The
demographics of AustraliaThis article is about the demographic features of the population of Australia, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
show it to be one of the most urbanized populations in the world, with the majority of Australians living in cities on the coast. Australia's cities are
melting potThe melting pot is an analogy for the way in which heterogeneous societies become more homogeneous, in which the ingredients in the pot are combined so as to develop a multi-ethnic society...
s of different cultures. The indigenous Aboriginal culture has survived the first influx of immigrants from Anglo-Irish communities, who are now the most pervasive cultural group. The great post-World War II influx of both English and non English-speaking migrants from Britain, Ireland, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands,
MaltaMalta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union. The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands...
,
Eastern EuropeEastern Europe is a region lying in the Eastern part of Europe. The term is highly context-dependent and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
,
EastEast Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. Geographically and geo-politically, it covers about , or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang,...
and South-East Asia, and the Indian subcontinent have been significant additions. Lesser numbers of immigrants have come from the African and
AmericanThe Americas, or America, are lands in the Western hemisphere or New World, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. America may be ambiguous in English, as it is more commonly used to refer to the United States of America...
continents. Australia has one of the best cultures and is a very good place to retire in.
Language
Although Australia has no
official languageAn official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other territory. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...
, it is largely
monolingualMonoglottism or, more commonly, monolingualism or unilingualism is the condition of being able to speak only a single language...
with English being the "
de factoDe facto is a Latin expression that means "by [the] fact". In law, it is meant to mean "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but without being officially established"...
"
national languageA national language is a language which has some connection—de facto or de jure—with a people and perhaps by extension the territory they occupy. The term is used variously. A national language may for instance represent the national identity of a nation or country...
.
Australian EnglishAustralian English is the form of the English language spoken in Australia.-Socio-historical linguistic context:...
has its own distinctive accent and vocabulary. 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. Australia has a sign language known as
AuslanAuslan is the sign language of the Australian deaf community. The term Auslan is an acronym of "Australian sign language", coined by Trevor Johnston in the early 1980s, although the language itself is much older....
, which is the main language of about 6,500 deaf people.
It is believed that there were between 200 and 300 Australian Aboriginal languages at the time of first European contact, but 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.
Arts in Australia
The
arts in AustraliaThe Arts in Australia have been influenced by its culture including a sense of European Australian isolation and remoteness.The vigour and originality of the arts in Australia — film, music, opera, painting, theatre, dance and crafts — are achieving international recognition...
—
filmThe cinema of Australia has a long history and has produced many internationally-recognised films, actors and filmmakers.- History :Australia's film history has been characterised as one of 'boom and bust' due to the unstable and cyclical nature of its industry; there have been deep troughs when...
,
musicThe music of Australia ranges across a broad spectrum of styles and genres. Some modern trends in Australian music is based on, or concurrent with, similar trends from the United States or United Kingdom and elsewhere, and the music is generally influenced by cross pollination of music from...
,
paintingThe visual arts of Australia include Australian Aboriginal art, Colonial, Landscape, Atelier, Modernist and Contemporary art. Australia has produced many notable artists from both Western traditions and Indigenous Australian traditions...
,
theatreTheatre is a branch of the performing arts. While any performance may be considered theatre, as a performing art, it focuses almost exclusively on live performers creating a self contained drama. A performance qualifies as dramatic by creating a representational illusion...
,
danceDance in Australia includes a wide variety of styles. Classical ballet companies include The Australian Ballet. Other ballet and contemporary companies include the Australian Dance Theatre, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Leigh Warren & Dancers, Chunky Move, Mirramu Dance Company and the Sydney Dance Company...
and crafts — have achieved international recognition. However, in practice, it has often been difficult for observers to discern anything distinctly Australian by looking at much of its artistic output in music, dance, film or literature.
Traditional "
high cultureHigh culture is a term, now used in a number of different ways in academic discourse, whose most common meaning is the set of cultural products, mainly in the arts, held in the highest esteem by a culture. In more popular terms, it is the culture of an elite such as the aristocracy or intelligentsia...
" gains small attention from much of the population, in contrast to
popular culturePopular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture...
. High culture thrives in the form with a few key art galleries, a rich tradition in ballet, enlivened by the legacy of
Edouard BorovanskyEdouard Borovansky was a Czech-Australian ballet dancer, choreographer and director. After touring with Anna Pavlova's company, he and his wife settled in Australia where they established the Borovansky Ballet company...
and
Sir Robert HelpmannSir Robert Murray Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, director and choreographer. Born Robert Murray Helpman, he added the extra 'n' to avoid his name having 13 letters, at the suggestion of Anna Pavlova, who was a devotee of numerology. He was born in Mount Gambier and also boarded at...
, and continuing with the national ballet company The Australian Ballet, and outstanding choreographer/dancers such as
Graeme MurphyGraeme Murphy is regarded as one of Australia's best dance choreographers. Together with his fellow dancer Janet Vernon, he has guided Sydney Dance Company to become one of Australia's most successful and well-known dance companies.-Biography:Murphy was born in Melbourne, and...
and
Meryl TankardMeryl Tankard is an Australian dancer and choreographer who has a wide national and international reputation....
; a strong
national opera companyOpera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
based in Sydney; and excellent symphony orchestras in all capital cities, particularly the
MelbourneThe Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. The orchestra relies on funding by the Victorian State Government through Arts Victoria, Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Federal government through the Australia Council and support from private...
and Sydney symphony orchestras. However, outside of the main centres artists struggle and high culture is virtually non-existent.
Independent culture thrives in all capital cities and exists in most large regional towns. The independent arts of
musicThe music of Australia ranges across a broad spectrum of styles and genres. Some modern trends in Australian music is based on, or concurrent with, similar trends from the United States or United Kingdom and elsewhere, and the music is generally influenced by cross pollination of music from...
,
filmThe cinema of Australia has a long history and has produced many internationally-recognised films, actors and filmmakers.- History :Australia's film history has been characterised as one of 'boom and bust' due to the unstable and cyclical nature of its industry; there have been deep troughs when...
,
artThe visual arts of Australia include Australian Aboriginal art, Colonial, Landscape, Atelier, Modernist and Contemporary art. Australia has produced many notable artists from both Western traditions and Indigenous Australian traditions...
and
street artStreet art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives. The term can include traditional graffiti artwork, stencil graffiti, sticker art, wheatpasting and street poster art,...
, are the most extensive.
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
's independent music scene, is one of the largest in the world, whilst another can be found in the multitude of international street artists visiting Melbourne and, to a lesser extent, other major cities, to work for a period of time.
Architecture
Contemporary Australian architecture includes a number of iconic structures, including the
Sydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre on Bennelong Point in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour...
, the
Royal Exhibition BuildingThe Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located in the Carlton Gardens, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district. It was built to host the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880 and later hosted...
in Melbourne and
Parliament House, CanberraParliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia. It is located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was opened on 9 May 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. Its construction cost was over $1.1 billion. At the time of its construction it was the most expensive...
. Significant architects include
Harry SeidlerHarry Seidler, AC OBE was an Austrian-born Australian architect who is considered to be one of the leading exponents of Modernism's methodology in Australia and the first architect to fully express the principles of the Bauhaus in Australia.Harry Seidler designed more than 180 buildings and he...
and
Francis GreenwayFrancis Howard Greenway was an iconic colonial architect in Australia.-Life and career:Greenway was born at Mangotsfield near the English city of Bristol, son of Francis Greenway and Ann, née Webb. Greenway became an architect "of some eminence" in Bristol and Bath...
.
In the period before European settlement of Australia in 1788, evidence of permanent structures built by
indigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands, and these peoples' descendants. Indigenous Australians are distinguished as either Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders, who currently together make up about 2.6% of Australia's...
in Australia is limited. Much of what they built was temporary, and was used for housing and other needs. As a British colony, the first European buildings were derivative of the European fashions of the time. Tents and
wattle and daubWattle and daub is a building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw. Wattle and daub has been used for at least 6,000 years, and is...
huts preceded more substantial structures.
