WNNP: Walpole-Nornalup National Park
Walpole-Nornalup is a national park in Western Australia (Australia), 355 km
south of Perth. It is famous for its towering Karri and Tingle trees. Red Tingle
trees are unique to the Walpole area.
Fact sheet
Area: 159 km²
Coordinates: 35°00′60″S, 116°46′28″E
Date of establishment: 1957
Managing authorities: Department of Conservation and Land Management
IUCN category: II
Tourism
The Tree top walk in the Valley of the GiantsThe 'Valley of the Giants' is one
of the main tourist draws in the area. Those with a head for heights can get a
tree top view on the 'Tree Top Walk' a 40m high walk-way that can accommodate
wheelchairs. Most similar canopy walks around the world are constructed using
suspension bridge-type structures-not for the faint of heart. The Tree Top Walk,
however, is a series of sixty-metre, lightweight steel trusses built on steel
pylons to form a secure ramp. Beneath the canopy walk there is a pathway around
the Tingle trees for walkers - this is known as the 'Ancient Empire'.
Environment
Conspicuous CliffThe Tingle tree has evolved to cope with bush fires and can
withstand low level fires. The Department of Conservation and Land Management in
Western Australia (CALM) carries out fuel reduction backburning in the national
park; this limits the risk of a large scale bush fire by reducing the amount of
dry leaf litter on the ground. Tingles can look completely burned in the inside
but continue to survive as they grow from just under the layer of outside bark.
The park also extends to the coast, providing a a range of habitats from forest
to coastal heathland featuring swamp paperbark and a red flowering gum which is
endemic to the region. Conspicuous Cliff is one of the few places the coast is
accessible in the National Park.
The Bibbulmun Track winds through the park to the coast.
Acronym Definition
WNNP Weightloss National Nutrition Program
WNNP Webs of Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
WNNP Wide Net National Product
WNNP Webs of Neue Nationale Partei
WNNP Weighted Neural Network Processor
WNNP Within New National Party
WNNP With New Nationalist Party
WNNP Webs of Nice Nil Partner
WNNP We Nieuwe Nationale Party
WNNP With No Needed Parts
WNNP With Noise Normalized Power
WNNP Widget Northwest Novelty Products
The Commonwealth of Australia is a country in the southern hemisphere
comprising the mainland of the world's smallest continent, the major island of
Tasmania and a number of other islands in the Indian, Pacific and Southern
Oceans. The neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New
Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the
north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east.
The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by
Indigenous Australians. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and by
European explorers and merchants starting in the 17th century, the eastern half
of Australia was claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through
penal transportation as part of the colony of New South Wales, commencing on 26
January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five
largely self-governing Crown Colonies were established during the 19th century.
On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of
Australia was formed. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable
liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth Realm. The
capital city is Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory. The
population is 21 million, and is concentrated in the mainland state capitals of
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
Etymology
The name "Australia" is derived from the Latin Australis, meaning "Southern".
Legends of an "unknown land of the south" (terra australis incognita) dating
back to Roman times were commonplace in medi?val geography, but were based on no
actual knowledge of the continent. The first use of the word "Australia" in
English was in 1625 — the words "A note of Australia del Espiritu Santo, written
by Master Hakluyt", published by Samuel Purchas in Hakluytus Posthumus. The
Dutch adjectival form Australische was used by Dutch officials in Batavia to
refer to the newly discovered land to the south in 1638. "Australia" was used in
a 1693 translation of Les Aventures de Jacques Sadeur dans la Découverte et le
Voyage de la Terre Australe, a 1692 French novel by Gabriel de Foigny under the
pen name Jacques Sadeur. Alexander Dalrymple then used it in An Historical
Collection of Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean (1771), to
refer to the entire South Pacific region. In 1793, George Shaw and Sir James
Smith published Zoology and Botany of New Holland, in which they wrote of "the
vast island, or rather continent, of Australia, Australasia or New Holland."
The name "Australia" was popularised by the 1814 work A Voyage to Terra
Australis by the navigator Matthew Flinders, the first recorded person to
circumnavigate Australia. Despite its title, which reflected the view of the
British Admiralty, Flinders used the word "Australia" in the book, which was
widely read and gave the term general currency. Governor Lachlan Macquarie of
New South Wales subsequently used the word in his dispatches to England, and on
12 December 1817 recommended to the Colonial Office that it be officially
adopted) . In 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known
officially as "Australia".
