AUSTRALIA

1. AUSTRALIA A trip around it by: Edoardo Zanuttini, Nicolò Ceglian e Alessandro Bertolino

3. THE NORTHERN TERRITORY The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia. The capital city is Darwin; the other two sizable settlements are Alice Springs and Katherine. Residents of the Northern Territory are often known simply as 'Territorians'. It is the largest territory in Australia. History The first British person to sight Darwin's harbour was Lieutenant John Lort Stokes of HMS Beagle in 1839. The ship's captain, Commander John Clements Wickham, named the port after Charles Darwin, the British naturalist who had sailed with them both on the earlier second expedition of Beagle.

4. Queensland BRISBANE 'Brisbaneis the capital and most populous city of the Queensland, that is the third largest city in Australia. It is near the Pacific Ocean, and beside the Brisbane River. The city is named in honour of Sir Thomas Brisbane who was Governor of New South Wales from 1821 – 1825. Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, in the north-eastern corner of the continent. It is Australia's second largest territory. The area was first colonised by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived between 40 000 and 65 000 years ago. The population is concentrated in the area of the capital Brisbane.

5. NEW SOUTH WALES New South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country. Captain James Cook first named the east coast of Australia "New Wales“. The largest city and capital is Sydney. Sydney Sydney is the most populous and the largest financial centre in Australia. It was the site of the first European colony. The city is built around Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour. Sydney is a major international tourist destination notable for its beaches and landmarks: the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. It is surrounded by national parks, and contains many bays, rivers and inlets. The city has hosted numerous international sporting, political and cultural events, including the 2000 Summer Olympics.

6. Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia. Canberra Canberra is the capital city of ACT. It is the site of Parliament House, the High Court of Australia and numerous government departments and agencies. It is also the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance, such as the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia.

7. TASMANIA Tasmania, is in the south of the eastern side of the continent, and it is separated from it by Bass Strait. It includes the island of Tasmania, and other smaller isles. The capital city is Hobart. Other centres are Launceston , Devonport , Burnie and the subantarctic Macquarie Island.

8. VICTORIA Victoria is in the south-east of Australia. It is the most densely populated and urbanised. Victoria began in the 1830s as a farming community.. Melbourne Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria. It is a major centre of commerce, industry and cultural activity. The city is often referred to as Australia's "sporting and cultural capital".It is notable for its extensive tram network and Victorian parks and gardens, and its diverse, multicultural society. It was founded by free settlers in 1835.

9. States and territories SOUTH AUSTRALIA South Australiais situated in the southern central part of the country. With 1.5 million people, the state comprises less than 10 per cent of the Australian population. The majority of its people reside in the state capital, Adelaide. Adelaideis the capital, with a population of over 1.1 million. Named in honour of Queen Adelaide, the city was founded in 1836. Today Adelaide is known for its many festivals as well as for its wine, arts and sports. Adelaide is the site of many governmental and financial institutions.

10. WESTERN AUSTRALIA Western Australia is Australia's largest state in area. The capital city is Perth. Perth has a population of 1,507,900 . It was founded on 11 June 1829 by Captain James Stirling as the political centre of the free settler. The metropolitan area is located in the south west of the continent.

11. Aborigens Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent. The term includes the Aboriginal People, who make up about 2.5% of Australia's population. Indigenous Australians are recognised to have arrived between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago. The term Indigenous Australians encompasses many diverse communities and societies, and these are further divided into local communities with unique cultures. In the late 18th century, there were anywhere between 350 and 750 distinct groupings and a similar number of languages and dialects. At the start of the 21st century, more than 200 Indigenous Australian languages remain in use.

12. WRITERS Henry Lawson (17 June 1867 - 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period. He wrote "Andy's Gone with Cattle" (poem) "The Loaded Dog" (short story)“ and United Division" (essay). Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson (February 17, 1864 – February 5, 1941) was a famous Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life. Paterson's more notable poems include "Waltzing Matilda", "The Man from Snowy River" and "Clancy of the Overflow".

13. AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973. The band are considered pioneers of heavy metal. In 1979, the band recorded their highly successful album, Highway to Hell. Lead singer Bon Scott died in 1980. The group briefly considered disbanding, but soon singer Brian Johnson was selected as Scott's replacement. Later that year, the band released their biggest-selling album, Back in Black. AC/DC have sold an estimated 150 million albums worldwide. MUSIC Wolfmother are an Australian hard rock band from Sydney, New South Wales. Their works have earned them one Grammy Award and three ARIA awards.

14. STARS Russell Crowe (born April 7, 1964) is a New Zealand-Australian actor. In the 2000s, he was nominated for three Oscars, and in 2001, he won the Academy Award as Best Actor for his starring role in the film Gladiator. An other important film where he is the main character is “A Beautifull Mind”. Nicole Kidman (born June 20, 1967), is an Academy Award-winning Australian actress. In 2006 Kidman was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), Australia's highest civilian honour. In 2003, Kidman received her Star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California. Kidman is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a singer and a successful recording artist.

15. Mel Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an actor, Academy Award winning director and producer. Born in the U.S., he moved to Australia when he was 12 years old and he later studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney. After establishing himself as a household name with the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon series, Gibson went on to direct and star in the Academy Award-winning Braveheart. Gibson's direction of Braveheart made him the sixth actor-turned-filmmaker to receive an Oscar for Best Director. In 2004, he directed and produced The Passion of the Christ.

16. SPORTS Sport plays an important part in Australian culture, assisted by a climate that favours outdoor activities. Australia has particularly strong teams in cricket, hockey, netball, rugby league, rugby union, and performs well in cycling, rowing and swimming. Other popular sports include Australian rules football, horse racing, football (soccer) and motor racing. Australia hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and has ranked among the top five medal-takers since 2000. An Other major international event held regularly in Australia is the Formula One Australian Grand Prix.

17. The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving. It was first released in the USA on March 31, 1999. The film describes a future in which the world we know is actually the Matrix, a simulated reality created by sentient machines in order to pacify and subdue the human population while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source. Upon learning this, the hacker "Neo" is drawn into a rebellion against the machines. CINEMA

18. Mad Max is an Australian apocalyptic science fiction action film from 1979 directed by George Miller and written by Miller and Byron Kennedy. The film, which starred the then little-known Mel Gibson was released internationally in 1980. Crocodile Dundee is a 1986 Australian comedy film set in the Australian Outback in the area around "Walkabout Creek" and in New York City. Starring Paul Hogan, as Mick Dundee and Linda Kozlowski as Sue Charlton. It was released in the United States as "Crocodile" Dundee. It Inspired by the true life exploits of Rodney Ansell, the film was made on a budget of under $10 million.

19. Stephen Robert Irwin(February 22, 1962 – September 4, 2006), known simply as Steve Irwin and nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian wildlife expert and television personality. He became famous in all the world with the television program The Crocodile Hunter, a wildlife documentary series co-hosted with his wife Terri Irwin. and.... in the end TRIBUTE TO STEVE IRWIN Together with her, he also co-owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by his parents in Beerwah, Queensland. On September 4, 2006, Irwin was fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray spine whilst snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef.

20. Going back home Our travel has been great, except some accident: Alessandro collided with a kangaroo, Edoardo was assalted by a koala and Nicolò’s leg was almost eaten by a crocodile, but he escaped before the animal bit him… We are joking, everything was OK, Australia is great.