Georgian architectureGeorgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the...
is seen in early government buildings of Sydney and
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, from which it is separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania – the 26th largest island in the world – and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 500,000 ,...
and the homes of the wealthy. While the major Australian cities enjoyed the boom of the
Victorian EraThe Victorian era of the United Kingdom was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from June 1837 until her death on the 22nd of January 1901. The reign was a long period of prosperity for the British people, as profits gained from the overseas British Empire, as well as from industrial improvements...
, the
Australian gold rushesThe Australian gold rushes started in 1851 when prospector Edward Hammond Hargraves claimed the discovery of payable gold near Bathurst, New South Wales, at a site Edward Hargraves called Ophir. Six months later, gold was found in Victoria at Warrandyte and Ballarat, and a short time later at...
of the mid-19th century brought major construction works and exuberant
Victorian architectureThe term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles predominantly employed during the Victorian era. As with the latter, the period of building that it covers may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria after whom it is...
to the major cities, particularly Melbourne, and major provincials such as
BallaratBallarat is a city in Victoria, Australia, and Victoria's largest inland city. It is well-known for its history and heritage and is a major regional centre in the Goldfields region of Victoria....
and
BendigoBendigo is a regional city in central Victoria, Australia, located in the City of Greater Bendigo. It is approximately 131 kilometres from the state capital of Melbourne. With a steadily growing urban population estimated at 88,031 Bendigo is currently the fourth most populous city in Victoria...
. Other significant architectural movements in Australian architecture include the Federation style of the turn of the 20th century and the modern styles of the late 20th century which also saw many older buildings demolished.
Significant concern was raised during the 1960s, with developers threatening the destruction of historical buildings, especially in Sydney. Heritage concerns led to union-initiated
green banA green ban is a form of strike action, usually taken by a trade union or other organised labour group, which is conducted for environmentalist or conservationist purposes...
s, which saved significant examples of Australia's architectural past. Green bans helped to protect historic 18th century buildings in
The RocksThe Rocks can refer to:*The Rocks, Inc. Military Officers non-profit*The Rocks, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia*McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, goes by the nickname "The Rocks"....
from being demolished to make way for office towers, and prevented the
Royal Botanic GardensThe Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia, are the most central of the three major botanical gardens open to the public in Sydney. The park, managed by the same trust as The Domain adjoining it, is free to access and open every day of the year.-Location and area:The Botanic Gardens are situated...
from being turned into a car park for the
Sydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre on Bennelong Point in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour...
.
Art: Painting and sculpture
Australia has had a significant school of painting since the early days of European settlement and Australians with international reputations include Sir
Sidney NolanSir Sidney Nolan OM, AC was one of Australia's best-known painters and printmakers.Nolan was born in Carlton, a suburb of Melbourne. He was the eldest of four children. His family later moved to the St Kilda. Nolan attended the Brighton Road State School and then Brighton Technical School and...
, Sir
Russell DrysdaleSir George Russell Drysdale, AC was an Australian artist. He won the prestigious Wynne Prize for Sofala in 1947, and represented Australia at the Venice Biennale in 1954...
,
Arthur BoydArthur Merric Bloomfield Boyd, AC, OBE was a member of the prominent Boyd artistic dynasty in Australia, with many relatives being painters, sculptors, architects or other arts professionals. His sister Mary Boyd married John Perceval, and then Sidney Nolan, both artists...
,
Brett WhiteleyBrett Whiteley, AO was an Australian artist. One of the best-known Australian painters of the 20th century, he is collected in most Australian galleries...
,
Ian BurnIan Burn was an influential Australian conceptual artist. He was a notable member of the Art and Language group that flourished in the 1970s. Ian Burn was also an art writer, curator, and scholar.-Biography:...
,
Pro HartKevin Charles "Pro" Hart, MBE , born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, was considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement and his works are widely admired for capturing the true spirit of the outback...
— not to mention the prized work of many indigenous artists such as Emily Kame Kngwarreye.
Cinema
Australia has a long history of film production. The world's first feature-length film was the Australian production
The Story of the Kelly GangThe Story of the Kelly Gang traces the life of the legendary Australian bushranger, Ned Kelly . It was written and directed by Charles Tait. The film's approximate reel length is 4,000 feet . It was released in Australia on 26 December 1906 and in the UK in January 1908...
. However, the purchase of virtually all cinemas by U.S. distribution companies saw an almost total disappearance of Australian films from the screens. A notable exception was
Charles ChauvelCharles Edward Chauvel OBE was an Australian film maker, born in Warwick, Queensland. He was the nephew of General Sir Henry Chauvel, Commander of the Australian Light Horse and later the Desert Mounted Corps in Palestine during World War I...
's classic
JeddaJedda was the last movie made by the Australian filmmaker Charles Chauvel. The film is most notable for being the first to star two Aboriginal actors in the leading roles, and also to be the first Australian film shot in colour...
(1955). During the late 1960s and 1970s an influx of government funding saw the development of a new generation of directors and actors telling distinctively Australian stories. Films such as
Picnic at Hanging RockPicnic at Hanging Rock is a 1975 Australian mystery film directed by Peter Weir, adapted from the novel of the same name. It premiered at the Hindley Cinema Complex in Adelaide, South Australia on August 8, 1975...
and
Sunday Too Far AwaySunday Too Far Away is an Australian feature film which was directed by Ken Hannam and released in 1975. It belongs to the "Australian Film Renaissance" which occurred during that decade....
had an immediate international impact. The 1980s is regarded as perhaps a golden age of Australian cinema, with many very successful films, from the dark science fiction of
Mad MaxMad Max, the first movie of the Mad Max franchise, is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and written by Miller and Byron Kennedy. The film, starring the then-little-known Mel Gibson, was released internationally in 1980. Its narrative based around the traditional...
to the comedy of
Crocodile Dundee"Crocodile" Dundee is a 1986 Australian comedy film set in the Australian Outback and in New York City. It stars Paul Hogan as the weathered Mick Dundee and Linda Kozlowski as Sue Charlton....
, a film that defined Australia in the eyes of many foreigners despite having remarkably little to do with the lifestyle of most Australians. The 1990s saw a run of successful comedies such as
Muriel's WeddingMuriel's Wedding is an Australian comedy/drama written and directed by P. J. Hogan.Hogan, whose screenplay incorporates a number of events in his own life, cast a then-relatively unknown Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths in the lead roles...
,
The CastleThe Castle is a 1997 Australian comedy film that gained widespread acclaim in Australia, but was not widely distributed globally.The Castle starred Michael Caton and Anne Tenney, Eric Bana, and Charles 'Bud' Tingwell. Directed by Rob Sitch, the screenwriting team comprised Rob Sitch, Santo...
and
Strictly BallroomStrictly Ballroom is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed by Baz Luhrmann and produced by M&A Productions. The film has been shown in at least 86 countries and furthermore has been placed as the film option on the British, South-African and Irish school leaving examinations for...
, which helped launch the careers of
Toni ColletteAntonia "Tony" Collette is an Australian actress and musician, known for her acting work on stage, television and film as well as a secondary career as the lead singer of the band Toni Collette & the Finish...
,
P. J. HoganPaul John "P. J." Hogan is an Australian film director.As a teenager, Hogan lived on the North Coast of New South Wales and attended Mt St Patrick's College and was said to have had a difficult time in high school as he was a victim of bullying.His first big hit was the 1994 Australian film...
and
Baz LuhrmannMark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is a Golden Globe and Academy award-nominated Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy.- Personal life :...
. The indigenous film industry continues to produce a reasonable number of films each year; also, many U.S. producers have moved productions to Australia following the decision by Fox head
Rupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC , usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-born American global media mogul. He owns media outlets and is a major shareholder, chairman and managing director of News Corporation ....
to utilise new studios in Melbourne and Sydney where filming could be effectively completed well below U.S. costs. Notable productions include
The MatrixThe Matrix is a science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
,
Star WarsStar Wars is an epic science fantasy saga created by George Lucas.Media within the franchise that have had the specific name Star Wars:*Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, 1977 film originally titled Star Wars...
episodes
IIStar Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the fifth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the second in terms of internal chronology....
and
IIIStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology. It completes the entire Star Wars story.The film takes place three years after...
