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Biography >>Explorers for Kids

Captain James Cook

Occupation: Explorer

Born: October 27, 1728 in Marton, England

Died: Killed by natives at the Hawaiian Islands on February 14, 1779

Best known for: Exploring the South Pacific

Biography:

James Cook was a British navigator and explorer who sailed and mapped much of theSouth Pacific.

Where did Captain Cook grow up?

James Cook was born on October 27, 1728 in Marton,England. His father was a farmer, but as James grew older he began to feel the lure of the sea. At around the age of 18 he took an apprenticeship as a merchant seaman. Although he did well and was advancing in the merchant navy, Cook decided to enlist in the Royal Navy at the start of the Seven Years War.

It was during the Seven Years War that James became a master at map making. His ability at surveying, navigating, and creating large accurate maps was noticed by those high up in the Navy.

The Endeavour

Cook was given command of the Endeavour by England's Royal Society. The ship was a cat-collier that was typically used for carrying coal. It wasn't fast, but it was durable and could carry a lot of supplies.

Captain Cook introduced some rigid and innovative rules in order to keep his crew healthy and safe. He required his men to bathe every day, the ship to be kept very clean, and the bedding to be aired twice a week. He also brought lots of fresh fruit to keep his men from getting scurvy. These rules and planning helped his men to stay healthy throughout the long voyages ahead.

First Expedition

Cook set off for his first journey on August 26, 1768. His main objective was to observe the planetVenus as it passed between the Earth and the Sun. This would help astronomers to calculate the distance of the Sun from the Earth. He also hoped to find the fabled southern continent.

Routes of Captain James Cook through the South Pacific
The first voyage is in red, the second in green, and the third in blue.
By Andre Engels
Click to see a larger view

During this trip he visited Tahiti (where he made the observations of Venus), the Society Islands, and New Zealand. He mapped much of the two main islands of New Zealand, but also ended up fighting with the local Maori tribe.

Next stop on the journey was the east coast ofAustralia. Here James and his crew found all sorts of interesting animals and plants including the kangaroo. Unfortunately, the ship was damaged on some coral and they had to stop for a while to do repairs. Many of the crew got malaria from mosquitoes during this stop and over 30 of the crew died from the disease.

Finally they returned home in July of 1771, nearly three years after their departure.

Click here to see an animated route ofCook's first voyage.

Second Expedition

Captain Cook's second expedition took place from 1772-1775. This time he took two ships, the Adventure and the Resolution. His goal was to either discover the southern continent or prove that it didn't exist. He went below 70 degrees latitude. This was the furthest south any European had explored. He also visited Easter Island.

Click here to see an animated route ofCook's second voyage.

Final Journey

Cook's final expedition lasted from 1776 to 1779. The goal of this journey was to find a northwest passage across North America to Asia. He searched the coast of Alaska to no avail. He did find theHawaiian Islands, however (they were named the Sandwich Islands at the time).

At first Captain Cook and his men got along well with the natives of the Hawaiian Islands. However, things went bad when the natives stole a sailboat. Cook tried to kidnap the chief to hold him as ransom for the boat. In the attempt a fight broke out and he was killed by the natives.

Cook's ship the Resolution
by John Murray

Fun Facts about Captain Cook

The first European to set foot on Australia's east coast was Cook's nephew Isaac Smith.

The Endeavour also had scientists aboard including botanist Joseph Banks. They collected and recorded numerous plants and animals throughout their journey.

Tahiti was so nice and the natives so friendly that some of Cook's crew wanted to stay.

The Maori warriors in New Zealand wore tattoos on their faces. Some of the Endeavour's sailors got tattoos on their arms and started a tradition that continues today.

As Cook was exploring during the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin wrote to the captains of America's warships telling them to not attack or harass Cook's ships.

Activities

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Biography for Kids >> Explorers for Kids

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Kids learn about the biography and life of British explorer Captain James Cook. He discovered much of the South Pacific for England.

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It's a common question with many different answers. So we've done the research and found the most popular sports in Australia. Do you agree?

Sport in Australia is a national obsession. Whether hitting a tennis ball with friends on the local courts or playing football in an organised competition, most Australians play sport in one way or another. That's why determining the most popular sport in Australia is so difficult. How do you define what 'popularity' means? For some, just playing sport at any level is all that matters, while for others it's all about registered player numbers. Factors such as attendance figures, revenue generation and the performance of elite athletes on the global stage are just as important for many.

