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TopClicks
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Australia
Ausflag - Reference Library - Vexillology is the study of flags, and many people find it a topic of deep consequence. This site gives some general flag terms, plus worthwhile links to flag resources all over the Net. You can also see the winners in an unofficial contest to design a new flag for Australia.
Australian Commonwealth Government Entry Point - This official site offers lots of government information, including details about the national symbols. Australia's coat of arms features a shield containing the badges of the six Australian states. Supporting the shield on either side are a red kangaroo and an emu (a large bird). In the foreground are the yellow flowers of Australia's native wattle, also called acacia. Australia has never adopted an "official" bird, flower, or other emblems, according to this site. The national flag is currently a hot topic. If Australia becomes a republic, perhaps it should have a new flag. Read about the controversy here.
Australian Weather Photography - A vast collection of weather images, featuring: severe and non-severe thunderstorms; lightning; sunrise and sunset; rainbows; and all cloud types.
Guide to Australia - This is your jumpstation to facts on Australia and all its regions. Find out about education, tourism, government, and natural history. Australia is the smallest continent but the sixth largest country. Many unusual animals inhabit Australia, including the koala and platypus.
Indigenous People - This site, created in support of Australian schools, is a collection of links about Aborigines, the native peoples of the Australian continent. This culture is one of the oldest on Earth, with an oral tradition going back about 40,000 years! At these sites you can read more about the spiritual and cultural life of Australian Aborigines, the first ecologists. Don't miss the link to the Yothu Yindi band's Web site. This band combines traditional instruments and music with Western pop music sounds. Their audio files of yidaki (didgeridoo or hollow log) music are haunting.
Lonely Planet - Destination Australia - Lonely Planet, which publishes a travel book series, is based in Australia. So you might guess that they would create a terrific page about their home country--and they have! Here you will find photos and general information on Aussie government, culture, environment, and tourist destinations.
Mark Boyle Photography-Images of Australia - Spectacular images of Australia
Tracing the Northwest Papua Patrol of 1926-28 - It's 1926. An expeditionary force set out through the mountains to do what had not been done by the governments of Papua or the Mandated Territory of New Guinea. The force was to cross New Guinea at its widest point, not knowing what kind of reception they would get from the local tribe. How did they fare? Thankfully, only one life was lost to disease and not one shot was fired in anger. Fast-forward 70 years to a group of Australians and Papua New Guineans who sought to retrace the steps of the earlier Northwest Patrol, only this time with helicopter resupply and remote satellite data updates to this Web site. Read and see the bold story of both parties.
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