, and
AustraliaAustralia is a 2008 epic romance film directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It is the second-highest grossing Australian film of all time, trailing Crocodile Dundee. The screenplay was written by Luhrmann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie, with Ronald Harwood...
starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
Indigenous Australian music
Aboriginal song was an integral part of Aboriginal culture. The most famous feature of their music is the
didgeridooThe digeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia at least 1,500 years ago and is still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe". Musicologists classify it as...
. This wooden instrument, used amongst the Aboriginal tribes of northern Australia, makes a distinctive droning sound and its use has been adopted by a wide variety of non-Aboriginal performers.
Aboriginal musicians have turned their hand to Western popular musical forms, often to considerable commercial success. Some notable examples include
Archie RoachArchie Roach is an Australian musician. A singer, songwriter and guitarist, he survived a turbulent upbringing to develop into a powerful voice for indigenous Australians, a storyteller in the tradition of his ancestors, and a nationally popular and respected artist.For info about his tours visit...
, the
Warumpi BandThe Warumpi Band is an Australian band from the bush, coming from Papunya, Northern Territory, Australia.The band was formed in 1980 by Neil Murray, a Victorian "whitefella" working in the region as a schoolteacher and labourer, George Burarrwanga, from Elcho Island, and local boys Gordon and Sammy...
,
NoKTuRNLNoKTuRNL is a band formed in 1996 in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. Sometimes called rap metal their music is hard to categorise, but their lyrics are influenced by their experience as Indigenous Australians. Nokturnl won "Band of the Year" at The Deadlys in 1998, 2000 and 2003.They...
and
Yothu YindiYothu Yindi is an Australian band with Aboriginal and balanda members formed in 1986. Aboriginal members come from Yolngu homelands near Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula in Northern Territory's Arnhem Land...
.
Amongst young Australian aborigines,
African-AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...
and Aboriginal
hip hopHip hop as a cultural movement "manifest in B-boying , graffiti writing, DJing and eMCeeing/rapping – is an artistic commitment to seize freedom from oppressive social conditions...
music and clothing is popular. Aboriginal boxing champion and former rugby league player
Anthony MundineAnthony Mundine is an Indigenous Australian boxer and former rugby league footballer. He is a former two-time WBA Super Middleweight champion boxer and current IBO Middleweight champion and New South Wales State of Origin representative footballer. He is also the son of legendary boxer, Tony...
identified US rapper
Tupac ShakurTupac Amaru Shakur , also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He has sold 75 million albums to date and is one of the best-selling music artists in the world. In addition to his status as a top-selling recording artist, Shakur was a promising actor and a social...
as a personal inspiration, after Mundine's release of his 2007 single,
Platinum Ryder.
Classical music
The earliest Western musical influences in Australia can be traced back to two distinct sources: the first free settlers who brought with them the European classical music tradition; and the large body of convicts and sailors, who brought the traditional folk music of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The practicalities of building a colony mean that there is very little music extant from this early period although there are samples of music originating from
HobartHobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1803 as a penal colony, Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2008, the city had a greater area population of approximately 209,287...
and Sydney that date back to the early 1800s.
The establishment of choral societies (c. 1850) and symphony orchestras (c. 1890) led to increased compositional activity, although many Australian classical composers attempted to work entirely within European models. A lot of works leading up to the first part of the 20th century were heavily influenced by the folk music of other countries (
Percy GraingerGeorge Percy Grainger was an Australian-born composer, and pianist, who worked under the stage name of Percy Aldridge Grainger.-Early life and career :Percy Grainger was born in Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria...
’s
Country GardensCountry Gardens is an English folk tune collected by Cecil Sharp and arranged for piano in 1918 by Percy Grainger.-Derivation:The tune was used in 1728 in The Quaker's Opera and for the song The Vicar of Bray.-Format of renditions:...
of 1918 being a good example of this) and a very conservative British orchestral tradition.
In the war and post-war eras, as pressure built to assert a national identity in the face of the looming superpower of the United States and the "
motherlandMotherland is a term that may refer to a mother country, i.e. the place of one's birth, the place of origin of an ethnic group or immigrant, or a Metropole in contrast to its colonies...
"
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, composers looked to their surroundings for inspiration.
Peter SculthorpePeter Joshua Sculthorpe AO OBE is a noted Australian composer. Much of his music has resulted from an interest in the music of Australia's neighbours as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of native Australian music with that of the heritage of the West...
began to incorporate elements of Aboriginal music, and
Richard MealeRichard Meale is one of Australia's leading instrumental composers.Meale was born in Sydney and studied piano with Winifred Burston at the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, as well as clarinet, harp, history and theory, before studying at the University of California, Los Angeles and other...
drew influence from south-east Asia (notably using the harmonic properties of the
BalineseSee:*Bali, an Indonesian island*Balinese art*Balinese people*Balinese language*Balinese script*Balinese mythology*Balinese , a cat breed*Balinese Gamelan, local music*Balinese Room, a famous illegal casino in Galveston, Texas...
GamelanA gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
; as had Percy Grainger in an earlier generation).
By the beginning of the 1960s, Australian classical music erupted with influences, with composers incorporating disparate elements into their work, ranging from Aboriginal and south-east Asian music and instruments, to American
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
and
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, to the belated discovery of European atonality and the
avant-gardeAvant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
. Composers like
Don BanksDonald Oscar Banks was an Australian composer of concert, jazz, and commercial music.He initially studied at the University of Melbourne, then moved to London where he studied with Mátyás Seiber...
,
Don KayDonald Henry Kay AM is an Australian composer in the classical idiom.Don Kay was born and educated in Tasmania. He undertook his music degree at the University of Melbourne before moving to London to study privately with Malcolm Williamson....
,
Malcolm WilliamsonMalcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson AO , CBE was an Australian composer and Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 to 2003.-Biography:...
and
Colin BrumbyColin Brumby is an Australian composer and conductor.He was born in Melbourne and studied at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, from which he graduated in 1957. He went to Spain to study advanced composition with Philipp Jarnach, and to London to study with Alexander Goehr...
epitomise this period. In recent times composers including
Liza LimLiza Lim is an Australian classical composer.Liza Lim writes concert music as well as music theatre and has collaborated with artists on a number of installation and video projects...
,
Nigel WestlakeNigel Westlake is an Australian composer, performer and conductor.-Biography:Nigel Westlake was born in Perth, the son of clarinettist Donald Westlake. He studied with his father and later at the Australian Film and Television School under William Motzing...
,
Graeme KoehneGraeme Koehne is an Australian composer and music educator. He is best known for his orchestral and ballet scores, which are characterised by direct communicative style and embrace of triadic tonality...
,
Elena Kats-CherninElena Kats-Chernin is a Soviet-born Australian composer.-Biography:Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent , and emigrated to Australia in 1975. She studied composition with Richard Toop, and later with Helmut Lachenmann in Germany...
,
Richard MillsRichard John Mills AM, DMus BA Qld, is an Australian conductor and composer.He currently works as Artistic Director of the West Australian Opera and Artistic Consultant with Orchestra Victoria...
and
Constantine KoukiasConstantine Koukias is a Greek-Australian composer.Constantine Koukias is an Australian composer. He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of IHOS Music Theatre and Opera, based in Hobart, Tasmania. He is well known for his innovative work in contemporary opera and other forms...
have embodied the pinnacle of established Australian composers.
Well-known Australian classical performers include sopranos:
Dame Joan SutherlandDame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE is an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution in the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
, Dame
Joan HammondDame Joan Hammond, DBE, CMG was a New Zealand-born Australian soprano, singing coach and golfer.-Early life:Joan Hammond was conceived in England, but born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her father was born Samuel Hood in England...
,
Joan CardenJoan Carden AO OBE is an Australian operatic soprano. She has been described as "a worthy successor to Dame Nellie Melba and Dame Joan Sutherland" and was sometimes known as "the other Joan" or "The People's Diva"...
,
Yvonne KennyYvonne Kenny is an Australian soprano, particularly associated with Handel and Mozart roles.Born in Sydney, New South Wales, she first studied at the...
and
Emma MatthewsEmma Matthews is an Australian lyric soprano, noted for operatic roles, but also popular on the concert stage. She is currently a Principal Artist with Opera Australia....