Because sport is played in many different forms, this list will feature sports based on participation levels for everyone from six years of age. That means the retiree swimming early morning laps at the local aquatic centre is considered just the same as the cricketer opening the bowling for his local club.

If nothing else, this list will provide more ammunition for those arguments around the office water cooler when the topic turns to the most popular sports in Australia.

1. Swimming

With approximately 3.147 million taking part, swimming is clearly the most popular sport in Australia. Almost half (48.8%) of all children aged 6-13 take part, and while that participation figure drops to 10.1% for adults (14 years+), it still tops the list in that category as well. Parents are encouraged to teach their children to swim from an early age. That means most children take part in swim schools throughout their primary school years.

With 35,000km of coastline and 84% of the population living within 50km of it, it's not hard to see why swimming is so popular. Summers in the southern states are spent at the beach, while those in the northern states can enjoy their local beaches and pools all year round.

Australia also has a rich and proud history at the elite level. Only the United States has won more gold medals than Australia at the Olympics. Swimmers such as Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and Dawn Fraser are household names, and Australians draw inspiration from their achievements.

2. Cycling

As the third most popular sport for children, and second most popular sport for adults (14+), cycling easily takes the second spot on the list. With 2.343 million participants, 10.8% of all Australians take part.

Australians have had a love affair with cycling from the moment the first bike was imported into Australia in the latter part of the 19th century. Today around 55% of all homes has a bicycle, and the average household has 1.5 bikes in working order.

People in Australia cycle for many reasons. These include transportation, recreation and competitive sport. Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cyclists on the roads. From people trying to get to and from work, to the weekend road cyclist clad in lycra, riding is becoming a far more common activity.

This increase has coincided with two of our most famous cycling achievements. In 2011 Cadel Evans became the first Australian to win cycling's biggest event, the Tour De France. Then in 2012 Anna Meares won her second gold medal, beating hometown favourite and arch rival Victoria Pendleton at the London Olympics. Both captured the hearts and minds of the nation and put cycling firmly on the sporting map in Australia.

3. Soccer

While we'll call it soccer to differentiate it from other sports, the fact many Australians call it football now shows how far the game has come. For children (6-13), soccer rivals swimming as the most popular sport in Australia with a 48.7% participation rate. This figure drops to 3.1% for adults (14+), but it's still the number one team sport in this category.

Soccer has a long history in Australia, with the first recorded games taking place in the late 1800's. But it was the mass influx of Europeans following World War II that catapulted the game into the next level. It wasn't long before a national competition was formed, and today the professionally run A-League is an incredible success story. What was once a fringe game watched and played by those from ethnic backgrounds, is now a popular sport right across mainstream Australia.

On the international stage, the 'Socceroos' struggled with just one World Cup appearance in 1974. But all that changed in 2005 when John Aloisi scored the winning penalty against Uruguay to send Australia to the 2006 World Cup. Since then Australia has played in three World Cups in a row, and players such as Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Tim Cahill are as famous as athletes from other football codes.

4. Dancing

Perhaps a surprising entry at first glance, but upon reflection, dance plays a huge role in Australian culture. We have such a multicultural society, and dance is an important traditional pastime in the lives of many Australians. This includes indigenous Australians, those from various ethnic backgrounds, and Anglo-Saxon Australians.

Over 1.3 million people (6%) take part in dancing for recreation or sport, including 30.3% (743,000) of all 6-13-year-olds. With TV shows such as So You Think You Can Dance Australia and Dance Moms, there has been a boom in child participation rates.

Dance is also part of the Australian Curriculum, so children are exposed to dance from a young age. They have so many options including ballet, jazz, tap and contemporary, that dance is a major rival to traditional sports for child participation.

5. Basketball

Over 1.08 million Australians play basketball, a figure propped up by the huge number of children playing the game. Approximately 30.5% of all children play basketball, no doubt influenced by the success of Australian players making their way into America's NBA competition.

Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Ben Simmons and Andrew Dellavedova are the most recent in a long list of Australian players in the NBA. Luc Longley, Chris Anstey, Andrew Gaze and Lauren Jackson are other high profile basketballers who have kept the game in the national spotlight.

Basketball enjoyed its golden era during the 1990's when crowd attendance and TV ratings numbers were at an all-time high. Yet the sport suffered during the 2000's, with teams coming and going and money causing major headaches for everyone involved. But the sport has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, with crowds and TV numbers on the rise.

