A Kid's Life in Australia

Australia is known for its unusual animals. Kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, platypuses, and wombats all live in Australia.

Did you know that you can walk on top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge? It's fun!

The sun makes Uluru look different colors!

G'day mate. Hello my name is Nicole, and I live in Australia. Did you know that Australia is the only country that is also a continent? Australia is located between the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. We have a wonderful, warm, sunny climate. Most of the people in Australia live along the northeast and the southwest coasts. The middle of Australia is too dry to support very many people so very few people live there. It is called the outback. There are farms in the outback which are cattle or sheep stations (ranches). Canberra is our capital city, and it is the largest inland city.

I have a pet kangaroo, his name is Joe.

We speak English but we say some words different. Here they are BAHR-bee is barbecue, CHOOK is a chicken, DINK-um is real and good, GRIZ-zl means to complain, HOO-roo means see you later, MATE is a good friend, Matilda is a blanket roll, and TAH means thank you.

We have schools just like Americans do. Since I live on a sheep station in the outback, I don't go to school. I have a radio, Radio I listen to my teacher and send answers back to her. This is called the school of the air. My tests and homework are sent through the mail.

Insect For food we eat normal American food, some dishes are different. Beef is the most popular meat. My favorite dish is mutton, it is meat from a sheep. Some Aborigines, native people, eat insects.

We dress like people from the west. Did you know that at one time Australia was a group of British colonies? Most Australian people, including me, are of British ancestry. When people moved to Australia from Britain, they brought many British customs with them. For example, we drive on the left side of the road and drink tea, just like they do in Britain.

For fun places we go to the beach. I also like the Great Barrier Reef. It is the world's largest coral reef. There we dive, wade and watch fish. The Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most famous building. There is also a loaf-shaped rock formation called Ayer's Rock or Uluru (oo-LOO-roo) in the Western Plateau. It is a very popular place for tourists to visit.

My favorite sport is cricket. We play it in the summer. It is a team game from Britain played with bats and a ball. Football, rugby, and soccer are also very popular.

Well, I have to go now. I am going surfing with my friend, Steve. Ta for visiting my page.

Hooroo,
Nicole