; pianists
Roger WoodwardRoger Robert Woodward AC OBE is an acclaimed Australian pianist.-Education:Roger Woodward studied church music with Kenneth Long in Sydney, conducting with Sir Eugene Goossens, piano with Alexander Sverjensky, a pupil of Alexander Glazunov , and composition with Raymond Hanson, continuing...
,
Eileen JoyceEileen Alannah Joyce CMG was an Australian pianist. Her career spanned over 30 years and took her to every continent. She lived in England in her adult years...
,
Michael Kieran HarveyMichael Kieran Harvey is an Australian pianist whose career has been notable for its diversity and wide repertoire. He is renowned for his commissioning and performing new music. He has especially promoted the works of Australian composers, such as Carl Vine, all of whose piano music he has...
,
Geoffrey TozerGeoffrey Tozer was an Australian classical pianist.-Early life :Geoffrey Peter Bede Hawkshaw Tozer was born at Mussoorie, a hill station in the Indian Himalayas, in 1954...
,
Geoffrey Douglas MadgeGeoffrey Douglas Madge is an Australian classical pianist.Madge often performs long and arduous works. He has twice recorded Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum, one of the longest and most difficult works ever written for the piano...
,
Leslie HowardLeslie Howard AM is an Australian pianist and composer. He is best known for being the only pianist to have recorded the complete works for piano solo of Franz Liszt, a project which included more than 300 premiere recordings...
and
Ian MunroIan Munro is an Australian pianist, composer, writer and music educator. His career has taken him to over 30 countries in Europe, Asia, North America and Australasia.-Biography:He was born in Melbourne in 1963, and attended Scotch College...
; guitarists
John WilliamsJohn Christopher Williams is a Grammy Award winning Australian-born British classical guitarist. He is widely regarded as one of finest guitarists of his generation.-Biography:...
and
Slava GrigoryanSlava Grigoryan is an Australian classical guitarist and recording artist.He was born in Kazakhstan to Edward and Irina Grigoryan, both professional violinists. His family emigrated to Australia in 1981 and he was raised in Melbourne. Grigoryan began to study guitar with his father at the age of...
; horn player
Barry TuckwellBarry Emmanuel Tuckwell AC, OBE , is an Australian French horn player who has spent most of his professional life in the United Kingdom and the United States.- Early life and education :Barry Tuckwell was born on 5 March 1931 in Melbourne...
; oboist
Diana DohertyDiana Doherty is an Australian oboist, currently Principal Oboe with the Sydney Symphony Diana was born in Brisbane, where she began her education. She attended Brisbane State High School...
; and conductors Sir
Bernard HeinzeSir Bernard Thomas Heinze, AC was an Australian Professor of Music, conductor and Director of the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music....
, Sir
Charles MackerrasSir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE is an Australian conductor. He is a noted authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.-Family:...
,
Simone YoungSimone Margaret Young AM is an Australian conductor, particularly well known for her work in opera.-Background:...
and
Geoffrey SimonGeoffrey Simon is an Australian conductor resident in London.-Recordings:Geoffrey Simon was born on 3 July 1946 in Adelaide. He was a student of Herbert von Karajan, Rudolf Kempe, Hans Swarowsky and Igor Markevitch, and a major prize-winner at the first John Player International Conductors’ Award...
.
Pop and rock
Australia has produced a large variety of popular music. Some notable examples include the 1960s successes of
The EasybeatsThe Easybeats were a rock and roll band from Australia. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and split at the end of 1969. They are widely regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their classic...
and the folk-pop group
The SeekersThe Seekers were a group of Australian folk-influenced popular musicians that was formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve significant chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States....
, through the heavy rock of
AC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band are commonly classified as hard rock and are considered pioneers of heavy metal, they have always classified their music as "rock and roll".AC/DC underwent several line-up...
,
Cold ChiselCold Chisel were a rock band from Adelaide, Australia. They are regarded as the definitive example of Australian pub rock, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and they are acknowledged as one of the most popular and successful Australian groups of the period, although this success...
and the slick pop of
INXS----INXS achieved international success with a series of hit recordings through the 1980s and 1990s, including the albums Listen Like Thieves, Kick, X and Welcome to Wherever You Are and the singles "Original Sin", "Need You Tonight", "Devil Inside" and "New Sensation".Hutchence died in 1997 and...
,
Men at WorkMen at Work were an Australian reggae-influenced rock band which achieved international success in the 1980s. They are the only Australian artists to have a #1 album and single simultaneously in the United States . At the same time, they also had a simultaneous #1 single and album in the United...
and
Kylie MinogueKylie Ann Minogue, OBE is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actor on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing her career as a recording artist in 1987...
,
Natalie ImbrugliaNatalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress.In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan Willis in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the program, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international...
,
Savage GardenSavage Garden was an Australian pop duo that enjoyed major international success between 1997 and 2001. The band was composed of Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones...
and
SilverchairSilverchair is an Australian alternative rock band. The band formed as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1992, with their current lineup of vocalist and guitarist Daniel Johns, bass guitarist Chris Joannou, and drummer Ben Gillies...
. Bands such as
JetJET is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia composed of Cameron Muncey, Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester. The group has sold 4 million records worldwide; with their debut album Get Born, released in 2003, accounting for about 3.5 million of that figure.-Formation and Dirty...
,
WolfmotherWolfmother are an Australian hard rock band that formed in Erskineville, Sydney in 2000. Originally a trio comprising vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett, the band released their debut self-titled album in October 2005, which reached...
,
Eskimo JoeEskimo Joe is an Australian rock band formed in East Fremantle, Western Australia in 1997. The band consists of vocalist and bassist Kavyen Temperley, drummer and guitarist Joel Quartermain and guitarist Stuart MacLeod....
,
GrinspoonGrinspoon are an ARIA award winning Australia rock band from Lismore, fronted by Phil Jamieson with Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass, and Kristian Hopes on drums....
,
The VinesThe Vines are an Australian garage rock band noted for producing a musical hybrid of '60s rock and '90s alternative music. Since 2006 their line-up has consisted of vocalist and lead guitarist Craig Nicholls, rhythm guitarist Ryan Griffiths, bassist Brad Heald and drummer Hamish Rosser.They...
,
The Living EndThe Living End is an Australian rock band from Melbourne, Victoria, formed in 1994. The current lineup consists of Chris Cheney , Scott Owen and Andy Strachan...
and others are currently enjoying enormous success internationally.
The arrival of the 1961 underground movement into the mainstream in the early-1970s changed Australian music permanently:
SkyhooksSkyhooks were an Australian rock band of the 1970s, sometimes classified as a glam rock band, because of their flamboyant costumes and make-up.The name "Skyhooks" comes from a fictional organisation that appears in the film Earth vs. the Flying Saucers...
were far from the first people to write songs in Australia by Australians about Australia, but they were the first ones to make good money doing it. The two best-selling Australian albums made up to that time put Australian music on the map. Within a few years, the novelty had worn off and it became commonplace to hear distinctively Australian lyrics and sometimes sounds side-by-side with imports.
The national expansion of
ABCThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
youth radio station
Triple Jtriple J is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian radio station , mainly aimed at youth...
during the 1990s has greatly increased the visibility and availability of home-grown talent to listeners nationwide. Since the mid 1990s a string of successful alternative Australian acts have emerged - artists to achieve both underground (critical) and mainstream (commercial) success include
You Am IYou Am I is an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances....
,
GrinspoonGrinspoon are an ARIA award winning Australia rock band from Lismore, fronted by Phil Jamieson with Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass, and Kristian Hopes on drums....
,
PowderfingerPowderfinger is an Australian rock band. The band formed in Brisbane in 1989, and since 1992 their line-up has consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins, and drummer Jon Coghill....
and
JetJET is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia composed of Cameron Muncey, Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester. The group has sold 4 million records worldwide; with their debut album Get Born, released in 2003, accounting for about 3.5 million of that figure.-Formation and Dirty...
.
Television and media
While Australia has ubiquitous media coverage, the longest established part of that media is the
Australian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
(ABC), the Federal Government owned and funded organisation offering national TV and radio coverage. The ABC, like the BBC in Britain, CBC in Canada, and PBS in the United States, is a non-commercial public service broadcaster, showing many
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
or
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
productions from Britain.