6. Hiking/bushwalking

Who doesn't love a good walk into the bush, right? With a vast and diverse landscape, it's no wonder many of us spend our recreation time exploring it by foot. Rugged mountain ranges, tropical rainforests and the desert outback are just some of the environments that attract us to the great outdoors.

While most sports are boosted by child participation levels, bushwalking is given its momentum by adults. It's actually the third most popular activity for adults, with 847,000 (4.4%) people taking part. By contrast, it's only the 12th most popular activity for children (6-13).

Bushwalking is immensely popular for many reasons. There is virtually no barrier to entry. As long as you can get to a walking trail you can take part. It plays a vital role in the health and wellbeing of many Australians, from both a physical and mental viewpoint. Physical activity fights against obesity and disease, but bushwalking also offers an opportunity to clear the mind and relax away from the stress of day-to-day life.

7. Tennis

Everyone loves dusting off the tennis racket and hitting the local courts whenever the Australian Open is on. We're inspired by high profile Australian and world-class players who descend on Melbourne for each year's first Grand Slam event.

Over 960,000 people play tennis either recreationally or in an organised competition, split roughly down the middle between children and adults.

Tennis has been a major part of the Australian sporting landscape since the late 1870's. The Australian Open was first played in Melbourne in 1905 and has been a mainstay of the Grand Slam tournaments. Since Normal Brookes won Wimbledon in 1907, Australians have excelled at Grand Slam events, especially the Australian Open.

Australia is also the second most successful Davis Cup nation of all time. Winning on 28 occasions, Australia only trails the United States who has 32 wins. However, Australia's last victory in this prestigious tournament was 2003.

Australia has won the Fed Cup on seven occasions since the first tournament in 1963. But our last victory in 1974 has coincided with a decline in the women's game. Evonne Goolagong won Wimbledon in 1980, followed by a long drought before Sam Stosur won the US Open in 2011.

Australia's success in international tennis has produced an enormous amount of famous names. The most famous of these include Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Margaret Court, Roy Emerson and Leyton Hewitt. In recent times we've seen a resurgence in Australian players climbing the world rankings. Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios are both in the men's top 30 players, while Sam Stosur is in the women's top 20.

8. Cricket

What summer is complete without backyard cricket dominating our school holidays? Or Test Match, One Day and Big Bash cricket on our TV screens? Between trips to the beach and barbecues, cricket matches spring up all over the country, each with their own unique set of rules and regulations. Some rules that differ from the traditional include automatic wicketkeeper, one bound/one hand catches, and six-and-out.

About 4.4% of the population play cricket in some way, made up of 631,000 children and 328,000 adults. The continued growth of the A-League (soccer) and re-emergence of the NBL (basketball) are threats to Australia's traditional summer sport, as are recreational pursuits such as swimming and bushwalking. However, Cricket Australia is fighting back thanks to the launch of the Big Bash League competition. Played in less than four hours, each team bats for 20-overs each. Rules are designed to see batsmen dominate the bowlers, with scores over 200 the norm. This has kept children interested, as the game is much faster and more exciting than five-day Test cricket and 50-over a side One Day cricket.

But cricketers will always be some of our biggest sports stars, and they will inspire young children to play the game. Sir Donald Bradman, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne are some of the greatest cricketers of all time, while Dave Warner, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell are keeping the young fans of today excited.

9. Athletics/track and field

The importance Australia places on athletics is huge. For a small nation, Australia has hosted the Olympic Games twice (1956 and 200) and the Commonwealth Games four times (1938, 1962, 1982 and 2006). Australia will also host the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Stawell Gift is also a highlight of Australia's sporting calendar, and there are IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) events in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne.

Edwin Flack won our first modern Olympic gold medal in 1896, and since then some of Australia's most famous sporting names have been track and field athletes. These include Herb Elliott, Betty Cuthbert, Ron Clarke, Robert de Castella and Cathy Freeman. Who can forget Freeman's gold medal 200m track performance at the 2000 Sydney Olympics? It was a race that inspired a nation and put athletics firmly on the Australian sporting map.

Children often get their start in athletics via Little Athletics, an organised modified athletics program. Events include running, jumping, throwing and walking, and are modified based on the age and ability of the participant.

10. Netball

Since being introduced to Australia in 1897, netball has been the most popular sport for women of all ages. Today 846,000 Australians play netball, made up of 503,000 children (20.5%) and 343,000 adults (1.8%).