The word "Australia" in Australian English is pronounced IPA: /?.?st???.lj?, -li?.?,
-j?/.
History
History of Australia
The first human habitation of Australia is estimated to have occurred between
42,000 and 48,000 years ago. These first Australians were possibly the ancestors
of the current Indigenous Australians; they may have arrived via land bridges
and short sea-crossings from present-day South-East Asia. Most of these people
were hunter-gatherers, with a complex oral culture and spiritual values based on
reverence for the land and a belief in the Dreamtime. The Torres Strait
Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, inhabited the Torres Strait Islands and parts
of far-north Queensland; their cultural practices were and remain distinct from
those of the Aborigines.
Enlarge picture
Lieutenant James Cook charted the east coast of Australia on HM Bark Endeavour,
claiming the land for Great Britain in 1770. This replica was built in Fremantle
in 1988; photographed in Cooktown Harbour where Cook spent seven weeks.
The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland was made by the
Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon, who sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in
1606. During the 17th century, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and
northern coastlines of what they called New Holland, but made no attempt at
settlement. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast of
Australia, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. The
expedition's discoveries provided impetus for the establishment of a penal
colony there.
The British Crown Colony of New South Wales started with the establishment of a
settlement at Port Jackson by Captain Arthur Phillip on 26 January 1788. This
date was later to become Australia's national day, Australia Day. Van Diemen's
Land, now known as Tasmania, was settled in 1803 and became a separate colony in
1825. The United Kingdom formally claimed the western part of Australia in 1829.
Separate colonies were created from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in
1836, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859. The Northern Territory was
founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia. South Australia was
founded as a "free province" — that is, it was never a penal colony. Victoria
and Western Australia were also founded "free", but later accepted transported
convicts. The transportation of convicts to the colony of New South Wales ceased
in 1848 after a campaign by the settlers.
The Indigenous Australian population, estimated at 350,000 at the time of
European settlement, declined steeply for 150 years following settlement, mainly
because of infectious disease combined with forced re-settlement and cultural
disintegration. The removal of children from their families, which some
historians and Indigenous Australians have argued could be considered to
constitute genocide by some definitions, may have contributed to the decline in
the indigenous population. Such interpretations of Aboriginal history are
disputed by some Right Wing commentators as being exaggerated or fabricated for
political or ideological reasons. This debate is known within Australia as the
History Wars. Following the 1967 referendum, the Federal government gained the
power to implement policies and make laws with respect to Aborigines.
Traditional ownership of land — native title — was not recognised until 1992,
when the High Court case Mabo v Queensland (No 2) overturned the notion of
Australia as terra nullius ("empty land") at the time of European occupation.
A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s, and the Eureka Stockade
rebellion against mining licence fees in 1854 was an early expression of civil
disobedience. Between 1855 and 1890, the six colonies individually gained
responsible government, managing most of their own affairs while remaining part
of the British Empire. The Colonial Office in London retained control of some
matters, notably foreign affairs, defence and international shipping. On 1
January 1901, federation of the colonies was achieved after a decade of
planning, consultation and voting, and the Commonwealth of Australia was born as
a Dominion of the British Empire. The Federal Capital Territory (later renamed
the Australian Capital Territory) was formed from a part of New South Wales in
1911 to provide a location for the proposed new federal capital of Canberra
(Melbourne was the temporary seat of government from 1901 to 1927 while Canberra
was being constructed). The Northern Territory was transferred from the control
of the South Australian government to the Commonwealth in 1911. Australia
willingly participated in World War I. Many Australians regard the defeat of the
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) at Gallipoli as the birth of the
nation — its first major military action. The Kokoda Track Campaign is regarded
by many as an analogous nation-defining event during World War II.
The Statute of Westminster 1931 formally ended most of the constitutional links
between Australia and the United Kingdom when Australia adopted it in 1942. The
shock of the United Kingdom's defeat in Asia in 1942 and the threat of Japanese
invasion caused Australia to turn to the United States as a new ally and
protector. Since 1951, Australia has been a formal military ally of the US under
the auspices of the ANZUS treaty. After World War II, Australia encouraged
immigration from Europe; since the 1970s and the abolition of the White
Australia policy, immigration from Asia and other non-European parts of the
world was also encouraged. As a result, Australia's demography, culture and
self-image have been radically transformed. The final constitutional ties
between Australia and the UK were severed in 1986 with the passing of the
Australia Act 1986, ending any British role in the government of the Australian
States, and ending judicial appeals to the UK Privy Council. In 1999, Australian
voters rejected by a majority of less than 5% a move to become a republic with a
president appointed by Parliament. Since the election of the Whitlam Government
in 1972, there has been an increasing focus on the nation's future as a part of
the Asia–Pacific region.