Commercial channels include Channel Seven,
Channel NineThe Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney. For nearly 40 years between 1956 and 2005, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
and Channel Ten, along with the channels on
FoxtelFoxtel is an Australian pay television company, formed through a joint venture between Telstra, News Corporation and Consolidated Media Holdings.-History:...
Australia's largest pay TV provider. It is owned by
News CorporationNews Corporation is the world's second largest media conglomerate as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009...
,
Publishing and Broadcasting LimitedPublishing and Broadcasting Limited was one of Australia's largest companies, with interests primarily in media and gaming. The company demerged in late 2007, spinning out its gaming interests into Crown Limited...
and
TelstraTelstra or Telstra Corporation Ltd , is an Australian telecommunications and media company, formerly owned by the Australian government...
.
The publicly funded
Special Broadcasting ServiceThe Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
(SBS) has a multicultural focus, broadcasting TV and radio programmes in a variety of languages, as well as world news and documentary programming in English. It is seen as less highbrow than the ABC but is willing to air more controversial programs such as
South ParkSouth Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
,
Queer as FolkQueer as Folk is a reference to the idiomatic English expression "there's nowt so queer as folk", meaning "there's nothing as strange as people". It may refer to:...
, and
OzOz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes. It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz aired for six seasons...
that would not be shown on Australian free-to-air TV otherwise. Less mainstream sports such as
football (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
and
cyclingCycling is an activity most commonly performed on a bicycle - when it is it is also referred to as bicycling or simply biking. It is the use of the bicycle, unicycle , tricycles , quadracycles , and other similar wheeled human-powered vehicles for the purpose of transport, as a form of...
receive coverage. SBS commenced as a commercial-free enterprise, but it has broadcast commercials of recent years, to less than universal approval.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Australia's two publicly-funded national networks, ABC and SBS, received an increasing share of market ratings, although as of 2005 they only accounted for 15.7% and 6.1% of the national ratings, respectively..
The ABC has made an impressive contribution to television drama with popular series like
Brides of Christ and in comedy, with the 1970s hits
Aunty Jack and
The Norman Gunston Show and more recently
Kath & KimKath & Kim is a Logie Award-winning character-driven Australian television comedy series, created by Jane Turner and Gina Riley. The series revolves around the family matters and relationships of the title characters, a dysfunctional mother and daughter...
and
The Chaser's War On EverythingThe Chaser's War on Everything is an Australian television satirical comedy series broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television station ABC1. It has won an AFI Award. The cast perform sketches mocking social and political issues, and often feature comedic publicity stunts...
. Debate about the role of the ABC continues; many assign it a marginal role, as commercial TV and radio stations are far more popular choices. Critics claim that Australian children view television programs imported largely from the USA, however, the Australian Content Standard requires all free-to-air commercial networks to broadcast an annual minimum of 55% Australian content (between 6 a.m. and midnight).
There have been many Australian television shows that have been successful, such as
HomicideHomicide was an Australian police procedural television series made by Crawford Productions for the Seven Network between 1964 and 1977....
and
Division 4Division 4 was an Australian police procedural television series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 301 episodes....
in the late 1960s and early 1970s,
Skippy the Bush KangarooSkippy the Bush Kangaroo was a popular Australian television series for children produced from 1966 to 1968, telling the adventures of a young boy and his intelligent pet kangaroo, in the Waratah National Park, near Sydney, New South Wales....
in the late 1960s,
Number 96Number 96 was a revolutionary Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects...
and
The Box in the 1970s,
PrisonerPrisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. Because of its success in the United Kingdom, the series has become one of the most enduring in Australian television history...
in the 1980s and
A Country PracticeA Country Practice was one of the longest-running Australian television drama series. It ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping, Sydney. It also ran from April to November 1994 for 30 episodes...
(1981-1993),
NeighboursNeighbours is a Logie Award-winning Australian soap opera, which began airing in March 1985. The series follows the lives of families who live in the six houses at the end of Ramsay Street, a short cul-de-sac in the fictional middle-class suburb of Erinsborough. Storylines explore the romances,...
and
Home and AwayHome and Away is a Logie Award-winning Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney by the Seven Network since July 1987. It premiered in January 1988 and is the second longest-running drama on Australian television, winning more than 30 Logie Awards.The show initially focused on the...
in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of the shows from the mid 1980s onwards have been exported and have sometimes been even more successful abroad, such as
Steve IrwinStephen Robert Irwin , known simply as Steve Irwin and nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an iconic Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist...
's
The Crocodile HunterThe Crocodile Hunter was a wildlife documentary television series that was hosted by Steve Irwin and his wife Terri. The show became a popular franchise due to its unconventional approach and Irwin's outrageous antics...
,
The Crocodile Hunter Diaries, and
New Breed Vets in which Irwin exemplified the fun and passionate, yet masculine and fearless male
stereotypeA stereotype is a commonly held public belief about specific social groups, or types of individuals.The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups, based on some prior...
with which Australia has been previously associated, and which have been aired regularly since the late 1990s in over 120 countries around the world.
Clothing and Apparel
Australia has no officially designated national dress. However, two unique examples of Australian local dress are bushwear and surfwear. Major examples of clothing brands associated with bushwear are
AkubraAkubra is an Australian brand of hat, whose wide-brimmed styles are a distinctive part of Australian culture, especially in rural areas. The name is believed to be derived from an Aboriginal word for head covering....
and R.M. Williams whilst surfwear labels including
BillabongBillabong is a clothing brand and public company traded on the Australian Securities Exchange since August 11 2000...
and
Rip CurlRip Curl is a major Australian manufacturer and retailer of boardwear. The company was founded in 1969 by Doug Warbrick and Brian Singer in Torquay, Victoria, Australia and initially produced surfboards. In 1970, they decided to begin production of wetsuits, with emphasis on transforming diving...
are sold and recognised around the world. Recent examples of Australian 'national dress' being promoted on a world stage were at the
2007 APEC SummitAPEC Australia 2007 was made up of a series of political meetings held around Australia between the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. These meetings culminated in Leaders Week, where the heads of government of each member economy attended Sydney, New South Wales from 2...
in Sydney and the
2009 Pacific Islands ForumThe Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental organization which aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific Ocean and represent their interests. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum...
in Cairns. At both conferences the gathered leaders were clothed in Drizabone and R.M. Williams respectively.
Other iconic Australian clothing and apparel labels include
Blundstone FootwearBlundstone Footwear is an Australian footwear manufacturer, based in Hobart, Tasmania. The company's best-known product is its line of laceless, elastic-sided, ankle-length boots. The official name for this product line is "The Original", although the boots are colloquially known as "Blunnies" in...
,
BondsBonds can refer to any of several things:*Certificates that represent money the government has borrowed from private citizens: see Bond *Companies :**Bonds an Australian clothing company...
,
Country RoadCountry Road is an upscale Australian clothing retailer, with 56 freestanding stores and 77 department store concessions. It is traded on the Australian Stock Exchange, with South African company Woolworths Holdings owning 88%. Country Road has a customer loyalty scheme, which enables members to...
,
Driza-BoneDriza-Bone, originating from the phrase "dry as a bone", is a trade name for the company making full-length waterproof riding coats and apparel. The company was established in 1898 and is currently Australian owned and manufactures its products in Australia...
,
MamboMambo Graphics, or simply Mambo, is an Australian surfwear company, established in 1984. It is best known for producing graphic designs with strong political, religious or humorous themes...
and
QuiksilverQuiksilver, Inc. , based in Huntington Beach, California, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of surfwear and other boardsport-related equipment...
.
Cuisine
Australian food traditions have been influenced by those that have settled in Australia. There are a few foods which can be considered uniquely Australian. Macadamia nuts are an Australian food that have become popular worldwide, and more recently kangaroo meat has become more mainstream. Local beers and wines are popular and internationally renowned.
VegemiteVegemite or /ˈvɛdʒiˌmaɪt/ is a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract. It is a spread for sandwiches, toast, crumpets and cracker biscuits, and filling for pastries such as Cheesymite scroll...
is a well-known spread originating from Australia. It is not popular among immigrants, but is exported to many foreign countries. Desserts well known for their Australian origins include lamingtons and Tim Tams.