On the international stage the Australian team (Diamonds) has been the dominant force. Since winning the first world championships in 1963, the Diamonds have won 10 of the 14 tournaments. This does not count the 1979 tournament when three teams, including Australia, finished joint first. On the other years Australia has finished as runner-up.

Australia's most famous netballers include Liz Ellis, Sharelle McMahon, Catherine Cox, Natalie Medhurst and Vicki Wilson.

To be the first to hear about our member benefits, rewards specials, news, events and much more, sign up to Lantern Club's monthly newsletter:

*Please note: All participation statistics were taken from the 2015 National Sports Participation report from Roy Morgan Research.

© Lantern Club, Roselands

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It's a common question with many different answers. So we've done the research and found the most popular sports in Australia. Do you agree? Sport in Australia is a national obsession. Whether hitting a tennis ball with friends on the local courts or playing football in an organised competition, most Australians play sport in one way or another.

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Through launching pads like TV's Home and Away and Neighbours, and revered drama institutions such as Sydney's NIDA, Australia has a history of nurturing its talents before seeing them shoot to worldwide stardom in movies, tv, music, or on the catwalk.

Here, are the best of the best. From a long list, we've culled it down to 25 of the most successful and famous Australian celebrities in the fields of film, music, modelling and tv celebrities.

25. Sam Worthington

After growing up in Rockingham, near Perth in WA, Worthington trained at NIDA (The National Institute of Dramatic Art) before landing Australian TV and film roles including 2003's Gettin' Square. Playing Jack Sully in the James Cameron blockbuster Avatar (2009) made him an international star and one of the most famous male Aussie celebs in Hollywood. He lives in the US with wife, Australian model Lara Worthington, and their two children.

24. Rebel Wilson

She had people rolling in the aisles long before she was a movie star and just a tv celebrity. The former comedian played the memorable Toula on SBS's Pizza and had other stints on Australian TV shows, before the western Sydney girl moved to the US and landed parts in films including Bridesmaids, What to Expect When You're Expecting and the Pitch Perfect franchise. She lives in Hollywood.

23. Liam Hemsworth

Like his brothers, actors Chris and Luke, Liam Hemsworth began his career on an Australian soap before moving on to become major actors in Hollywood.

After playing Josh Taylor in Neighbours, the Melbourne-born actor set his sights on Hollywood. In 2010, he starred in The Last Song with Miley Cyrus ( whom he would marry in 2018), and found a mass audience through his role as Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games. Hemsworth, who has homes in the US and Australia, has also starred in Empire State and Independence Day: Resurgance.

22. Simon Baker

21. Rachel Griffiths

She was relatively unknown when she was cast as Muriel's best friend Rhonda in the classic 1994 Australian comedy Muriel's Wedding, and Rachel Griffiths hasn't looked back since. Her film credits include My Best Friend's Wedding, Saving Mr Banks and Hacksaw Ridge. And she starred in the wildly popular series Six Feet Under. Rachel lives in Melbourne, Australia with husband Andrew Taylor, with whom she has three children.

20. Rose Byrne

The Sydney-raised female actress made her Australian film debut at the age of 13 in Dallas Doll. From 1999, she appeared in a number of films, including Gregor Jordan's Two Hands, alongside Heath Ledger, before winning her first Hollywood as a background handmaiden in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. By 2007, she was being cast regularly in Hollywood studio films and in 2009 became a blockbuster star through her role in the Nicolas Cage vehicle Knowing. Since then, she's starred in Insidious, Bridesmaids, X Men: First Class, Neighbours and Peter Rabbit. She has two children with husband, US actor Bobby Cannavale.

19. Hugo Weaving

18. Isla Fisher

The former Home and Away star is one of the most recognisable Australian celebs in Hollywood, having appeared in such hits as Wedding Crashers, The Great Gatsby and Now You See Me. Born in Australia (Perth), the actress has three children with husband Sacha Baron Cohen. They have homes in London and L.A.

17. Naomi Watts

She's come a long way since rejecting Tom Cruise for a lamb roast in a TV ad in the '80s. Moving to the US after some Australian TV stints, she featured in several films before getting her break in the critically acclaimed David Lynch film, Mulholland Drive. Since then Watts, who has two children with ex Liev Schreiber, has starred in 21 Grams, King Kong, The Wave and more.

16. Keith Urban

Before he hooked up with Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, who was born in New Zealand and grew up in Queensland, was relatively unknown down under. But since the 1990s he has been a country music star in the US, where he moved to in 1992. He has also been a judge on TV's The Voice and American Idol. He is both an Australian and US citizen and has two children with Kidman.

