Australia is a land of contrasts and diversity. Its landscape ranges from desert and bush land in the central areas, to rainforest in the North, to snowfields in the South East. Australia's nearest neighbour is Papua New Guinea, 200km north. Australia lies 1920km west of New Zealand, and 2000km to the north of Antarctica.

Some facts on Australians you may not be aware of...

About one in four Australians were born in another country
Roughly one in four Australians have one or both parents born overseas
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up approximately 2% of the population
Approximately 17% of Australians speak a language other than English at home
There are 170 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages
There are more than 100 different ethnic groups
Approximately 70% of 'Aussies' live in one of the eight major cities.
Some facts on South Australia you may not know...

Most South Australians (around 75 per cent) live in and around Adelaide
The indigenous people of the Adelaide region are the Kaurna people

Climate

The climate is generally pleasant. Broadly, there are two climatic zones. In the north, above the Tropic of Capricorn, about 40 per cent of Australia is in the tropical zone. The remaining areas lie in the temperate zone.

Australia's seasons are
Spring:  September - November
Summer:  December - February
Autumn:  March - May
Winter:  June - August

Aussie Culture
Australia is a young and diverse nation and Australian people come from many different cultural backgrounds. As you settle in and make friends you will find that there is no such thing as a 'typical' Australian. You will encounter a wide range of social customs, habits and perspectives on life that may be new and different from what you have experienced before. This section may help you to prepare for some of these new experiences.

Greetings
Australia is considered to be a relaxed, informal society. When greeting others in most situations, students and young people say 'Hello' or 'Hi'. Sometimes they will say 'How's it going?' or 'G'day'. In more formal situations they usually shake hands the first time they meet. 'Good morning', 'Good afternoon' or 'Pleased to meet you' are formal greetings.

When you say goodbye to someone informally, 'See you later' or 'See you around' are common. In a more formal situation you could say: 'It was a pleasure to meet you' or 'It was nice to meet you'.

First names are used more frequently in Australia than in some other countries. Australians will often greet their friends and even people they don't know (both male and female) with 'Hey mate' or 'How's it going guys'. An Australian may encourage you to use their given name (eg: