Interesting facts about Australia

1. The Australia Zoo was founded by none other than Steve Irwin—yes, the Crocodile Hunter—crikey! Australia is home to many of the worlds coolest (and sometimes strange) animals. In this zoo, you can feed and take pictures with koalas and kangaroos, see live dingos, walk like a lemur, meet a cassowary and so much more!
2. Melbourne, Australia Is home to some of the best street art in the world. In their graffiti art, activism and talent collide. These pieces are excellent depictions of that. The piece on the left shows the despondence and resilience of the Aboriginal people, the piece on the lower right comments on the unaffordability of housing in Melbourne, and the top two pay homage to the forest fires in 2020. Street art can be found in many places in Melbourne Australia including Hosier Lane, Centre Place, Caledonian Lane and Craft Alley.
3. Prior to British settlement, over 500 indigenous tribes lived in Australia for over 60,000 years. In 1770, James Cook claimed Australia in the name of the British Crown. Between 1788 and 1790, the British killed over 90% of the indigenous population through the intentional introduction of new disease (smallpox, measles and influenza), forced land acquisition, and violence. From the late 1700s to the 1970s, aboriginal children were taken from their parents and placed in Britch homes in an effort to erase Aboriginal culture and erase aboriginal blood through interbreeding. This period is called the “stolen generations.” Today, Indigenous Australians make up about 3% of the population and experience high levels of discrimination similar to that experienced by Native Americans in the United States. Source: bbc.com/news/world-australia-43039522; australianstogether.org.au/discover/australian-history/colonisation