15. Guy Pearce

Like Hugo Weaving, Pearce was one of the drag queens in in the 1994 Australian hit film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. After that road trip, the Neighbours alum scored roles in L.A. Confidential, Memento, The King's Speech and Ridley Scott's Alien prequel Prometheus. The former Geelong boy has one child with Dutch actress Carice van Houten.

14. Toni Collette

Playing the title role in Muriel's Wedding launched Collette into a career that included starring roles in About a Boy, The Hours and Little Miss Sunshine. In 2000, she was nominated for an Oscar for her role as the anguished mother in the box office smash The Sixth Sense. She has won multiple awards, including an Emmy and Golden Globe for her role as Tara Gregson in Showtime's United States of Tara.

13. Miranda Kerr

After catching the world's eye as a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2007, Miranda Kerr has become one of the world's most-recognisable models. She has a son, Flynn with her ex Orlando Bloom, and a son, Hart, with billionaire husband Evan Spiegal.

12. Margot Robbie

Neighbours alum Margot Robbie from Dalby, QLD stunned audiences with her performance (and flawless Brooklyn accent) in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013 and has been a Hollywood superstar since.

In 2018, she was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Tonya Harding in I, Tonya. She lives in L.A. with husband Tom Ackerley.

11. Chris Hemsworth

From humble beginnings growing up in Melbourne and the Northern Territory outback, Hemsworth is now one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, best-known for playing Thor in the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2014, People magazine named him as its "Sexiest Man Alive". He lives with wife Elsa Pataky and their three kids in NSW's Byron Bay.

10. Kylie Minogue

While many stars used Neighbours as a launching pad for their acting careers, Kylie had other things in mind. After releasing her debut single "Locomotion" in 1987, Minogue went on to become one of Australia's most successful music acts, recording hits such as "I Should Be So Lucky", "Better The Devil You Know" and "I Can't Get You Out Of My Head". The Londoner's 2018 album Golden was the singer's 14 th.

9. Hugh Jackman

8. Cate Blanchett

One of Australia's most successful and critically acclaimed actresses, the NIDA graduate began her acting career on the stage in 1992 opposite Geoffrey Rush in the Sydney Theatre Company production of Oleanna by David Mamet. Her first film role was in Paradise Road in 1997 and by the next year she was a worldwide sensation after portraying QE1 in Elizabeth, for which she was nominated an Oscar (many critics believe she should have won, with the gong handed to Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love).

She's been nominated a total of seven times for an Oscar and won twice ( Blue Jasmine and The Aviator). Cate is still living in Australia (Sydney) with husband, playwright and screenwriter Andrew Upton, and their four children.

7. Paul Hogan

He was a beloved star in Australia through Nine's The Paul Hogan Show and as Crocodile Dundee proved in 1986, his comedy translated throughout the world. The movie remains the highest-grossing Australian film. Hogan divorced his wife Noelene in 1986, later marrying his Dundee co-star Linda Kozlowski. He has six children from the two relationships and lives in the US.

6. Heath Ledger

His star was still on the rise upon his untimely death in 2008, but his legacy lives on. After his impressive turn in the Australian film Two Hands, Ledger appeared in 10 Things I Hate About You, A Knight's Tale, and The Patriot alongside Mel Gibson. He was nominated for an Oscar for his revered performance in Brokeback Mountain and in 2008, he memoraly played The Joker in The Dark Knight, a role for which he won a posthumous Oscar. He is survived by Matilda, his daughter with actress Michelle Williams.

Heath was found dead on January 22 2008 in New York City.

5. Elle MacPherson

What hasn't Elle MacPherson done? Born in Australia (Sydney), the former super model is a businesswoman, television host and actress. First appearing in a Tab cola ad in 1982, MacPherson went on to become part of a new generation of supermodels that included Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford. In 1989, she appeared on the cover of Time, which labelled her "The Body"-a nickname that stuck. MacPherson has two children and reportedly now lives in the US after living for years in London.

4. Olivia Newton-John

One of Australia's darlings, the singer enjoyed a successful music career in the 70s, but it wasn't until starring in the film version of the Broadway hit Grease, that the world became hopelelly devoted to the young star. Now battling breast cancer the mother of one lives with husband John Easterling in the US.

