Fakultet Australia

2011/01/16

The letter "K"

This week we have three main topics that begin with the letter "K", and one left from the previous class.

1. Crocodiles

All right, all right, I know, it begins with "C", but let's not be too pedantic, eh? ;-) Please have a look at the "crocodile" link from last week's entry - there will be a few questions on that.

2. Kings Cross (or a loving look at Australian crime scene). This is one of the topics really close to my heart.

Kings Cross is a wild mixture of prostitution and crime, with stylish restaurants and hotels. It has visitors of all kinds and although has some slightly run down areas has a certain quality to it as well.

Kings Cross is also home to one of Sydneys oldest areas, Wooloomooloo. Here, opposite the Artspace Gallery, you will find Harry's Cafe de Wheels, open for 18 hours a day, started in 1945. It is a must visit on the way home after a night out.

CLICK HERE to read more about this district of Sydney and learn some useful tips ;-)

Click the picture below to enter the world of Harry's Cafe de Wheels.

The soul of a nation is frequently defined by its outlaws. We'll be talking at lenght in the future about the likes of Ned Kelly, but tomorrow we'll just have a look at present day criminals and their portrayal in various media (but mostly films).

Have a look at the clips below to get the feel of Kings Cross, but this bit will be done as my presentation, so you don't really need to prepare any answers.

But you will have to do a bit of work for topic #3 ;-)

3. Kangaroos

I expect each team to find 3 unique facts about kangaroos. Don't just copy what you can read on Wikipedia, instead browse the net and find some trivia that may be surprising for the memebers of other teams. Shake them a little, give them a good ride for the points! I'll be awarding originality.

4. Kids' TV programmes and books

You may remember from our second class the clip in which Dylan Moran makes fun of Australians. One thing he says at the end is that the real reason why he came to Oz is to "kill a Wiggle". I promised you then that we'd come back to the topic and I'd explain what Wiggles are.

Well... this time has come.

I'm really, REALLY sorry! I'm about to waste over 3 minutes of your life... But there is no other way to illustrate the sheer horror of Wiggles. And there is no way for you, either, to brace yourself against it.

Here it comes:

Keep in mind that this is a programme aimed at six-year-old kids and younger. And you thought something was internally wrong with Teletubbies... ;-)

OK but jokes aside, The Wiggles is the most popular show for kids in Australia, and normally it looks like that:

(It's a TV programme, but here you have a clip of Wiggles in concert).

Finally go here to read about great Aussie literature for kiddies.

*

2011/01/10

Jellyfish

2011/01/09

Letters "I" and "J"

1. As promised we're returning briefly to Indigenous Australians and their culture.

The pictures will take you to related readings.

Architecture

Art

Ceremony: song, music & dance

Tools and technology

We are going to see some complimentary materials, but I'll not be asking any detailed questions on that topic.

2. Another reading I'd like you to do on your own concerns Australian islands.

Click on the picture to learn more.

3. The bulk of our class, though, will be devoted to the letter "J". It stands for Jeopardy ;-)

Australia is a dangerous place to live in as you may well remember from this video.

Watch the clip by our old friends The Scared Weird Little Guys and try to note down as many threats that await you in Australia as you can.

Being precautious tourists you may also want to find out how to protect yourselves and what to do if you get bitten.

Click on the signs below to learn some useful tips.

2010/12/20

"G" - video materials

1. "Liquid gold"

Geography of Australia from Brian Blair on Vimeo.

2. Geography of Australia (Discovery Channel playlist)

2010/12/16

The letter "G"

A lil guide to who is doing what:

BOOMERANGS: GOLD RUSH (currently 39 points)

DIDGERIDOOS: THE GREAT REEF BARRIER (currently 53.5 points)

LOLLIES: GENERAL GEOGRAPHY (currently 32.5 points)

SPIDERS: THE GREAT DIVIDING RANGE (currently 37 points)

useful links:
Australian Screen
Gold Rush
Great Barrier Reef
Great Dividing Range

2010/12/12

The letter "F"

"At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve 1900, as the clock ticked into 1901 and the 20th century, whistles, gongs, church bells, rattles, pots, pans, accordions and all manner of noise-makers joined the sirens of boats on Sydney Harbour.

It was to be a special day"

Do you know what special day it was? No? Then go here to find out :-)

Let's hear more form the historians because it will lead us to other topics.

"Just after that midnight, a storm broke and winds gusting up to 50 miles an hour swept into Sydney. Forty points of rain drenched the harbour city.

But the New Year’s Day morning of 1901 broke clear and fine, and an eight-kilometre procession headed out to Centennial Park, just beyond Paddington, where the federation rites, uniting the erstwhile separate British colonies into one federal Commonwealth, finally took place."

Australian weather has never been easy on the settlers. Southern regions suffer from severe fires, while the North often faces tropical cyclones and floods.

Click the picture above to watch a heartbreaking account of Black Saturday - the 2009 Victorian Bushfires.

Click the picture below to learn more about the 2009 Queensland Flood.

You will find more information about floods clicking on the little poor fellow below.

We touched upon the topic of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia very briefly two weeks ago. This time we'll have a closer look at their work and importance for communities living in distant, remote areas of Australia.