Structure of Australia

Capital: Canberra
Time difference: 15 hours ahead of EST, USA (Australia is divided into three time zones.)
Administrative Divisions: 6 states & 2 territories- Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia
Independence Day: January 1, 1901 (from the UK colonies)
Constitution: July 9 1900. (note: it was effective as of January 1, 1901.)
National Holidays: Australia Day- January 26, ANZAC Day- April 25
(note: ANZAC Day celebrates the anniversary of when the troops of the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps landed during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey in 1915.)
Government: Three branches- Executive, Legislative and Judicial
Prime Minister: Kevin Rudd
Queen: Elizabeth II
Bicameral Federal Parliment: House of Representatives & Senate

Unique Australian Animals

The dingo is Australia's wild dog. It is found everywhere except Tasmania. They live and hunt alone rather in packs. Regardless of people think, dingoes are not truly native to Australia. There are a few different theories to how they arrived. Some believe Aborigines brought them to the island over 15,000 years ago. Others think sea farers from East Asia brought dingoes to Australia to trade and/or eat them.

Another animal unique to Australia is the platypus. It is only found in eastern Australia, alongside rivers and freshwater lakes. It eats shrimp and aquatic larvae as well as worms. It has webbed feet to help with swimming, and males have a toxic spur located on the inside of both hind leg ankles. Its venom is strong enough to kill a dog and enough to cause excruciating pain in humans. It is a buoyant creature, and therefore has to keep swimming downward in order to stay submerged.

More uncommon, however, is the Quokka. They are marsupials like the forest wallaby and tree kangaroo. They are mainly nocturnal, and found mostly on Rottnest Island, which is located off the south-western part of Australia. However, they are believed to be spreading back to the mainland. The Quokka has no fear of humans. Apparently and it is not uncommon for Quokka to approach humans closely, kind of like the squirrels at Harding University.


Of course there are the animals normally associated with Australia: kangaroos, koala bears, Tasmanian devils and emu. I can't wait to go and see the things that are unique to each specific country and experience their culture and the things that they are known for.

How about that weather?

Due to the beautiful weather lately, I decided to check out what it is going to be like in Australia when we are over there. Unfortunately, they do everything in degrees Celsius, which makes me sad because I have never been good at telling how hot or cold that temperature really is. I converted all the temperatures to Fahrenheit for the sake of convenience.

(avg high, avg low)
September: 75.2, 55.22
October: 78.98, 60.44
November: 82.04, 64.58
December: 84.38, 67.64

In comparison to the United States' temperature at that time of year, there is clearly a considerable difference. I am so excited to spend Thanksgiving in a short-sleeve shirt or a dress rather than a sweatshirt.

Mass media midterm

Students fast to raise awareness of malnutrition
Chile program to continue despite earthquake
7-year-old girl gives two-years' worth of allowance to Haiti
Faith of a child
Local bank keeps its doors open during winter storm

Tokyo!

Thursday night we had a meeting talking about arranging our flights. We have to fly to LAX in California, where we will all meet up and then fly out to Australia!!!! During the meeting Mrs. Atchley, one of the coordinators, said there was a chance for a select few to make a stop-over in Tokyo, Japan.

Now, Tokyo is very expensive. The directors of HUA were telling us to set aside $400 per DAY. The burgers and drinks at fast food total to be about $10 EACH, and a taxi cost $7 just to get inside! It is the most expensive city to live in the world, according to the latest Cost of Living Survey from Mercer.

One serving of sushi rolls in a restaurant costs about $9.68.
Pizza delivery (1 piece)? $22.64.
One serving of Tendon Tempura Rice Bowl? $11.17
One serving of curry rice? $7.43
One SINGLE cup of COFFEE....... $4.88

Yeah.. I'll say Tokyo's expensive! Though it would be fun to see Japan and its culture, I think I'll have to spend my money elsewhere, like horseback riding down the Lord of the Rings trail in New Zealand!

Australian Climates

• Summer: December to February
• Autumn: March to May
• Winter: June to August
• Spring: September to November

This may seem backward to us... because well, it is! Australian Christmas happens in the middle of summer. Because Australia is such a big country, its weather varies a great deal. Scorching heat, snow, humidity, rain... all are common variations in weather one might typically see Down Under.

The north: tropical regions with high temperatures and high humidity, and wet and dry seasons. The wet season lasts about six months in summer and spring, between December and March. The dry season lasts about six months in autumn and winter, usually between May and October.

The center: dry, desert regions with high daytime temperatures and low amounts of rain. Temperatures range from around 104 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to between 61 and 75 degrees in the winter.

The south: temperate regions with moderate rainfall and temperatures ranging from hot to cold. The summer frequently has periods of heat wave and drought. The winters, while usually cold, wet and windy, are quite mild.

Droughts, bushfires and cyclones are typical to Australia. Since Australia is the driest inhabited continent with unpredictable rainfall patterns, it experiences a lot of droughts. Bushfires are large, out of control fires that happen in the bushland. Low humidity, high winds, high temperatures and low rainfall add to the chance of a bushfire. Cyclones happen about six times in Australia a year. They usually happen between November and April. The worst cyclone to ever hit Australia was Cyclone Mahina. In 1899, it killed over 400 people when it destroyed an entire pearl-fishing fleet at Bathurst Bay in Queensland.

Unusual Australian foods

Abdomen of small green ants
It is said the abdomen actually tastes like lemon sherbet! If you're wondering how to eat one: pick them up by their head and squash it (so they won't bite you) then bite off the abdomen. Enjoy!

Vegemite
Black, tacky, salty yeast extract that is spread on breads or toast.

Crocodile sausage
"Tastes like salty chicken."

Kangaroo/Emu steaks
They are very good for you, though it may mean eating the country's national emblems.

Witchety grubs
Moth larvae that measures about the size of a pinky finger. They used to be eaten only by the Aborigines, but now are known as a local delicacy.