3. Russell Crowe

Yes, he wasn't born down under, but the Oscar winner still calls Australia home. After TV and film roles in Australia, including his memorable turn in 1992's Romper Stomper, Crowe scored roles in Hollywood, including in L.A. Confidential, before picking up an Oscar nomination in 1999 for his inspiring portrayl as tobacco industy whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand. He lost, but picked up the gong the next year for Gladiator. He's also starred in Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind and Robin Hood. He lives in Sydney and has two children with ex Danielle Spencer.

2. Mel Gibson

In 1995, he directed and starred in the historical drama Braveheart, for which he picked up Oscars for Best Director and Best Film. His 2016 war drama, Hacksaw Ridge, proved he was still one of the world's great filmmakers. He is currently planning a "Resurrection" sequel to his 2004 labour of love, The Passion of the Christ.

1. Nicole Kidman

Who would have thought that the redhead from the "Bop Girl" music video would rise to such heights? Following her teenage roles (remember BMX Bandits?) Kidman stole the screen in Philip Noyce's Dead Calm, before teaming up with her future husband Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder in 1990.

By 1995, she was one of the world's biggest movie stars with roles in To Die For and Batman Forever. Throughout her eclectic career the talented actress has seemed as comfortable in dramatic roles ( The Portrait of a Lady; Rabbit Hole) as she did in the fun stuff ( Bewitched, Paddington). A four-time Oscar nominee, she picked up the gong for her portrayl of Virginia Woolf in The Hours in 2002.

In 2018, she won a Best Actress Golden Globe for her role in HBO's Big Little Lies. She lives with husband Keith Urban and their two children in homes in Australia and the US. She also shares an adopted son and daughter with ex Cruise.

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Australian Celebrities: The 25 Most Famous Aussie Celebs

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The most famous and successful Australian celebrities including Nicole Kidman, Miranda Kerr and Rose Byrne. Aussies such as Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman, singing and acting legend Olivia Newton-John and actor, singer, dancer and all-round good guy Hugh Jackman have long been household names worldwide for their talent, abilities and that affable, down-to-earth quality that comes from growing up down under.

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This page contains a calendar of all 2020 public holidays for Australia. These dates may be modified as official changes are announced, so please check back regularly for updates. Scroll down to view the national list or choose your state's calendar.

Note:
- South Australia and Northern Territory have a part-day public holiday for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve from 7 pm to 12 midnight.
- Queensland has a part-day public holiday for Christmas Eve from 6 pm to midnight.
- Easter Tuesday is a restricted public holiday in Tasmania. Observed by some awards/agreements and the State Public Service. To check award ring Fair Work Infoline on 131394.
- Ekka Wednesday is observed in Brisbane area only.
- Melbourne Cup Day is observed in all of Victoria unless alternate local holiday has been arranged by non-metro council.

Choose your state or territory

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Australia Public Holidays 2020 - PublicHolidays.com.au

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This page contains a calendar of all 2020 public holidays for Australia. These dates may be modified as official changes are announced, so please check back regularly for updates. Scroll down to view the national list or choose your state's calendar. Note: - South Australia and Northern Territory have a part-day public holiday for Christmas Eve and New [...]

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Australia climate guide. Weather by month, in Celsius and Fahrenheit

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Explore our interactive map of Australia. Click on the Australia map below to see more detail of each of the states and territories. We have included some of the popular destinations to give you give you an idea of where they are located within in the country. You can also use the navigation panel on the right hand side of this page to view other Australian States and Territory Maps in Australia. Australia is a big country so make sure you understand the the distances and travel times involved in getting from one place to another.

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Explore our interactive map of Australia. Click on the Australia map below to see more detail of each of the states and territories. We have included some of the popular destinations to give you give you an idea of where they are located within in the country.

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Canberra Australia - 10 Tourist Attractions

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Australia's week of wild weather: bushfires, hail, dust storms and flash floods

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Australia fires: US crew dead in firefighting plane crash - BBC News

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Bushfires | Australia news | The Guardian

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The latest news and comment on bushfires

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been criticised for the government's approach to climate change

The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his government's stand on climate change as the country deals with devastating fires and a historic heatwave.

Mr Morrison said his policies on reducing emissions would ensure what he called a "vibrant and viable economy, as well as a vibrant and sustainable environment."

Australia is one of the world's biggest per capita greenhouse gas emitters, and there's been a long-running debate about the country's approach to climate change.

So what is it doing to reduce emissions?

What targets does it have?

