Australia has come a long way since the days when Captain Cook stumbled ashore to find an Aboriginal way of life that went back some 40,000 years. Indeed, Australia must really be divided into ’modern Australia’ and ’indigenous Australia’, since there is a wealth of disparate elements that constitute this compelling country.

The continent was first known to Europeans as Terra Australis. The first European settlements were initiated by the Dutch East India Company in 1606. By 1868, Britain had sent more than 160,000 convicts to Australia and several of modern Australia’s biggest cities around the coast grew from the penal settlements. Eventually, the British crown claimed the entire continent. The colonisers unfortunately treated the Kooris, the indigenous population, with appalling brutality, which only worsened following the gold rush and the first wave of voluntary migration that spilled into the interior, where many Kooris had fled to.

The inaugural National Sorry Day was held in 1998 and has become an annual fixture on the Australian calendar. The day is a symbolic event that heralds modern Australia’s willingness to face its inception. The didgeridoo and the boomerang have become modern Australian icons. Tourists flock to the breathtaking, epic monolith of Uluru (Ayers Rock) to watch the sun soak it in reds and oranges.

Many struggle to reconcile Aboriginal Dreamtime with the stereotype of carefree people in cork hats, swigging beer around a barbecue. But it isn’t difficult to ’take it easy’ amidst miles of sun, sea and sand. You could even do the Aussie thing and ride some waves, with surfing schools on offer all over the country (website: www.surfingaustralia.com).

Australia may be an island, but it is also the world’s largest one, and its size encompasses a range of stunning landscapes, from vast, barren deserts, where kangaroos and emus bound through the arid surroundings, to tropical rainforests and rugged mountains. Isolated from other continents, Australia has an abundance of unique plant and animal life.

Just as the surroundings surprise, so too may the people. Crocodile Dundee types have long been replaced by fashionistas browsing for bargains in Australia’s world-renowned cities. Australia embraces its Pacific Rim location, with multicultural influence throughout, from Sydney’s great harbour that welcomes worldwide visitors, to Melbourne’s European ambience and lively Chinatown. Australia is a real hotchpotch of elements, catering for every kind of holidaymaker.

Robin McKelvie

7,692,030 sq km (2,969,909 sq miles).

20.6 million (official estimate 2006).

2.7 per sq km.

Canberra. Population: 332,800 (2006).

Constitutional Monarchy. Gained independence from the UK in 1901.

The official language is English. Many other languages are retained by minorities, including Italian, German, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese dialects and Aboriginal languages.

26% Roman Catholic, 24% Protestant and smaller minorities of all other major religions.

Australia spans three time zones:

GMT + 10 (GMT + 11 October to March, except Queensland).
GMT + 9.5 (GMT + 10.5 October to March, except Northern Territory).
GMT + 8.

Some states operate daylight saving time during the Australian summer. Clocks in these states are put forward by one hour in October and put back again in March.

A largely informal atmosphere prevails; shaking hands is the customary greeting. Casual wear is worn everywhere except in the most exclusive restaurants, social gatherings and important business meetings. Most restaurants forbid smoking.

220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Three-pin plugs are in use, however sockets are different from those found in most countries and an adaptor socket may be needed. Outlets for 110 volts for small appliances are found in most hotels.

Prime Minister John Howard since 1996. All individual states and territories have their own autonomous legislative, executive and judicial systems (though certain powers remain under the jurisdiction of the federal government).

HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor-General Michael Jeffery since 2003.