"G" - video materials

1. "Liquid gold"

Geography of Australia from Brian Blair on Vimeo.

2. Geography of Australia (Discovery Channel playlist)

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

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.

(click on the picture)

IMPORTANT: YOU WILL HAVE SOME PRACTICAL TASKS TO DO IN THE CLASS SO PLEASE BRING SOME COLOURED MARKERS! :-)

Clips for today

1) John Clarke and Bryan Dawe




2)Tim Minchin - "Angry (feet)"




3) Rove Mc Manus

Last episode of ROVE




4) Hamish and Andy Show

The Letter "E" - part 2

Here we go again with the letter "E".


1. Entertainment.

This is a topic we're going to be getting back to again and again. Australians have a distinct sense of humour which - although shares some features with British - mostly retains the flavours of Australia's humble beginnings and the Convict Code.

We'll start with a brief introduction to some of my favourite Aussie comedians and TV personalities.


ANDREW DENTON


















Andrew is best known as the host of a TV chat show "Enough Rope". He has a very calm, open, inviting persona and is one of the best interviewers I know. Click on the picture to see him talk to Nigella Lawson.


ADAM HILLS



















Adam is probably the most recognisable Aussie comedian outside Oz. I love him to bits! ;-)
Click on the picture to sample his stand-up comedy.


TIM MINCHIN















Click on the picture to listen to Tim perform his song/poem "Mitsubishi Colt". Here you will find the lyrics. Pay attention to accents. Tim is quoting a conversation between two people and he uses accents to help to differenciate them.

And finally follow this link to watch and listen to Tim's wonderful spoof of "ecological anthems" that are so often associated with artist supporting PETA or "Live World". He has a gentle jab at how some musicians think too much of themselves and are too obsessed with creating their own artistic persona.

This clip is also a wonderful link to our second topic:


2. Endangered and Extinct Species.

Read about the factors that threaten Australian wildlife here.







Click the picture to browse around and learn about some species that are facing extinction.

















And we are going to spend some time talking about the fate of this unfortunate litte fellow. Click on the picture to learn more.

THURSDAY FILM CLUB

2nd December

Room 005

Screening begins 2 p.m.

This week I have a treat for you: Red Hill has just premiered in the USA and it opens in Australia this weekend – so it’s a rare chance for you to preview this unique film.

Here’s the trailer:



Red Hill is about a young police officer Shane Cooper (Ryan Kwanten) who relocates to the small country town of Red Hill with his pregnant wife Alice to start a family. But when news of a prison break sends the local law enforcement officers – led by the town’s ruling presence, Old Bill – into a panic, Shane’s first day on duty rapidly turns into a nightmare.

Enter Jimmy Conway, a convicted murderer serving life behind bars, who has returned to the isolated outpost seeking revenge. Now caught in the middle of what will become a terrifying and bloody confrontation, Shane will be forced to take the law into his own hands if he is to survive.

A taut thriller which unfolds over the course of a single day and night, and told with explosive action and chilling violence, Red Hill is a modern-day western played out against the extraordinary landscapes of high-country Australia.

============================================

Trivia time - director Patrick Hughes talks about the real town where he shot the film:

Hughes: We shot the movie in a town called Omeo. That was the biggest gold rush town in Australia. Back in 1890 its population matched Melbourne with forty thousand people. You know when you watch a show like Deadwood that’s exactly what this place is like. Beautiful old photographs and drawings and sketches of that bygone era are hanging on the walls of the pub there, because they found one of the biggest gold nuggets in Australia was found in this small town, Omeo where we shot it. And that’s where the National Australia Bank started, because some guy found this huge gold nugget and said, “Can someone look out for this for me?” And some guy put up his hand and said, “I’m going to be called the National Australia Bank.” I was drawn to this town, because (Red Hill) is about old and new. It’s about the changing of the guard. And it’s about a town that is, at its core, is rotting, and it’s dying.

(...)

You know, that town has all those old western frontages, and, you know, because it used to have a population of over 40,000 people, there’s all of these empty houses everywhere. I guess I was looking at all of these small towns and there’s something really creepy about them, because on a Saturday night you could hear a pin drop. You know what I mean? Because everyone lives on these farms outside of the town, and you’ve just got empty Main Street. We had this beautiful sort of Western town.

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(This screening is recommended for Australia class students)

The letter "E"

Exploration and long distances (in space and time) are the main topics for tomorrow. Confused? Just read on ;-)

















1. Let's start with European discovery and colonisation. We have already talked about James Cook and the First Fleet, but this time please concentrate on non English explorers. Click the map to get some information (focus on nationalities only). Go here to see the chronology of landings, and here to see a cute animation.


2. Our second topic is a little tricky - excavation. But we will not be talking about gold - not just yet! ;-)

In fact what we are going to discuss is Australia's fossil past. Click on the picture to read some fascinating facts.














3. And finally a few words about (long distance) education.

This video unfortunatelly has a Danish commentary, but it still gives a wonderful insight into what The School of the Air is and how it operates. Have a look:



Here you can read about The School of the Air.

(Click on the picture to visit Alice Springs School of the Air website).