Sport
Australians are passionate about sport and it forms a major part of the country's culture, particularly in terms of spectating, but also in terms of participation. Cricket is extremely popular in the summer and
footballFootball is the name of several similar team sports, all of which involve kicking a ball with the foot in an attempt to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
codes are extremely popular in the winter, with different codes being more popular in different areas (see
Barassi LineThe Barassi Line was first suggested by Professor Ian Turner in his 1978 Ron Barassi Memorial Lecture to refer to a dividing line in Australia that runs from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, south through Birdsville, Queensland, through southern New South Wales north of the Riverina,...
). Some strong Australian traditions, such as
Grand FinalA Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sporting term used to describe a final that decides a league champion. Terms such as Super Bowl and Championship Game may be used to describe equivalent events in other sporting competitions around the world...
s and Footy tipping are shared across all codes. Most of Australia's patriotism is expressed through sport and thus it is taken quite seriously, especially seen during major international events such as the
Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
.
Australian Rules Football
Australian rules footballAustralian football, also commonly referred to as Australian rules football, football, or Aussie rules, colloquially as footy, and historically as Australasian football or Victorian football, is a variant of football played between two teams of 18 players, plus four interchange players, outdoors on...
(usually called "Aussie Rules" or "AFL") is an extremely popular spectator sport and a participation sport in most Australian states. The national competition, the
Australian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is the major professional Australian national competition in the sport of Australian football and is arguably Australia's biggest sporting competition in terms of membership, corporate sponsorship and attendances .The league comprises 16 teams which play 22 home and...
evolved from a Victorian state competition, now comprising 16 teams from all states except Tasmania. The
AFL Grand FinalThe AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions....
is traditionally played each year at the
Melbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park in inner Melbourne, home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the largest stadium in Australia, and holds the world record for the highest light towers at any sporting venue. The MCG is within walking distance of...
.
Australian rules football cultureAustralian rules football culture is a descriptive term for the cultural aspects surrounding the game of Australian rules football, particular as it applies to Australia and areas where it is most popular...
has a strong set of rituals and traditions, many of which have crossed sporting boundaries in Australia. Traditional variations such as
kick-to-kickKick-to-kick is a pastime and well-known tradition of Australian rules football fans, and a recognised Australian term for kick and catch type games...
are important aspects of the sporting culture, as is vocal support for a team, known as barracking.
Cricket
CricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
is the national sport of Australia and has long been so. Figures from the game's past like Sir Donald Bradman,
Richie BenaudRichard "Richie" Benaud OBE is an Australian former cricketer who, since his retirement from international cricket in 1964, has become a highly regarded commentator on the game....
and
Dennis LilleeDennis Keith Lillee, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
are some of the most popular figures in the nation's history.
Internationally, Australia has for most of the last century sat at or near the top of the cricketing world.
The AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of international cricket's most celebrated rivalries and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Since cricket is a summer game, the venues being in...
competition between Australia and England is the most popular international sporting contest in Australia.
Rugby League
Rugby leagueRugby league football is a full-contact form of football, played with a prolate spheroid ball by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. Rugby league is one of the two codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union...
is the most popular winter sport in
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
,
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and arguably in the
Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'....
. The
National Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL competition is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
(NRL) grew out of a suburban league in Sydney and has expanded to include teams from across Eastern Australia and New Zealand. The other states have traditionally ignored Rugby League for their own brand of football.
New South Wales and Queensland play a representative series against each other every year, called the
State of OriginState of Origin is an Australian best-of-three series of rugby league football matches between the Maroons, representing the state of Queensland and the Blues, representing the state of New South Wales...
series, which is one of Australia's major sporting events. In addition, the Australian Kangaroos represent the country in international matches.
Rugby Union
Rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
is also one of the most popular sports within Australia, especially in
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
and the
Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'....
, with teams competing in the
Super 14The Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of four teams from Australia , five teams from New Zealand , and five teams from...
, alongside provincial South African and New Zealand sides. In 2003 Australia hosted the
2003 Rugby World CupThe 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
, which saw the Wallabies defeated by
EnglandThe England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 25 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam. England also compete for the Calcutta Cup...
in the final at
Telstra StadiumStadium Australia, currently known as ANZ Stadium due to naming rights, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to simply as the "Olympic Stadium", was completed in March 1999 at a cost of A$690...
.
The Australian national rugby team, the
WallabiesA wallaby is the informal name for any of about thirty species of Australian animal.Wallaby may also refer to:* Wallaby , Japanese fantasy manga* Sopwith Wallaby, British single-engined biplane...
, are the most supported national team in the Australian winter sporting calendar. Having been a professional sport only since 1995, the game's following is slowly growing out of traditional areas.
Association football
Until recently, the most prominent football (soccer) clubs were based around ethnic groups, mostly European. However, the national league was completely reformed in 2004, and the first season of the A-League began in September 2005. Several major names now play in the A-League, such as
Robbie FowlerRobert Bernard "Robbie" Fowler is an English footballer, who plays for the North Queensland Fury in the Australian A-League. He is the fourth-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League....
. The newly franchised teams have been able to translate good sponsorship at the national level into development of the game and junior participation has boomed.
The Australian national football team as of 2009 has competed at two
FIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s, and the Australian Government is seeking to host the event, the world's most watched sporting event, in either
2018The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups is currently under way. These will be the 21st and 22nd editions of the FIFA World Cup. The bidding procedure to host both the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup began in January 2009, and national associations had until February 2, 2009 to...
or 2022. In order to seek a higher level of competition, the Australian national team moved from the
Oceania Football ConfederationThe Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...
to the
Asian Football ConfederationThe 46 member Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of football in Asia, excluding Cyprus and Israel, and including Australia....
in 2006, a much stronger confederation which has guaranteed places in the World Cup, thereby avoiding a history missed opportunities in forced playoffs.
Other sports
Australia also has its own unique motor racing organisation, known as the V8 Supercars Touring Series. It has a considerable following in New Zealand, and is steadily growing in popularity across the world, where television coverage allows.
Australians partake in and excel in many other sports, such as
swimmingThe aquatic sport of swimming involves competition amongst participants to be the fastest over a given distance under self propulsion.The different events include 25, 50, 100, 200, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly, the 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, 500, 800, 1000, 1500, and 1650 free and the 100,...
,
tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
,
netballNetball is a sport in which two teams of seven players try to score points against each other by placing a ball through a raised goal. The sport is popular in Commonwealth countries and is predominantly played by women. Netball shares many similarities with basketball, having been derived from...
,
golfGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
,
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
and
motorsportMotorsport is the collection of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles.Motorsport includes all forms of motor racing as well as non-racing motorized sports.-Motor racing:...
. Since the 1970s, gambling has become socially acceptable, and many Australians are drawn to
horse racingHorse racing is an equestrian sport that has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times are an early example, as is the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. It is inextricably associated with gambling...
and
greyhound racingGreyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
from a young age.
Several non-mainstream sports in Australia still attract a high standard from Australian teams due the sporting culture. For example, it regularly raises world-beating
field hockeyField hockey is a team sport in which a team of players attempt to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking the ball with hockey sticks into the opposing team's goal. Its official name is simply hockey, and this is the common name for it in many countries...
teams. Australian
cyclistsRoad bicycle racing is a popular bicycle racing sport held on roads , using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first at the end of the course Road bicycle racing is a popular bicycle racing...
have recently been quite successful in the
Tour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race that covers approximately throughout France and bordering countries. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages. Individual times to finish each stage are totalled to...
and other international cycling competitions, notably
Cadel EvansCadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist on the Silence-Lotto team, and the reigning world road race champion. In 2007, Evans became the first Australian to win the UCI ProTour. He has the highest Tour de France finishes for an Australian, coming second in 2007 and 2008...
' second placings in the
2007 Tour de FranceThe 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
and again the
following yearThe 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage...
. From 2008, Australia's only major international cycling race, the
Tour Down UnderThe Tour Down Under is a cycling race in Adelaide, South Australia and surrounding area. The race starts on the third Tuesday of January each year and attracts riders from across Australia and the world. In 2005, the Tour Down Under was promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale to the...
, centred around
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million. It is a coastal city situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent, on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu...
, will become the first
UCI ProTourThe UCI ProTour is a series of road bicycle races organised by the International Cycling Union . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...
cycling race to be held outside of Europe. Among young people and within schools nationwide, various forms of handball or downball games have been among the most prevalent sports games for quite some decades.
