All Things to define Australia cultural
Christmas during Summer, Kangaroos can box, etc. all of these unique things should be Australia's figures.
Christmas during Summer
In Australia, during the Christmas season, we don't have snow or winter wonderlands, or any of that rubbish. In fact, it's summer during Christmas down under, and it is something that I've found a lot of Americans find difficult to fathom when telling them. While Americans tend to try to "stick to tradition" during the holiday season, Australians are more flexible. Yes, there are those families that have the big traditional meal on Christmas Day, but there are other families that celebrate with a barbecue at the beach. Other families might go out and have some fish and chips. I remember one year, our family celebrated Christmas with a champagne breakfast. There's an element of Aussie families wanting to make the most of the holidays (so much so that we have two public holidays for it - Boxing Day is on Dec 26). And the warmer weather helps the beer go down better too.Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House must be one of the most recognisable images of the modern world - up there with the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building - and one of the most photographed.
The Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point, which reaches out into the harbour. The skyline of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the blue water of the harbour and the Sydney Opera House, viewed from a ferry or from the air, is dramatic and unforgettable.
Ironic, perhaps, that this Australian icon - the Opera House with a roof evocative of a ship at full sail - was designed by renowned Danish architect - Jorn Utzon.
In the late 1950s the New South Wales (NSW) Government established an appeal fund to finance the construction of the Sydney Opera House, and conducted a competition for its design.
Utzon's design was chosen. The irony was that his design was, arguably, beyond the capabilities of engineering of the time. Utzon spent a couple of years reworking the design and it was 1961 before he had solved the problem of how to build the distinguishing feature - the 'sails' of the roof.
The venture experienced cost blow-outs and there were occasions when the NSW Government was tempted to call a halt. In 1966 the situation - with arguments about cost and the interior design, and the Government withholding progress payments - reached crisis point and Jorn Utzon resigned from the project. The building was eventually completed by others in 1973. After more than 30 years, the Sydney Opera House has its first interior designed by Utzon. The Utzon Room, a transformed reception hall that brings to life Jorn Utzon's original vision for his masterpiece, was officially opened on September 16 2004.
Uluru Ayers Rock
Uluru is a great block of uptilted sandstone in the heart of Australia's Outback. This region may be the world's best-developed peneplain, and Uluru its best-known monadnock.
Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup Day is Australia's most famous Tuesday. At 3.00 pm AEST, on the first Tuesday in November, Australians everywhere stop for one of the world's most famous horse races - the Melbourne Cup.
It's a day when the nation stops whatever it's doing to listen to the race call, or watch the race on TV. Even those who don't usually bet, try their luck with a small wager or entry into a 'sweep' - a lottery in which each ticket-holder is matched with a randomly drawn horse.
Since 1877, Cup Day has been a public holiday for Melbourne, and crowds have flocked to the track. By 11.00 am on the first holiday, the Flemington grandstand was packed to its 7,000 capacity, and by 3.00 pm, 150,000 people were estimated to have gathered - thronging the hill beyond. The party atmosphere often means that champagne and canapés, huge hats and racetrack fashions overshadow the business of horse racing.