Politics
The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary
system of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Australia, a role that
is distinct from her position as monarch of the other Commonwealth realms. The
Queen is represented by the Governor-General at Federal level and by the
Governors at State level. Although the Constitution gives extensive executive
powers to the Governor-General, these are normally exercised only on the advice
of the Prime Minister. The most notable exercise of the Governor-General's
reserve powers outside the Prime Minister's direction was the dismissal of the
Whitlam Government in the constitutional crisis of 1975.
There are three branches of government:
* The legislature: the Commonwealth Parliament, comprising the Queen, the
Senate, and the House of Representatives; the Queen is represented by the
Governor-General, whose powers are limited to assenting to laws.
* The executive: the Federal Executive Council (the Governor-General as advised
by the Executive Councillors); in practice, the councillors are the Prime
Minister and Ministers of State.
* The judiciary: the High Court of Australia and other federal courts. The State
courts became formally independent from the Judicial Committee of the Privy
Council when the Australia Act was passed in 1986.
The bicameral Commonwealth Parliament consists of the Queen, the Senate (the
upper house) of 76 senators, and a House of Representatives (the lower house) of
150 members. Members of the lower house are elected from single-member
constituencies, commonly known as 'electorates' or 'seats'. Seats in the House
of Representatives are allocated to states on the basis of population, with each
original state guaranteed a minimum of five seats. In the Senate, each state is
represented by 12 senators, and the territories (the ACT and the NT) by two.
Elections for both chambers are held every three years; Senators have
overlapping six-year terms, and only half of the seats are put to each election
unless the cycle is interrupted by a double dissolution. The party with majority
support in the House of Representatives forms government, and its leader becomes
Prime Minister.
There are three major political parties: the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal
Party and the National Party. Independent members and several minor parties —
including the Greens and the Australian Democrats — have achieved representation
in Australian parliaments, mostly in upper houses. Since the 1996 election, the
Liberal/National Coalition led by the Prime Minister, John Howard, has been in
power in Canberra. In the 2004 election, the Coalition won control of the Senate
- the first time in more than 20 years that a party (or coalition) has done so
while in government. The Labor Party is in power in every state and territory.
Voting is compulsory for all enrolled citizens 18 years and over in each state
and territory and at the federal level; such enrolment is compulsory in all
jurisdictions but South Australia.
States and territories
Australia consists of six states, two major mainland territories, and other
minor territories. The states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia,
Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The two major mainland territories are
the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. In most respects,
the territories function similarly to the states, but the Commonwealth
Parliament can override any legislation of their parliaments. By contrast,
federal legislation overrides state legislation only with respect to certain
areas as set out in Section 51 of the Constitution; all residual legislative
powers are retained by the state parliaments, including powers over hospitals,
education, police, the judiciary, roads, public transport and local government.
Each state and territory has its own legislature, which are unicameral in the
case of the Northern Territory, the ACT and Queensland, and bicameral in the
remaining states. The lower house is known as the Legislative Assembly (House of
Assembly in South Australia and Tasmania) and the upper house is known as the
Legislative Council. The heads of the governments in each state and territory
are called premiers and chief ministers, respectively. The Queen is represented
in each state by a governor; an administrator in the Northern Territory, and the
Governor-General in the ACT, have analogous roles.
Australia also has several minor territories; the federal government administers
a separate area within New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, as a naval
base and sea port for the national capital. In addition Australia has the
following, inhabited, external territories: Norfolk Island, Christmas Island,
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and several largely uninhabited external territories:
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald
Islands and the Australian Antarctic Territory.
Foreign relations and the military
Main articles: Foreign relations of Australia and Australian Defence Force
Over recent decades, Australia's foreign relations have been driven by a close
association with the United States through the ANZUS pact, and by a desire to
develop relationships with Asia and the Pacific, particularly through ASEAN and
the Pacific Islands Forum. In 2005 Australia secured an inaugural seat at the
East Asia Summit following its accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.
Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, in which the Commonwealth
Heads of Government meetings provide the main forum for co-operation. Australia
has energetically pursued the cause of international trade liberalisation.
Australia led the formation of the Cairns Group and APEC, and is a member of the
OECD and the WTO. Australia has pursued several major bilateral free trade
agreements, most recently the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement.