Under the Paris Climate Agreement to tackle rising global temperatures, Australia set a target for 2030 of making a 26-28% reduction in its emissions compared with 2005 levels.

These goals have been criticised for being too low, and last year the United Nations (UN) reported that Australia was not on track.

The UN found that: "There has been no improvement in Australia's climate policy since 2017 and emission levels for 2030 are projected to be well above the target."

About half of the G20 countries (those with the biggest economies), including Australia, are falling short.

The Climate Change Performance Index ranked Australia last out of 57 countries responsible for more than 90% of greenhouse gas emissions on climate policy.

It highlighted the country's no-show at a UN climate summit in September and its withdrawal from an international fund to tackle climate change.

The opposition Labor Party in Australia has said the government is "refusing to act" on climate change.

However, the Australian government maintains it is on course to meet its 2030 commitments. "Our climate policy settings are to meet and beat the emissions reduction targets," according to Australian PM Scott Morrison.

Bushfires have killed at least nine people and razed hundreds of homes

Australian emissions will be only 16% lower than 2005 levels in 2030, according to projections published in December.

But it says it will meet the 2030 targets by counting the quantities of carbon already reduced under the previous international climate agreement, the Kyoto Protocol.

More important than specific targets - Australia as a fossil fuel producer has so far failed to acknowledge the need to plan for a world of net zero emissions, says Myles Allen, a climate change expert at the University of Oxford.

Net zero means balancing carbon emissions with carbon removal.

The coal industry

Australia is among the world's largest exporters of iron ore, uranium, coal and natural gas.

It was the fourth largest producer of coal in 2017, according to the International Energy Agency.

Phasing out coal is considered crucial to limiting global warming to within 1.5C, but the Australian government is continuing to back the industry for the role it plays in the economy.

Facing criticism over his handling of the bushfires and response to climate change, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison said he will not make "reckless" cuts to the coal industry.

The government recently approved the construction of a controversial new coal mine - which could be the biggest in the world and would export coal to India.

What are some of the government's climate policies?

A central climate plan is the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF).

The government put forward an additional A$2bn (£1bn) spread over 15 years to help businesses and farmers reduce emissions, bringing up total investment to $4.5bn. The government says it will deliver 100 million tonnes of emissions reductions.

Though aspects of the ERF have been praised, "Australia has adopted a piecemeal approach to emission reduction," said the OECD (an economic body which monitors richer, industrialised nations) in a 2019 report.

The government needs to show how existing instruments, such as the ERF, can be scaled up to reach Paris Agreement goals, added the report.

Scientists round the world are looking aghast at the politics of climate change in Australia.

It's one of the most vulnerable countries on the planet to rising temperatures, yet there is still denial about the impacts of rising CO2 levels on events like the current wildfires.

There is no serious doubt among scientific institutions that rising global temperatures are leading to record heat.

The heatwaves are driven by a natural phenomenon but they are adding to an already over-heated planet.

In the election, the victorious Liberal (conservative) Party categorised climate change as a metropolitan fad for urban professionals, and gained support for the world's biggest coal mine.

Coal is the dirtiest fuel and scientists say we shouldn't be building more coal-fired power stations if we want to stabilise the climate.

This piece was originally published on 24 December 2019.

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What is Australia doing to tackle climate change?

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As the country deals with deadly fires, the focus is on the government's climate policies.

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https://www.accuweather.com/en/au/australia-weather

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I love Australia.

It's not a thing you hear too often from progressives. Mostly this is because we don't go in for the pathetic jingo-nationalist, quasi-militaristic "love it or leave it" style patriotism that John Howard attempted to link with a love of country.

But I do love Australia. I get an absurd amount of irrational pride when I hear of Australians doing well.

When I read stories that Indigenous rock art might be among the oldest in the world I get excited and think, yeah suck it, caves of Cantabria!

I can still remember where I was when John Aloisi scored the winning penalty against Uruguay (jumping up in my home in Cairns and cutting my hand on the overhead fan), and like all sensible Australians I let out a deep groan whenever I hear someone start yet again an "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" chant at the tennis.
Scott Morrison's stance on climate change makes it harder for future governments to undo his damage | Greg Jericho
But my love has nothing to do with Australian Day and no, this is not an article about Australia Day.

I mean, of course we should change the date. As one who grew up in country South Australia from German ancestors, the English landing in Sydney has never resonated for me as anything more than New South Wales Proclamation Day. Thanks for the holiday and the cricket at Adelaide Oval, but otherwise ...

