This month's newsletter will have links to watch videos about The Outback.

Q: What do you call a boomerang that won't come back?

A: a stick.

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Welcome to our newsletter for August. Topic is places to travel - The Australian Outback.
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This month is about travel. Before you visit a place, you must know what you can do and see when you get there.
"The Outback" is a term given to the Australian desert but also to rural Australia. The Australian desert isn't just sand, but an exotic landscape that is unlike any other country on earth.
The most famous landmark in the Outback is a rock with two names: Uluru and Ayres' Rock. It is the Red Centre of Australia, near a town called Alice Springs. Tourists come to see it change colours at sunset and sunrise. Click here to watch a video at sunrise and here of a video at sunset. Uluru is the native name. It was named Ayres' Rock after Sir Henry Ayres in 1873.
There are many famous sites in the Outback such as Kakadu and the Kimberlys. Click here to watch video.
Another famous place is a mountain range called the Olgas, or the native name Kata Tjuta. They are large dome like rock mountains. Click here to watch video.
A brief history of Australia
The Aborigines have lived in Australia for at least 40,000 years, but it is speculated that they may have been in Australia almost 100,000 years.
When the English settled in 1788, Australia was first intended to be a penal colony. This means that prisoners were brought from England.
Why did the English come all this way? Before Australia, England would send prisoners to America, but after America won its independence in 1776, they needed to find a new place. Even though it was inhabited by Aborigines, the British saw it as an uninhabited land.
In the 1800s, people from other countries then immigrated to Australia including Chinese, Greeks, Italians and many other.
Many explorers ventured out into The Outback. Some returned, but many died.
The two flags of Australia; the blue is the official flag which has the British Union Jack and the Southern Cross stars.

The native people, known as the Aborigines, have their own flag. Red symbolizes the land, black for the people, and a yellow sun.

How do children in remote areas go to school? They don't go to school, the school goes to them by short wave radio with a teacher. This is called School of the Air. Click here to watch video.
If a person gets sick and the hospital is far away, how do they get to the hospital? A doctor will fly to the farm and take them to the hospital, called the Royal Flying Doctors. Click here to watch video.

The main industries in The Outback is cattle mustering and sheep shearing. These were the jobs that the early pioneers worked, nowadays tourism is a large industry in the Outback. Click here to watch a comedy about life in The Outback, part 1, part 2 and part 3.

Camels are not native to Australia, but, before trains and roads were made, camels were introduced from Afghanistan. Now camels are wild, but are used for racing. Click here to watch video.
Aboriginal art is world famous. Paintings are made on rocks, caves and bark from trees. Click here to watch video.
A nice place to stay is the Gagudja Crocodile resort. Located in the famous town of Alice Springs.
All over Australia you can stay in a traditional pub hotel. The top floor is where you sleep, but the ground floor is where people drink. Click here to watch video.
As the Outback is vast, there are many roads that a normal car will have trouble driving on. So you need to travel in a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Click here to watch video.
To get a more cultural experience, you can go on a Walk-About tour. You will be guided by the aborigines and learn how they live. Click here to watch video.
Bachelor and Spinster Ball: is for single country people to meet up and have a party. Usually a lot of drinking is involved. Click here to watch video.
To raise money for the flying doctors, there is an Outback Car Trek. This race is over a long distance traveling to different towns. Click here to watch video.
Down under
This is another name for Australia. People all over the world refer this only to Australia. As Australia is in the southern hemisphere, other countries use down under to mean under the earth. "Where are you from?" "I'm from down under."
Boomerang: this is a traditional aboriginal device for hunting which is now a popular sport. You throw it and it will come back, but only if you do it correctly. Click here to watch video.
Bush band: this is similar to country music but is the folk music of Australia. Bush means forest in Australian English. Click here to watch video.
Corroboree: this is a traditional Aboriginal ceremony with dancing and storytelling. Click here to watch video.
Bush tucker: food you can find in the wild. Tucker means food in Australian English. In other words, it means forest food.
Bramadera bull-roarer: This is a device Aborigines use for communicating over long distances. Click here to watch video.
Billy tea: bush tea which is made uniquely by swinging. Click here to watch video.
Didgeridoo: this is a long wooden musical instrument which has a unique sound only used by Aborigines. Click here to watch video.
The Dream-time: Aborigines didn't record their history or stories in books, but telling stories to their children about the creation of Australia and animals. One character is the Rainbow Serpent (snake) which is the creator and destroyer of things, similar to the Chinese dragon. Click here to watch video. Also, click here to watch another video.
Stockman: just like cowboys in America they round up cattle, horses and sheep. This job is both for European and Aboriginal Australians. Livestock means is farm animals. Click here to watch video
Rodeo: similar to American rodeo; participants have to ride bulls and horses that don't want to be ridden. Click here to watch video.
GAFA; "we're heading out to the GAFA."
Never Never; "I want to travel to the Never Never."
Top End; "have you ever been to the Top End?"
This all means the Outback.
Woop Woop; this means a small remote town in rural Australia. "Where does he come from?" "Out Woop Woop, I guess."
The Lucky Country; this means Australia, "we live in the Lucky Country."