Australia Overview
By iCheapAirfares Staff
After the 20-hour plane ride I was thinking that Australia’s moniker “The Land Down Under” wasn’t good enough. It should be dubbed “The Land Down Forever”. One doesn’t just end up in Australia, you have to go way out of your way to get there. The remoteness of Australia is one of its biggest strengths because that has thwarted any overdevelopment and overpopulation of the country throughout time. The immense open space and tranquility of Australia help make it the best place in the world to recover from jet lag!
For 50,000 years up until the 1780’s Australia was solely populated by nomadic, native Aborigines. This race of people forged a rich cultural tradition and a complex set of customs, religions, languages and lifestyles. They left behind significant, ancient rock carvings, cave paintings, colorful burial poles and much more to learn about and see.
In the 1780’s the British colonized Australia, lost interest in it, labeled it an economic and social wasteland, turned it into a “convict colony” by banishing its prisoners there and pretty much forgot about it. The first batch of prisoners totaled about 800 and arrived in Sydney Cove in 1788 after an eight month voyage! However, once they landed they were pardoned and set free. In the 1850’s when a huge gold rush hit, Britain finally abolished the transportation of convicts there, because it was no longer deemed a punishment to be sent there.
Highlights of an Australian trip include catching an Australian Rules football match in Melbourne, learning to surf on the New South Wales coast, checking out the fireworks in Sydney during Australian Day celebrations and shopping at London Court in Perth. Go!