Keep the public holiday - make it the last Monday in January - it is nicely timed to signal an end to the summer holidays. Call it "Summer Day" or some such and then find another day to actually celebrate the nation. Better still, become a republic and make it that day. But I digress.

This is not about Australia Day, but climate change.

Because I love Australia, and the real question is why don't conservatives who refuse to do more on climate change love Australia? Because climate change will destroy much of what we love about this country of ours.

Much of what makes Australia unique and beloved by those of us lucky enough to live here is linked to the extremes of our land and climate.

This summer has shown how precarious our Australian lifestyle is

In my lifetime I have mostly lived in country areas - in South Australia on the Murray River, in Redlynch just north of Cairns, and now in the northern suburbs of the bush capital that is Canberra.

So I love our biggest river and the farming areas of wheat, sheep and dairy around my home town to the grapes and fruit in the Riverland where during uni I picked fruit in the summer holidays.

Then there are the tropics with Mossman Gorge, the glorious drive from Cairns to Port Douglas, the Great Barrier Reef and the late afternoon rains.

And yes, I love the surrounds of Canberra - where I can live near a national park with kangaroos and echidnas and be able to see the snow-caps on the Brindabellas in winter and fiery red of the trees in autumn and the blossoms in spring.

As anyone who has spent any time overseas knows, there is something about the sky in Australia that is different - that shade of blue so perfectly captured by Tom Roberts in his painting A Break Away!. That gorgeous clear, crisp blue.

I must admit I don't love Dorothea Mackellar's My Country. I find the poem rather maudlin, but perhaps I am biased because I am sick of hearing climate change denying politicians recite it as though it is evidence that climate change has not occurred.

Because here's the thing - when she published that poem in 1908, the average annual temperature in Australia was about 2C lower than it is now.

And those conservatives who recite the line about "a sunburnt country" ignore that climate change is going to wreak havoc with everything we love - that tenuous balance of droughts and flooding rains, the ability of agriculture to exist on "thirsty paddocks", our rivers, our wildlife where "orchids deck the tree-tops", even the crisp air and "pitiless blue sky".

This summer has shown how precarious our Australian lifestyle is - the bushfires that have not stopped since September; the mix of fires, smoke, dust, hail (and that is just in Canberra in the past fortnight). We are a nation on the extremities, where climate change will affect and strip away what we love much sooner than will occur in Europe and North America.

No patriotic Australian can be anything but angry to read stories of a billion or more animals killed in the fires - especially when you realise the koalas on Kangaroo Island are chlamydia-free and are essentially the best protection against their extinction.

Our wildlife is so exceptional and precious that the upset in balance that comes from climate change will render some habitats unliveable.

To read that the platypus is facing extinction due to human activity exacerbated by climate change should have every patriotic Australian filled with rage.

Conservative patriots love to talk up Australia "punching above its weight" on things such as sport or business or war, but they turn to self-hating cowards when it comes to climate change.

Yes, Australia "only" accounts for around 1.3% of emissions (of course well above what you would expect given our population) but given the fragility of our ecosystem, any political leaders who profess to love Australia should be energising our diplomatic networks and using every economic and political lever we have to cajole, convince and encourage other nations to act on climate change.

We should do this even if it is out of purely selfish reasons of loving our country and wanting it to remain in the same state that has caused that love.
Australian bushfires to contribute to huge annual increase in global carbon dioxide
If you love Australia, climate change should scare the hell out of you because the reef, our rivers, our wildlife, our fresh air, even, as we have seen since December, our relaxed summer holidays are going to be stripped away from us.

Our government has more reason than most others outside of the Pacific Islands to be demanding global action on climate change.

Given our wealth we should be leading the way - leading by example rather than leading to ruin as our current government has been at the most recent climate change conferences.

What we love about Australia will be taken by climate change well before other nations who emit much more greenhouse gas will feel great changes. And that should enrage us and our representatives, and it should drive their actions.

I love Australia and so I want action on climate change. And if you love Australia, so should you.

* Greg Jericho writes on economics for Guardian Australia
Topics

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If you love Australia, climate change should scare the hell out of you | Greg Jericho

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I love Australia. It's not a thing you hear too often from progressives. Mostly this is because we don't go in for the pathetic jingo-nationalist, quasi-militaristic "love it or leave it" style patriotism that John Howard attempted to link with a love of country. But I do love Australia.

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How to speak Australian : Abbreviate Everything