Australia+-+Culture+&+Life+Style

Culture & Lifestyle



[[image:aboriginal_body_paintings.jpg align="right"]] Aboriginal culture: A rich and timeless tradition
 According to the Aboriginals of Australia, dreamtime is the sacred "time before time" of the world’s creation. In their beliefs, totemic spirit ancestors came from the earth and down from the sky to spark the otherwise dark and absent world. The ancestors created the sun, moon and stars, forged mountains, rivers, trees and waterholes and transformed into human and animal forms. Aboriginal rock art, craft and bark paintings tell stories, mark territory and record history. Aboriginal songs and dance talk of Dreamtime journeys, and mark water sources and other important landmarks. The acient lyrics have been passed down virtually unchanged for at least 50,000 years, and are often accompanied by clapsticks and noises from the very Australiain didgeridoo. The dances also reveal myths and legends of Dreamtime heros, hystorical events, and even current events. 

An Outdoor Lifestyle: Beach and Barbeques
 With more than 80 per cent of Australians living within 50 kilometres of the coast, the beach has become an integral part of our famous laid-back lifestyle. Several surf camps provide training for young ones to learn the sport. Games of beach cricket after a barbeque are often seen on a daily basis. Packed city beaches are a great place to socialize but often prove difficult to find a spot to lay down ones towel. If you are lucky enough to find a secret, secluded beache in coastal national parks you may have the privledge of your own surf. Beach activities include: simply enjoying the sun and surf or to sail, parasail, fish, snorkel, scuba dive and beach comb. On New Year’s Eve, a massive dance party is held in the sand at Manly and Bondi beaches in Sydney and Glenelg in Adelaide, followed by a beautiful display of fireworks. Beaches often host citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day and on Christmas Day where up to 40,000 international visitors visit Bondi Beach wearing Santa hats and swimming costumes. Australia’s most famous beaches - Bondi and Manly in Sydney, St Kilda in Melbourne, Surfers Paradise on the Queensland Gold Coast, Cottesloe in Perth and Glenelg in Adelaide.