Australia is a founding member of the United Nations, and maintains an
international aid programme under which some 60 countries receive assistance.
The 2005–06 budget provides A$2.5 bn for development assistance; as a percentage
of GDP, this contribution is less than that of the UN Millennium Development
Goals.
Australia's armed forces — the Australian Defence Force (ADF) — comprise the
Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Army, and the Royal Australian Air
Force (RAAF), numbering about 51,000. All branches of the ADF have been involved
in UN and regional peacekeeping (most recently in East Timor, the Solomon
Islands and Sudan), disaster relief, and armed conflict, including the 2003
Invasion of Iraq. The government appoints the Chief of the Defence Force from
one of the armed services; the current Chief of the Defence Force is Air Chief
Marshal Angus Houston. In the 2006–07 Budget, defence spending is $22 billion.
Geography
Australia's 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,299 sq. mi) landmass is on the
Indo-Australian Plate. Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans, Australia is
separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas. Australia has a total 34,218
kilometres (21,262 mi) of coastline (excluding all offshore islands) and claims
an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,057
sq. mi). This exclusive economic zone does not include the Australian Antarctic
Territory.
The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, lies a short distance
off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 kilometres (1,250 mi). Mount
Augustus claimed to be the world's largest monolith, is located in Western
Australia. At 2,228 metres (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko on the Great Dividing
Range is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland, although Mawson Peak
on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island is taller at 2,745 metres
(9,006 ft).
By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid. Australia is the
flattest continent, has the oldest and least fertile soils, and is the driest
inhabited continent. Only the south-east and south-west corners of the continent
have a temperate climate. Most of the population lives along the temperate
south-eastern coastline. The landscapes of the northern part of the country,
with a tropical climate, consist of rainforest, woodland, grassland, mangrove
swamps and desert. The climate is significantly influenced by ocean currents,
including the El Ni?o southern oscillation, which is correlated with periodic
drought, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system that produces cyclones in
northern Australia.
Flora and fauna
Although most of Australia is semi-arid or desert, it covers a diverse range of
habitats, from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests, and is recognised as a
megadiverse country. Because of the great age and consequent low levels of
fertility of the continent, its extremely variable weather patterns, and its
long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique and diverse.
About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89%
of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic. Many of Australia's ecoregions,
and the species within those regions, are threatened by human activities and
introduced plant and animal species. The federal Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is a legal framework for the protection of
threatened species. Numerous protected areas have been created under the
national Biodiversity Action Plan to protect and preserve unique ecosystems; 64
wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention, and 16 World Heritage Sites
have been established. Australia was ranked 13th in the world on the 2005
Environmental Sustainability Index.
Most Australian woody plant species are evergreen and many are adapted to fire
and drought, including many eucalyptus and acacias. Australia has a rich variety
of endemic legume species that thrive in nutrient-poor soils because of their
symbiosis with Rhizobia bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. Well-known Australian
fauna include monotremes (the platypus and echidna); a host of marsupials,
including the kangaroo, koala, wombat; and birds such as the emu and kookaburra.
The dingo was introduced by Austronesian people who traded with Indigenous
Australians around 3000 BCE. Many plant and animal species became extinct soon
after first human settlement, including the Australian megafauna; others have
become extinct since European settlement, among them the Thylacine.
Economy
Economy of Australia
Enlarge picture
The Super Pit in Kalgoorlie, Australia's largest open cut gold mine
Australia has a prosperous, Western-style mixed economy, with a per capita GDP
slightly higher than those of the UK, Germany and France in terms of purchasing
power parity. The country was ranked third in the United Nations' 2006 Human
Development Index and sixth in The Economist worldwide quality-of-life index
2005. The absence of an export-oriented manufacturing industry has been
considered a key weakness of the Australian economy. More recently, rising
prices for Australia's commodity exports and increasing tourism have made this
criticism less relevant. Nevertheless, Australia has the world's fourth largest
current account deficit in absolute terms (in relative terms it is more than 7%
of GDP). This is considered problematic by some economists, especially as it has
coincided with the high terms of trade and low interest rates that make the cost
of servicing the foreign debt low.
The Hawke Government started the process of economic reform by floating the
Australian dollar in 1983, and partially deregulating the financial system. The
Howard government has continued the process of microeconomic reform, including a
partial deregulation of the labour market and the privatisation of state-owned
businesses, most notably in the telecommunications industry. The indirect tax
system was substantially reformed in July 2000 with the introduction of a 10%
Goods and Services Tax, which has slightly reduced the heavy reliance on
personal and company income tax that characterises Australia's tax system.
