Connecting you with Australian culture online
Australian weather and the seasons European discovery and the colonisation of Australia Great Barrier Reef The Australian Gold Rush Australian Indigenous cultural heritage Melbourne Cup Convicts and the British colonies in Australia Australian food and drink Sydney Opera House The Great Depression
The Australian film industry got off to a flying start, producing what was probably the world's first full length feature film in 1906. South Australia banned the screening of bushranger films in 1911, Victoria followed in 1912. Colour production came t...
The Australian film industry got off to a flying start, producing what was probably the world's first full length feature film in 1906. The film was the Tait brothers production The Story of the Kelly Gang, a success in both Australian and British theatr...
Australian films and filmmakers receive acclaim on the world stage, and the achievements of Australian women onscreen are celebrated. The play's success encouraged Kate to turn the play into a film (1920), which she co-directed with Charles Villiers, mak...
Indigenous film either portrays Indigenous people, issues and stories or is film made by Indigenous Australians. The portrayal of Indigenous issues and people in film provides a unique insight into Australia's relationship with its Indigenous peoples and...
Australian animation is internationally recognised, Leisure (1976), Harvie Krumpet (2003) and Happy Feet (2006) have all won Oscars. Leisure employs cell style animation, Harvie Krumpet is made using the method of stop-motion claymation and Happy Feet fe...
Each year the Sydney Festival offers a rich and diverse program spanning all art forms including dance, theatre, music, visual arts, film, forums and large scale free outdoor events. The National Multicultural Festival is held over two weeks and features...
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science was established in 1927 and the Academy Awards or Oscars ceremonies commenced in 1929. Image courtesy of Latent Image Productions Pty Ltd and National Film & Sound Archive. Their Oscar Statuette is on displa...
Ben Snow, Visual Effects Supervisor for Van Helsing (2004) and Pearl Harbour (2001). Hidden behind the scenes in film, television, new media and game production, a number of Australian individuals and companies have been quietly contributing their creati...
James Francis (Frank) Hurley (1885-1962) is regarded as an extraordinary Australian photographer, adventurer, filmmaker and writer. Image courtesy National Library of Australia: nla.pic-an23478581. In 1911, Australian explorer Douglas Mawson hired Hurley...
Reconciliation is about unity and respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Indigenous Australians. It is about respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and valuing justice and equity for all Australians. National R...
Unknown, Portrait of the bushranger Ned Kelly, 1880, glass plate negative. More books, songs and websites have been written about Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang than any other group of Australian historical figures. Unknown, Kate Kelly, sister of Ned Kelly...
The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998 - one year after the tabling of the report Bringing them Home, May 1997. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission into the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their fami...
Digital games have come a long way since the days of Pong - and Australian games companies are helping them go even further. This has led to the Australian games industry earning a reputation for quality in a vast worldwide market hungry for new content....
Humour is seen in the Australian use of slang, and across media from cartoons in print, as sketches on radio, as comedy series on television, in films and with witty observations of life in Australian literature. Mocking the wowser is another common elem...
Public subscription has supported the construction of ocean baths and swimming pools around Australia. An innovative approach to swimming by Australia's first modern swimmers led to the development of the freestyle swimming stroke - the Australian Crawl....
Creating the Canning Stock Route was the answer to a host of challenges presented by the Australian outback. Surveyed and created in the early 1900s, the scale of the Canning Stock Route is epic. John Carty, oral historian and anthropologist from the Au...
Image courtesy of the artist and the National Gallery of Victoria. Contemporary art is defined as art that is current, offering a fresh perspective and point of view, and often employing new techniques and new media. These confronting public art projects...
While tools varied by group and location, Aboriginal people all had implements such as knives, scrapers, axe-heads, spears, various vessels for eating and drinking, and digging sticks. Aboriginal people achieved two world firsts with stone technology. T...
Image courtesy of Mangkaja Arts. Women have different Dreaming stories and law to men, and many of the women artists experienced pre-contact traditional life. The first wave of Aboriginal women artists in Western Australia includes Queenie McKenzie, Madi...
Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial: P01404.028. One of the most well-known Australian engagements of the Vietnam War was the Battle of Long Tan, 17-20 August 1966. Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial: COL/67/0140/VN. ...
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