An A to Z of Australia
Read the clues and try to work out what the letters stand for in the "A to Z of Australia". A must be for Aussie ... or is it?
A
is for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This word has been used since the 17th century to describe Australia's
indigenous peoples. Most people think they live in the wild parts of
Australia, but the largest number actually live in urban areas.
B is for _ _ _ _ _
This is where many people will be relaxing as you read this because
in Australia it is now summer. Australia has some of the best in the
world. They are part of the Australian way of life, for swimming, surfing,
or simply relaxing and doing nothing.
C is for "_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hunter"
This is the title of the TV series that made Steve Irwin an international
celebrity. Before he died in a tragic accident in 2006, he starred in
more than 200 wildlife documentaries.
D is for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
These are the most precious stones in the world. They are also the hardest
known natural material that we know. Australia produces a quarter of
the world's natural _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
E is for _ _ _
This is a large bird with three toes on each foot. Although it is a
bird, it can't fly. It is related to the ostrich and is not the most
intelligent creature on the planet.
F is for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This game is extremely popular in Australia, and in 2006 the national
team reached the World Cup finals for the first time in 32 years.
G is for _ _ _ _ day
This is a very common greeting in Australia and is usually abbreviated
to "g'day". Australians are friendly and like to call people
"mate" (friend), so you will often hear the phrase "g'day,
mate".
H is for H _ _ _ _ Kewell
He is Australia's best-known football player, and he currently plays
for Liverpool F.C. in the English Premier League.
I is for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A quarter of Australians are children of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ who do
not have English as their mother tongue.
J is for _ _ _ _ _ Cook
He was the British Captain who reached eastern Australia in 1770. The
first British convicts started arriving soon afterwards, in 1788. Australia
became independent from Britain in 1901.
K is for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _ _
The first is one of the animals we always associate with Australia.
The other is a superstar singer who started her career on TV.
L is for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
English is the official one and is spoken at home by around 80 per cent
of the population. The next most common languages are Chinese, Italian
and Greek.
M is for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This is Australia's second largest city, and it is home to the biggest
backpacker hostel in the world. The majority of the 200,000 backpackers
who visit the city each year come from the United Kingdom, Germany,
the United States, Japan, Canada and Korea.
N is for "_ _ worries"
This is a common Australian expression, which means "not a problem".
O
is for _ _ _ _ _
The Sydney _ _ _ _ _ House is one of the most famous buildings in the
world. It was designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon and opened
in 1973.
P is for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
It is currently around 20.6 million people, and is concentrated mainly
in the large coastal cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and
Adelaide.
Q is for _ _ _ _ _ _
This is the country's national airline and one of the oldest and safest
in the world. It is often claimed that the company has never had a fatal
jet crash.
R is for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Crowe
Like Nicole Kidman, he is one of Australia's most famous stars who wasn't
actually born in Australia. He was born in New Zealand, while Nicole
was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
S is for _ _ _ _
Apart from being something we use to wash our hands, this is the name
given to a type of television drama usually shown during the day. Neighbours
and Home and Away are two examples.
T is for _ _ _ _
Normally the eastern states of Australia are 10 hours ahead of GMT,
but this alters with daylight saving. Western Australia is two hours
later.
U is for _ _ _ _ _
This is the official indigenous name for Ayers Rock, one of Australia's
most famous natural sites. It is the largest monolith on Earth, standing
348 metres above the desert floor. It is 3.1 km from east to west, 1.9
km wide and 9.4 km around its base.
V is for _ _ _ _
You need one of these to visit Australia. The one for visitors
allows you to stay for three or six months. There is also one for international
students who want to study intensive English courses.
W is for _ _ _ _
There are 40 vineyards and wineries in McLaren Vale, which is near Adelaide.
The Australian _ _ _ _ industry is in fact the sixth largest in the
world.
X is for _ _ _ _
This is the abbreviation for Christmas. Australia's Christmas holiday
comes in the middle of the summer, so they can only dream of a white
Christmas.
Y is for _ _ _ _ _ hostels
There are lots of them located throughout Australia for the budget-conscious
traveller. Many of them are in surprisingly exotic settings. There are
also five-star hotels for travellers with bigger budgets.
Z is for _ _ _ _ cream
It is a fact that the sun is stronger in Australia so you need protection
or you will start to burn after 15 or 20 minutes. This cream is a very
good protector of the nose and cheeks and also looks very cool.
Answers
Aborigine
beach
Crocodile
diamonds
emu
football
good
Harry
immigrants
James
kangaroo and Kylie (Minogue)
language
Melbourne
no
Opera
population
Qantas
Russell
soap
time
Uluru
visa
wine
Xmas
youth
zinc