As of January 2007, there were 10,033,480 people employed, with an unemployment
rate of 4.6%. Over the past decade, inflation has typically been 2–3% and base
interest rates 5–6%. The service sector of the economy, including tourism,
education, and financial services, comprises 69% of GDP. Agriculture and natural
resources comprise 3% and 5% of GDP but contribute substantially to export
performance. Australia's largest export markets include Japan, China, the US,
South Korea and New Zealand.
Demography
Historical populations
Census Pop. %
1900 3,765,400
—
1910 4,525,100 0%
1920 5,411,000 0%
1930 6,501,000 0%
1940 7,078,000 0%
1950 8,307,000 0%
1960 10,392,000 0%
1970 12,663,000 0%
1980 14,726,000 0%
1990 17,169,000 0%
2000 19,169,000 0%
Est. 2007 21,106,778 0%
[1]
Most of the estimated 21 million Australians are descended from 19th and 20th
century European settlers, the majority from the British Isles. As of 2006,
around 90% of Australia's population was of European descent. Australia's
population has quadrupled since the end of World War I, spurred by an ambitious
immigration programme. Following World War II and through to 2000, almost 5.9
million of the total population settled in the country as new immigrants,
meaning that nearly two out of every seven Australians were born overseas. Most
immigrants are skilled, but the immigration quota includes categories for family
members and refugees. In 2001, the five largest groups of the 23.1% of
Australians who were born overseas were from the United Kingdom, New Zealand,
Italy, Vietnam and China. Following the abolition of the White Australia policy
in 1973, numerous government initiatives have been established to encourage and
promote racial harmony based on a policy of multiculturalism. In 2005–06, more
than 131,000 people emigrated to Australia, mainly from Asia and Oceania.
Migration target for 2006–07 was 144,000.
The Indigenous population — mainland Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders —
was 410,003 (2.2% of the total population) in 2001, a significant increase from
the 1976 census, which showed an indigenous population of 115,953. Indigenous
Australians have higher rates of imprisonment and unemployment, lower levels of
education and life expectancies for males and females that are 17 years lower
than those of other Australians.
In common with many other developed countries, Australia is experiencing a
demographic shift towards an older population, with more retirees and fewer
people of working age. A large number of Australians (759,849 for the period
2002–03 ) live outside their home country.
English is the national language, and is spoken and written in a distinct
variety known as Australian English. According to the 2001 census, English is
the only language spoken in the home for around 80% of the population. The next
most common languages spoken at home are Chinese (2.1%), Italian (1.9%) and
Greek (1.4%). A considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants
are bilingual. It is believed that there were between 200 and 300 Australian
Aboriginal languages at the time of first European contact. Only about 70 of
these languages have survived, and all but 20 of these are now endangered. An
indigenous language remains the main language for about 50,000 (0.25%) people.
Australia has a sign language known as Auslan, which is the main language of
about 6,500 deaf people.
Australia has no state religion. The 2006 census identified that 64% of
Australians call themselves Christian: 26% identifying themselves as Roman
Catholic and 19% as Anglican. Australians who identify themselves as followers
of non-Christian religions number 5%. A total of 19% were categorised as having
"No Religion" (which includes non-theistic beliefs such as humanism, atheism,
agnosticism and rationalism) and a further 12% declined to answer or did not
give a response adequate for interpretation. As in many Western countries, the
level of active participation in church worship is much lower than this; weekly
attendance at church services is about 1.5 million, about 7.5% of the
population.
School attendance is compulsory throughout Australia between the ages of 6–15
years (16 years in South Australia and Tasmania, and 17 years in Western
Australia), contributing to an adult literacy rate that is assumed to be 99%.
Government grants have supported the establishment of Australia's 38
universities, and although several private universities have been established,
the majority receive government funding. There is a state-based system of
vocational training colleges, known as TAFE Institutes, and many trades conduct
apprenticeships for training new tradespeople. Approximately 58% of Australians
between the ages of 25 and 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications and the
tertiary graduation rate of 49% is highest of OECD countries. The ratio of
international to local students in tertiary education in Australia is the
highest in the OECD countries.
