Demonstrate Knowledge of Australia as a Visitor Destination

History of Australia

We are about to discover and unravel the beauty of Australia. In this unit we are going to be looking in-depth at each individual state and territory, and what they have to offer. We will be looking at the direct providers of tourism in Australia, for example, accommodation, transport, attractions, and activities. Let’s begin with a brief history lesson that will help us see how it all started. Take a few minutes to read through the article below from the Australian tourism website and then answer the questions that follow.

Australia’s Aboriginal people were thought to have arrived by boat from South East Asia during the last Ice Age, at least 50,000 years ago.

At the time of European discovery and settlement, up to one million Aboriginal people lived across the continent as hunters and gatherers. The Aborigines were scattered in 300 clans and spoke 250 languages and 700 dialects. Each clan had a spiritual connection with a specific piece of land but also traveled widely to trade, to find water and seasonal produce and for ritual and totemic gatherings. A number of European explorers sailed the coast of Australia, then known as New Holland, in the 17th century.

However, it wasn’t until 1770 that Captain James Cook chartered the east coast and claimed it for Britain. While free settlers began to flow in from the early 1790s, life for prisoners was harsh. Women were outnumbered five to one and lived under constant threat of sexual exploitation. Male re-offenders were brutally flogged and could be hung for crimes as petty as stealing. The Aboriginal people displaced by the new settlement suffered even more. The dispossession of land and illness and death from introduced diseases disrupted traditional lifestyles and practices. Australia’s six states became a nation under a single constitution on 1st January 1901. One of the new national parliament’s first acts was to pass legislation, later known as the White Australia Policy, restricting migration to people of primarily European origin. This was dismantled progressively after the Second World War and today Australia is home to people from more than 200 countries. Australia is a very large country, and most of it is very empty.

There are almost 25 million people in an area 1.5 times the size of Europe, with most of them living in a handful of coastal cities. New Zealand would fit into Australia 26 times. Even though it is a large country, it is still the smallest continent in the world. One of the main attractions of Australia is its natural beauty. The country ranges from the remote outback to tropical wetlands and islands to dense rainforest wilderness areas. Australia is made for those who like the outdoors. It is perfect for bushwalking, canoeing, climbing, cycling, diving, fishing, sailing, skiing, sunbathing and swimming. Practically any outdoor activity that you can think of can be done somewhere, sometime, in Australia.

When some people think of Australia, they think of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, others think of Uluru (Ayers Rock), and the desert. For some, they think of the outback and characters like Crocodile Dundee wrestling crocodiles or snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Whatever you think of, Australia offers a lot to the tourist, and whatever it is that takes you there, it is sure to fulfill your dreams.

Language

Whilst Australia prides itself its multiple cultures with over 80 languages spoken, the predominant language spoken in Australia is basic English. However, as with other countries, there is a distinct and sometimes colourful local variation. It is helpful to understand all the variants but learning all the ‘Aussie terms’ is not necessary to survive a visit stay here. Some locals may take delight in the discomfort of a foreign visitor struggling to make sense of a conversation, but as a whole, Australians are friendly and most of the time they do go out of their way to steer tourists in the right direction.