lot we don’t know about it, but it is still one of the most beautiful nations on earth.
Alchemist-hp, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons
The Sydney Opera House, one of the most recognizable landmarks of the nation, sits on the Sydney Harbor. It can often be heard on calm windless night from out on the water.
Australia. The land down under. Once a prison colony, now the origin of most bad accent attempts. When they gained their status as an independent federation in the early 1900s, it was merely a populated desert. Now it is one of the top nations in the world. Their sports culture is one that can only be matched by the US and UK. Everything there is meant to kill you yet they still have one of the longest life expectancies in the world. The country where one of the most popular foods is used yeast extract is also the nation where health is at the top of their priorities. Life has gone almost back to normal there and they all seem to be loving it.
The nation’s main sport, Australian Rules Football, plays their season during the down time for American Football. A sport similar to rugby, Australian Rules requires the height and hands of a Wide Receiver, The stamina of a soccer player, and the toughness and power of a linebacker. Just this past weekend, the sport had the worlds largest crowd since everything shut down with 78,113 people attending their annual ANZAC Day game. The country is immensely proud of their history, and on arguably one of their nation’s biggest holidays, they were able to make more.
ANZAC Day is a national holiday comparable to Memorial Day here in the states. On April 25 every year Australia and New Zealand come together to remember their fallen troops on the anniversary of both nations first battle under their own flag. In 1915, ANZACs stormed the beaches at Gallipoli and thus began their nations war effort. Ever since, ANZAC Day has been a day to remember all those lost to war in the two nations and a day for the nation to show its strength ang might.
While people living on the Australian Continent is not a new thing, their nationhood is by compare very new. They are a Federal Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy. While technically their own nation, Queen Elizabeth II is still the head of state there. Their Parliament is very similar to our congress as well as their chain of command. They have a Governor General who is appointed directly by the Queen and acts as her direct representative. Local Governments operate in a very similar way to ours and their military frequently works with ours for missions and training.
Australians are some of the nicest people you can meet. Their culture is a lot more laid back and they enjoy the simpler things in life. Christmas is not a cold, inside holiday for them, instead it is a beach party comparable to the Fourth of July. A lot of their music would sound confusing to us Americans as they will refer to their dreaded wintertime in June when we would normally be having a great time. They are never the ones to give up on a party and as mentioned earlier, love their sports teams. There is a lot to love about Australia, and it really is somewhere that should be on everyone’s bucket list.