Culture
Culture of Australia
Enlarge picture
The Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne was the first building in Australia
to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
Since 1788, the primary basis of Australian culture has been Anglo-Celtic,
although distinctive Australian features had been evolving from the environment
and indigenous culture. Over the past 50 years, Australian culture has been
strongly influenced by American popular culture (particularly television and
cinema), large-scale immigration from non-English-speaking countries, and
Australia's Asian neighbours. The vigour and originality of the arts in
Australia — literature, cinema, opera, music, painting, theatre, dance, and
crafts — have achieved international recognition.
Australia has a long history of visual arts, starting with the cave and bark
paintings of its indigenous peoples. From the time of European settlement, a
common theme in Australian art has been the Australian landscape, seen in the
works of Arthur Streeton, Arthur Boyd and Albert Namatjira, among others. The
traditions of indigenous Australians are largely transmitted orally and are
closely tied to ceremony and the telling of the stories of the Dreamtime.
Australian Aboriginal music, dance and art have a palpable influence on
contemporary Australian visual and performing arts. Australia has an active
tradition of music, ballet and theatre; many of its performing arts companies
receive public funding through the federal government's Australia Council. There
is a symphony orchestra in each capital city, and a national opera company,
Opera Australia, first made prominent by the renowned diva Dame Joan Sutherland;
Australian music includes classical, jazz, and many popular genres.
Australian literature has also been influenced by the landscape; the works of
writers such as Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson captured the experience of the
Australian bush. The character of colonial Australia, as embodied in early
literature, resonates with modern Australia and its perceived emphasis on
egalitarianism, mateship, and anti-authoritarianism. In 1973, Patrick White was
awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the only Australian to have achieved
this; he is recognised as one of the great English-language writers of the 20th
century. Australian English is a major variety of the language; its grammar and
spelling are largely based on those of British English, overlaid with a rich
vernacular of unique lexical items and phrases, some of which have found their
way into standard English.
Australian rules football was developed in Victoria in the late 1850s and is
played at amateur and professional levels. It is the most popular spectator
sport in Australia, in terms of annual attendances and club memberships.
Australia has two public broadcasters (the ABC and the multicultural SBS), three
commercial television networks, several pay TV services, and numerous public,
non-profit television and radio stations. Australia's film industry has achieved
critical and commercial successes. Each major city has daily newspapers, and
there are two national daily newspapers, The Australian and The Australian
Financial Review. According to Reporters Without Borders in 2006, Australia was
in 35th position on a list of countries ranked by press freedom, behind New
Zealand (19th) and the United Kingdom (27th) but ahead of the United States.
This low ranking is primarily because of the limited diversity of commercial
media ownership in Australia; in particular, most Australian print media are
under the control of News Corporation and John Fairfax Holdings.
Sport plays an important part in Australian culture, assisted by a climate that
favours outdoor activities; 23.5% Australians over the age of 15 regularly
participate in organised sporting activities. At an international level,
Australia has particularly strong teams in cricket, hockey, netball, rugby
league, rugby union, and performs well in cycling, rowing and swimming.
Nationally, other popular sports include Australian rules football, horse
racing, football (soccer) and motor racing. Australia has participated in every
summer Olympic Games of the modern era, and every Commonwealth Games. Australia
hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and the 2000 Summer Olympics in
Sydney, and has ranked among the top five medal-takers since 2000. Australia has
also hosted the 1938, 1962, 1982 and 2006 Commonwealth Games. Other major
international events held regularly in Australia include the Australian Open,
one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, annual international cricket
matches and the Formula One Australian Grand Prix. Corporate and government
sponsorship of many sports and elite athletes is common in Australia. Televised
sport is popular; some of the highest rating television programmes include the
summer Olympic Games and the grand finals of local and international football
(various codes) competitions
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character representations of themselves. As with most massive multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPG), there is no overall objective or end to the game.
Players explore, form alliances, perform optional tasks, and complete quests for
rewards and to build character's skills.
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RuneScape takes place in the fantasy-themed realm of Gielinor, which is divided
into several different kingdoms, regions, and areas. Players can travel
throughout the gaming world on foot, by using magical teleportation spells or
devices, or mechanical means of transportation. Each region offers different
types of monsters, materials, and quests to challenge players. Players are shown
on the screen as customisable avatars. They set their own goals and objectives,
deciding which of the available activities to pursue. There is no linear path
that must be followed. Players can engage in combat with other players or with
monsters, complete quests, or increase their experience in any of the available
skills. Players interact with each other through trading, chatting, or playing
combative or cooperative mini-games.
Internet Junction For Gamers, Runescape Market and More IJFG.COM
IJFG.com
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