Australia - Unofficial emblems

Unofficial emblems

1.2.2.1. The Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognisable buildings of the modern world. Open since 1973, it has come to represent ‘Australia’. The Opera House, with a roof evocative of a ship at full sail, was designed by renowned Danish architect Jørn Utzon.   In the late 1950s the New South Wales 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 although it was beyond the capabilities of engineering of the time. Utzon then 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.  It is these ‘sails’ that have made the Opera House so recognisable. Over the more than thirty years since the Opera House was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. On 20 October 1973, thousands of theatre and opera productions have been staged in the building and on the steps outside, often in front of enormous crowds. Australians and international visitors alike have walked up the steps of the building for views of Sydney harbour and the equally famous Sydney Harbour Bridge.

1.2.2.2. Uluru – Ayers Rock
Uluru is one of Australia’s most recognisable natural icons. Located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory, Uluru is a unique and beautiful place that is of spiritual and cultural significance to the traditional indigenous landowners, the Anangu, who lead walking tours to inform visitors about the local flora and fauna, bush foods and the Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area.   The world-renowned sandstone formation stands 348 m high with most of its bulk below the ground, and measures 9.4 km  in circumference. Uluru is notable for appearing to change colour as the different light strikes it at different times of the day and year, with sunset a particularly remarkable sight when it briefly glows red. Although rainfall is uncommon in this semiarid area, during wet periods the rock acquires a silvery-grey colour, with streaks of black algae forming on the areas that serve as channels for water flow.

1.2.2.3. Akubra hat
The Akubra captures Australia like no other item of clothing. Ubiquitous in the outback, the Akubra is worn by people from all walks of life, from the diggers with their slouch hats in two world wars to the official uniform of Australian athletes at international sporting events. Whether suave and respectable or worn and battered, Akubra hats are can be seen all over Australia. Made of treated rabbit fur, Akubras today are manufactured in much the same way as they were when production began at Akubra Hats more than 100 years ago. Established in 1905, Akubra Hats still employs descendants of one of the company’s original hat makers.  The trademark name ‘Akubra’, which is an Aboriginal word for head covering, only came into use in 1912 but the hat’s precursor was first made in Tasmania in the 1870s. This was only a few years after 24 English rabbits were released in Geelong, Victoria, in 1859. The national hat industry that produces the Akubra depends on the descendants of those rabbits. For over a century the Akubra has protected millions of Australians against the harsh sun, wind and driving rain and will continue to hold an emblematic place in Australian history and culture.

1.2.2.4. Vegemite
Many Australians love Vegemite – it is a unique and well-loved icon. This strange looking black spread, made by blending brewer’s yeasts, is one of the richest known sources of B complex vitamins. Australians traditionally eat Vegemite spread thinly on buttered toast, sandwiches and biscuits. Vegemite was invented by food technologists at the Fred Walker Company in 1923. Fred Walker later sold his business to Kraft and passed on the secret recipe. This secret recipe is used to this day and Vegemite tastes as it did when it was first invented and continues to be loved by many Australians of all ages. The love is not universal however, as some Australians, and nearly all overseas visitors, strongly dislike the very strong and salty taste. Despite this, Vegemite is arguably the ‘taste of Australia’ and it is no surprise that Australians travelling overseas are known to pack a jar or two of Vegemite to sustain them while out of Australia.

1.2.2.5. Kangaroos
Kangaroos are the rifest animals in Australia. There are more than 50 kinds of kangaroos. Kangaroo is also in Australian coat of arms. Really interesting is their boxing ability. They box really well. Kangaroos are the only large animals to use hopping as a means of locomotion. The comfortable hopping speed for Red Kangaroo is about 20–25 km/h, but speeds of up to 70 km/h can be attained, over short distances, while it can sustain a speed of 40 km/h for nearly two kilometres. This fast and energy-efficient method of travel has evolved because of the need to regularly cover large distances in search of food and water, rather than the need to escape predators. Because of its long feet, it cannot walk correctly. To move at slow speeds, it uses its tail to form a tripod with its two forelimbs. It then raises its hind feet forward, in a form of locomotion called “crawl-walking.” The average life expectancy of a kangaroo is about 4–6 years.  Many Australians keep kangaroos in their gardens for pleasure. Cushiony little kangaroo is decoration of Australian’s flats. Kangaroos are also victims of traffic accidents. They jump over the road especially through the night. Then, in the morning you can see many murdered kangaroos near the road which are eaten by beautiful eagles.

1.2.2.6. Emu
The emu is the largest bird native in Australia. It is also the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after the ostrich. He can’t fly. Emu is common over most of mainland Australia, although it avoids heavily populated areas, dense forest and arid areas. [Emus can travel great distances at a fast, economical trot and, if necessary, can sprint at 50 km/h for some distance at a time. They are nomadic and may travel long distances to find food; they feed on a variety of plants and insects.