As with most nations, women's sport is given less attention than men's, in both media coverage and funding, although the gap is closing slowly, with netball's
ANZ ChampionshipThe ANZ Championship is an elite netball competition in Australia and New Zealand, contested between five teams from each country. It began in April 2008, succeeding Australia's Commonwealth Bank Trophy and New Zealand's National Bank Cup as the highest level of competitive netball in these countries...
being advertised on popular sports channels.
Australia has recently seen great success in the sport of surfing. In 2007, both the male (Mick Fanning) and female (Stephanie Gilmore) ASP champions were Australian.
Australia's traditional links with Britain has seen its sporting focus primarily trained on British sports, but in recent years there has been a trickle of professionals playing at the top level of American sports such as
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
,
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
and
American footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
.
Grant BalfourGrant Robert Balfour is a relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. He has previously played for the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers...
is a relief pitcher for the
Tampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and are the defending American League champions. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League...
, and played in the
2008 World SeriesThe 2008 World Series was the 104th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as champions of the National League and the Tampa Bay Rays, as American League champions, competed to win four games out of a possible...
. Australian basketballers have been very successful at the Olympics, and are regular medal winners. Australians such as
Luc LongleyLucien James "Luc" Longley is a retired Australian professional basketball player, who was the first Australian to play in the NBA. He attended college at the University of New Mexico...
and
Andrew BogutAndrew Michael Bogut is an Australian professional basketball player. He plays for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. Bogut is also a member of the Australia national basketball team, the Boomers....
have had long careers in the NBA. Australian women have made an even bigger impact in the WNBA, with
Lauren JacksonLauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. She is often called LJ or Loz. She is a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA, the Australian national team The Opals and, until 2006, the Canberra Capitals of the Australian WNBL...
captaining the Seattle Storm. The skill set of Australian Rules footballers fits the mould of NFL punters very well, and stand out from their American peers with their ability to tackle returners. Two former AFL footballers competed in the 2009 NFC Championship game as punters,
Saverio RoccaSaverio "Sav" Giovanni Rocca is an American football punter for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League....
for the
Philadelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and
Ben GrahamBen Graham may refer to:* Ben Graham , former Australian rules football player and an American football punter who currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL* Benjamin Graham , the "father of value investing"...
for the
Arizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American Football team based in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals are members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Cardinals were founded in 1898, and are the oldest continuously run professional...
. Graham's appearance in
Super Bowl XLIIISuper Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season...
made him the first Australian to play in the NFL's championship game. Even though the popularity of the American sports is still very limited in their home country, Australians are always keen to support their sporting stars.
Attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes
Australians have very strong attitudes and beliefs which are reinforced by the
tenetTenet may refer to:* Tenet , a Canadian heavy metal band* Tenet Healthcare, a hospital holding company* Tenet people, an ethnic group in Sudan* George Tenet, Former CIA Director...
s of the country's society.
The Australian national character has been forged by the difficulty of subduing the land. Unlike other cultures based on a nurturing landscape that they seek to protect from others, Australian settlers experienced great hardship and had to support each other in order to survive. The battle against the elements led to the nickname of a member of Australia's working class being the 'Aussie battler.'
The need to laugh in the face of danger while battling the landscape has provoked a strange view of the world, with a distinctive upside-down sense of humour. Times of hardship or even disaster are ridiculed, and this extends to the Australian delight in dubbing a tall man "Shorty," a quiet one "Rowdy," a bald man "Curly" and a redhead "Bluey".
Mateship
"
MateshipIn biology, mating is the pairing of opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for copulation and, in social animals, also to raise their offspring. For animals, mating methods include random mating, disassortative mating, assortative mating, or a mating pool....
", or loyal fraternity, has been a central tenet of survival in the harsh landscape. Mateship can be defined as the code of conduct, particularly between men, although more recently also between men and women, stressing
equalitySocial equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in a certain respect. At the very least, social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and the...
and
friendshipFriendship is the cooperative and supportive relationship between two or more people. In this sense, the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, affection, and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis...
. Mateship is seen as an important element of the qualities that the
Australian Defence ForceThe Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units....
values in its troops.
The glorification of Australia's early soldiers in the
Boer WarTwo Boer Wars were fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Orange Free State and the South African Republic , founded by settlers known as Voortrekkers who made the Great Trek from the Cape Colony....
and
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
reinforces these values. This may also explain why sport plays such a central role in Australian culture.
An aspect of the mateship culture on language is that Australians have a propensity for the diminutive forms of names (e.g. Hargrave -> Hargie; Wilkinson -> Wilko; John -> Johnno; David-> Davo; Hogan -> Hoges; James -> Jimmy -> Jim). This is a display of affection and acceptance rather than belittlement.
One result of the prevalence of the 'mateship' culture is that Australian society is stringently anti-hierarchical. Australians are expected to behave with humility and not think of themselves as better than their peers. Any disloyalty to their 'mates' is treated harshly, and is known as the
tall poppy syndromeTall Poppy Syndrome is a pejorative term used in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada to describe a societal phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are criticised or resented because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers...
, where people who grow greater than their peers are harshly criticised as being 'up themselves.' Even the most successful and beautiful Australians are eager to proclaim how ordinary they are. This egalitarian social system makes Australian society appear 'laid-back,' meaning relaxed to visitors. Most forms of address are by first name or nickname, and only children regularly use titles such as 'Mister' or 'Sir' for authority figures.
The original convict and then colonial culture has created an irreverence for established authority, particularly if it is pompous or out of touch with reality. Politicians, or "pollies", are generally disliked and distrusted. Voter turnout at elections had in fact been so low that compulsory voting was introduced for the
1925 federal electionFederal elections were held in Australia on 14 November 1925. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 22 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
.
The phrase, "
the lucky country"The Lucky Country" is a nickname sometimes used to describe Australia, taken from the 1964 book of the same name by social critic Donald Horne....
", coined by
Donald HorneProfessor Donald Horne was an Australian journalist, writer, social critic, and academic who became one of Australia's best known public intellectuals....
, is a sobriquet used to describe Australia in terms of weather, lifestyle and history. Ironically, Horne was using the term to criticise the complacency of Australian society in the early-1960s.
Folklore
Australian stories and legends have a cultural significance quite independent of their empirical truth or falsehood. This can be seen in the national obsession with the almost mythological portrayal of
bushrangerBushrangers, or bush rangers, were outlaws in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities....
Ned KellyEdward "Ned" Kelly was an Australian bushranger, and, to some, a folk hero for his defiance of the colonial authorities. Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish convict father, and as a young man he clashed with the police. Following an incident at his home in 1878, police parties searched for him...
as a mixture of the underdog and
Robin HoodRobin Hood is a hero in English folklore, a highly-skilled archer and outlaw. In particular, he is known for "stealing from the rich and giving to the poor," assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men"...
.
Australian history glorifies its sportsmen and its soldiers. Yet like many legends, truths do stem from it. Australia has shown, in the past and present, that for a country of just over 20 million people, it is capable of extraordinary things in the sporting arenas, such as the 49 medals won at the
2004 Athens Olympic GamesThe 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. Militarily, Australians have served gallantly in overseas wars, ranging from the
Battle of GallipoliThe Gallipoli Campaign took place at Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916, during the First World War. A joint British Empire and French operation was mounted to capture the Ottoman capital of Istanbul, and secure a sea route to Russia...
; through to current regional security missions, such as
East TimorEast Timor, also known as Timor-Leste is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecussi-Ambeno, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
; and
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
and
AfghanistanThe Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East...
.
Australian war culture is somewhat different than most other western cultures. It generally consists of sombre reflection and commemoration of all who have died in wartime and honouring those who lived. It focusses on noble sacrifice rather than glory. An annual national holiday,
Anzac DayAnzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who...
exists for this purpose.
