Map Exercise: Australia

Rivers

Wooramel River begins on the very western edge of the Gibson Desert in the Western Australia territory, and flows west to Shark Bay and the Indian Ocean.

Savory Creek begins in the western part of the Gibson Desert in Western Australia territory and flows east until it hits Lake Disappointment, a dry, salty lake that only has water in it some of the time.

Arthur River is a very short river that flows from the center of the north-western point of the territory island of Tasmania west to the Indian Ocean.

Murray River begins near Mount Kosciuszko and defines the border between Victoria and New South Wales territories, flowing west and a little north to Lake Victoria and then into South Australia territory where it flows south-west to Lake Alexandria and then to Encounter Bay and the Indian Ocean. This bay is just to the south of the major city of Adelaide.

Burdekin River begins in the Great Dividing Range of Queensland territory and flows south-east to the little town of Ayr, Queensland and then out to the Coral Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Mountains

The Mount Lofty Range lies north and south above the city Adelaide in South Australia territory.

The Snowy Mountains are situated in New South Wales territory in the southern portion of the Great Dividing Range and just south of the Australian Capital Territory.

The Darling Range lies north and south along the south-western coast of Western Australia territory.

Site and Situation

Australia is a very large island continent in the southern hemisphere. The country is dominated by extensive deserts covering most of the country's interior. The eastern coast (where most of the population resides) however, is a lush tropical landscape covered in forests, and exotic plants and animals. Following the entire eastern coast is a range of mountains (The Great Dividing Range), which creates a climate barrier. On the other side of this range is grass land which fades into the great deserts. The south-eastern and southwestern tips are devoted to farmlands. The northern coast of Australia is fairly green (compared to the interior), but is largely uninhabited. To the south, there is a little island, Tasmania, which has a temperate climate. The landscape is a mix between farmlands and mountainous regions. The population is fair, although there are no major cities.

Australia is situated between the south-western edge of the Pacific ocean and the eastern edge of the Indian Ocean in the south-eastern hemisphere. To the south, across the Indian and Southern Oceans is Antarctica and the south pole. To the north is the vast island country of Indonesia. To the west is the Indian Ocean and very few islands. To the east lies the country of New Zealand as well a the vast Pacific Ocean, filled with a huge number of tiny islands.

Bonus

Name a folk custom specific to Australia and explain it in detail

One of the folk customs of Australia that has intrigued me since I was a little girl and first heard the song 'Waltzing Matilda' is the unique slang that is used throughout the country. There are a few different categories of slang words, rhyming slang, slang that originated from Aboriginal words and slang that makes sense if you really think about it. I'll give a few examples of each

Rhyming Slang: Oxford Scholar - a dollar Dog's Eye - a meat pie Molly the Monk - a drunk Tin Tank - a Yank

Aboriginal Slang: Billabong - a certain type of lake Willy Willy - a dust devil Bogey - a bath Gibber - a boulder

Think about it Slang: Crack a tinnie - open a can of cold beer Fifty k's south of Woop Woop - in the middle of nowhere Shank's Pony - walking on foot Zebra Crossing - crosswalk (named for the stripes painted on the road