It is generally agreed that the beginning of modern Australian warfare began at
GallipoliThe Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east...
in
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, where Australian forces under British command suffered a catastrophic defeat. The Australian experience at Gallipoli, which is viewed as the first iconic moment in modern Australian war involvement, is viewed by Australians with both pride for the fighting of the soldiers, and bitterness for the negligence on the part of British commanders. The incidences of valour, bravery, and determination displayed during the campaign for Gallipoli, as well as the mutual respect for their
TurkishTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
adversaries led by Kemal Atatürk is seen as part of the
ANZACThe term ANZAC originated as an acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, an army corps of Australian and New Zealand troops who fought against the Turks in 1915 at the Battle of Gallipoli during World War I...
spirit. This experience of war was repeated and entrenched at battles on the
Western FrontWestern Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the "contested armed frontier" between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West...
, such as the Battle of Passchendaele.
The legend of Australians being great soldiers has its roots in the
AIFThe Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
being used during the latter part of the war as the shock troops of the
British EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was...
forces. The Battle of Amiens, known as the "Black Day of the German Army" during the First World War, was a campaign in which Australian soldiers played a crucial role. Australians were considered to be remarkably determined, united and hard-working individuals. The majority of Australians knew how to ride and shoot prior to enlistment, making them good soldiers. However, Australians also had a lax attitude towards discipline, a notoriety which the Australian soldiers revelled in. From this the notion of the larrikin
DiggerDigger and Diggers can have a number of different meanings:*Digger , a punk band.*Digger is the name of a comic book character, owned by Marvel Comics.*Digger , a classic computer game from 1983...
emerged, an important part of contemporary Australian identity.
Poetry and song
Many of Australia's stories and legends originate in the
OutbackThe Outback is the remote arid areas of Australia, although the term colloquially can refer to any lands outside of the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas deemed "the bush".-Overview:The outback is...
, in the
droverA drover is an individual who engages in droving. Depending on dialect, drover may be synonymous with teamster.Occupations in droving include:* Drover , a person who moves animals over long distances in Australia...
s and squatters and people of the barren, dusty plains. International bawdy classics such as Eskimo Nell and
Charlotte the Harlot"Charlotte the Harlot" is the name of a song and a character who features in four tracks by the heavy metal group Iron Maiden.- Song appearances :...
can be heard at male gatherings around the country.
Only a small proportion of Australians live in the Outback, or even in the milder countryside up to an hour or two's drive from the cities. This was true even of the Australia of a century ago - since the
gold rushA gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of gold.Gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States....
of the 1850s, most Australians have been city-bound, Australia today being one of the most urbanised countries in the world. Nevertheless, after a century or more spent absorbing the bush yarns of
Henry LawsonHenry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet . Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period, and is often called Australia's "greatest writer".-Early life:Henry Lawson was born in a town on the Grenfell...
and the poetry of
Banjo PatersonAndrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson was a famous Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood...
from the comfort of armchairs in the suburbs, the legends are real and fairly odd.
Friendly Rivalry
Australians and New Zealanders have a rivalry, especially in certain sports such as
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
. The rivalry is often compared to brothers in the same family competing against each other. During the First World War the Australian Soldiers and the New Zealand Soldiers joined forces to become the
ANZACThe term ANZAC originated as an acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, an army corps of Australian and New Zealand troops who fought against the Turks in 1915 at the Battle of Gallipoli during World War I...
s, otherwise known as the Australian New Zealand Army Corps.
The biggest sporting rivalry exists between Australia and England. As Australians see New Zealanders as their little brother they see the English as big brother, with more people, history and money. The sporting paddock was a place where Australians could shine.
The Australian Dream
The
Australian DreamThe Australian Dream or Great Australian Dream is a belief that in Australia, home ownership can lead to a better life and is an expression of success and security...
of home ownership underpins suburban Australia. However, this has been challenged by the low affordability of housing in Australia.
"Underdog" Identity
As well as the prevalence of the
tall poppy syndromeTall Poppy Syndrome is a pejorative term used in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada to describe a societal phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are criticised or resented because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers...
bringing back to Earth the high fliers, there is the traditional Australian support for the "underdog." Australians will support those who appear to be at a disadvantage unless the underdog is against fellow Australians.
This underdog attitude is most evident in sport, as sport is also a large part of Australian culture. Should an Australian be asked to choose between two unknown competitors, very often they will choose the one least likely to win. The success of
Steven BradburySteven John Bradbury
OAM is a former Australian short track speed skater and 4 time Olympian, who won the 1,000 m Gold Medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics after all of his opponents were involved in a last corner pile-up.- 1992 Olympics :In 1991, Bradbury was part of the...
in the 2002 Winter Olympics who won a skating gold medal after all his competitors crashed has coined the expression
'doing a Bradbury' which underpins the spirit of the underdog, positive thinking and never giving up.
During the
2003 Rugby World CupThe 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
, where the
Georgian Rugby TeamThe Georgia national rugby union team represents the former Soviet Caucasian republic of Georgia in rugby union. The team's nickname, The Lelos, comes from lelo, an indigenous Georgian sport with strong similarities to rugby. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for "try"...
arrived in
PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. With a population of 1,650,000 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
with a crowd of Perth residents welcoming them with colourful support, and support for
Eric the EelEric Moussambani is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea. Nicknamed "Eric The Eel" by the media after the name first appeared in an article by Craig Lord in The Times newspaper in London, Moussambani won brief international fame at the 2000 Summer Olympics when he swam his heat of the 100 m...
during the 2000 Olympics. A similar occurrence was noted in
Townsville, QueenslandTownsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
where the Japanese Rugby Team was preferred to that of the French .
A "Fair Go"
The belief in a "Fair Go" is a key part of Australian culture and Australian society, related to the support for the underdog..This can be seen in the existence of strong public health and education systems in Australia, and equal opportunity legislation to ensure people are not shut out of good jobs or positions based on race or gender. It is an idea which involves everyone having an equal chance to achieve their goals.
Cultural Cringe
The idea of cultural cringe was defined by Australian sociologists Brian Head and James Walter as the belief that one's own country occupies a "subordinate cultural place on the periphery", and that "intellectual standards are set and innovations occur elsewhere". As a consequence, a person who holds this belief is inclined to devalue their own country's cultural, academic and artistic life, and to venerate the "superior" culture of another country.
Further reading
- Bambrick, Susan ed. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Australia (1994)
- Bennett, Bruce et al. The Oxford Literary History of Australia (1999)
- Bennett, Tony, and David Carter. Culture in Australia: Policies, Publics and Programs (2001) excerpt and text search
- Carey, Hilary. Believing in Australia: A Cultural History of Religions (1996)
- Horton, David. The Encyclopedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History, Society and Culture (2001)
- Huggan Graham. Postcolonialism, Racism, Transnationalism (Oxford Studies in Postcolonial Literatures) (2007) excerpt and text search
- Kleinert, Sylvia. and Margo Neale. The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture (2001)
- Leitner, Gerhard. Australia's Many Voices: Australian English—the National Language (2004) excerpt and text search
- McAllister, Ian, Steve Dowrick, Riaz Hassan; The Cambridge Handbook of the Social Sciences in Australia Cambridge University Press, 2003 online edition
- McCulloch, Alan
Alan McCulloch was one of Australia's foremost art critics for more than 60 years , art historian and gallery director, also cartoonist and painter.- Life :Born in Melbourne and brought up in Sydney, returning to Melbourne as a teenager, he initially worked in banking but...
. Encyclopedia of Australian Art 2 vol (1984)
- McDonald, John. Federation: Australian Art and Society, 1901-2001. Natl. Gallery of Australia, 2002. 264 pp.
- Nile, Richard. The Making of the Australian Literary Imagination. (2002). 315 pp.
- O'Shane, Pat et al. Australia: The Complete Encyclopedia (2001)
- Rickard, John, Australia: A Cultural History (1988)
- Serle. Percival, ed. Dictionary of Australian Biography (1949)online edition
- Webby, Elizabeth. The Cambridge Companion to Australian Literature (2000) excerpt and text search
- Wilde, William H. et al. eds. The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature (1995) online at OUP excerpt and text search
- Samuels, Selina, ed. Australian Writers, 1915-50. (2002). 510 pp.
- Sayers, Andrew. Australian Art (2001) excerpt and text search
- Webby, Elizabeth, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Australian Literature (2006)
- Wannan, Bill. A Dictionary of Australian Folklore: Lore, Legends, Myths and Traditions (1988)
External links