Where to Live When Moving to Australia

With its stunning landscape, beautiful coastline and desirable way of life; Australia is a popular destination for people to migrate to from afar. Migration has long been associated with the nation and is reflected in Australian way of life and its culturally diverse society. Since the second world war, over six million migrants have settled in Oz from abroad. Being a continent in its own right, Australia is the sixth largest country on Earth, located between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Comprising of six states and two territories, read on for advice in regards to which area could be best suited for your lifestyle when moving to Australia.

Queensland

Often referred to as the Sunshine State, Queensland is an extremely popular destination to settle in due to its stunning weather along the Gold Coast. Being Australia's second largest state by area, the climate of inland Queensland can incur a monsoonal season in the far north and low temperatures further south. To the north of the state is the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest single structure made by living organisms and is a World Heritage site. The majority of this natural beauty is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, an organisation that helps to limit human impact, from fishing to tourism. Born from the Moreton Bay penal colony, Brisbane is currently the state capital for Queensland and has been affectionately named "Bris Vegas" as a tribute to its nightlife.

New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales is renowned for its beachside communities, made famous by a certain television soap. The state is home to over 780 national parks and reserves that range from the bush, outback deserts, rainforests and waterfalls. With eleven universities in the region, New South Wales is a good consideration for further study and education. Being the capital of New South Wales, Sydney is the most popular destination for British inhabitants in the whole of Australia with it being the financial and economic epicentre of the nation. New industries like information technology and the financial services sector have replaced the old with many of multinational corporations having their Australasian headquarters based in the Sydney Central Business District. The Australian capital Territory is home to purpose-built Canberra is also the political centre for the country with the federal government based in the city.

Victoria

Finance, insurance and property services form Victoria's largest income producing sector, while the community, social and personal services sector is the state's biggest employer. Despite the shift towards service industries, the troubled manufacturing sector remains Victoria's single largest employer and income producer. Victoria is seen as the sports capital of Australia. The state is the traditional home of Australia Rules Football with the vast majority of teams that play in the Australian Football League being based in the region. It also stages holds many international sporting events, including the first Grand Slam tennis tournament each season, as well as the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

South Australia

South Australia is home to the city of churches, Adelaide. The city is renowned for its cultural influence on the country. It was recently been listed in the Top 10 of The Economist's World's Most Liveable Cities in Australia and recognised nationally as the most liveable city by the Property Council of Australia. The city also hosts many art and music festivals throughout the year and is close to the infamous wine region, Barossa Valley. It is worth noting that despite all the cultural sophistication connected to the region, South Australia's economy is based on the manufacturing and defence technology industries. Almost half of cars made in Australia are made in the state at the General Motors Holden plant in Elizabeth.

Western Australia

It is worth noting Western Australia for its wine region and mining community, the main settlement for people from overseas is the city of Perth. The state is know for being home to approximately 540 species of birds and a significantly large number of plant species. Also known as the 'City of Light', Perth is known for being the starting point for many of the Australia's brightest and internationally recognised celebrities; including Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger and British-based comedian Tim Minchin. Western Australia is steeped in colonial history, hence why the region has an extremely high proportion of British-born residents.

If you are looking for an alternative slice of Australian life away from the normal hotspots to settle, why not consider emigrating to the red deserts of the Northern Territory or the wilderness of Tasmania? So whether you prefer the natural beauty of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, the desirable lifestyle found in New South Wales or sports-mad Victoria; it is vital that you get as much advice on moving to the country as possible.

Submitted by Kirsty Collingwood, Marketing Manager at Crown Relocations. Crown Relocations is an international relocation company and global mobility specialist that manages every step of the journey from visas to property management, finding schools to packing up. More tips on moving to Australia can be found at Crown's website, www.moveoverseas.co.uk

Climate Change and Australia

Introduction

It is now well documented that humans are causing climate change by adding huge amounts of carbon dioxide (C02) and other greenhouse polluting gases into the atmosphere. Despite its relatively low population total of approximately 22 million, Australia is not only a significant contributor to the current carbon problem it will suffer major impacts if the trend of increasing temperatures continues. The main reasons for this claim are as follows:

Australia is a major contributor to Climate Change

Australia is a major contributor to the current climate change situation for two main reasons. Firstly, Australia has large amounts of coal reserves and has been a leading exporter of coal to Japan and Europe for many years. The biggest source of greenhouse pollution is burning fossil fuels such as coal for energy. As a result, Australia has provided the resource for many countries to emit large quantities of carbon and as such has a moral obligation to tackle climate change. However there are many factions within Australia who are opposed to fighting climate change. The Australian Coal Industry sees action against climate change as a direct threat to their livelihood and will threaten the job security of its employees. They fear that as the rest of the world moves to renewable energy sources in order to meet their carbon reduction commitments, the demand for Australian coal will reduce. Rather than allowing a drop in the demand for coal to impact their business, forward thinking Australian coal producers should be looking to develop alternative energy sources. There is a great opportunity for Australian energy producing organizations, located in the sun blessed country, to become world leaders in renewable energy such as solar power, creating thousands of jobs and providing new export opportunities.

Secondly, statistics show that per head of population, Australia is at the top of the rankings when it comes to carbon emissions. There are many theories on why this is the case, ranging from the large distance between major cities to the high availability of cheap coal fire energy. In any event it is a statistic that Australia cannot ignore and the countries politicians must show leadership to nearby developing nations by taking a stance on climate change. Unfortunately some sections of Australian politics are taking the opposite approach by deliberately stalling any serious action on climate change for fear of the impact on the economy. These groups fail to see the reality that the impacts of climate change can also result in large scale economic losses. This was the case in 2006 when the combined impact of Cyclone Larry, severe drought and bushfires wiped billions off the Australian economy and impacted on the hip pockets of ordinary Australians through increased food prices and higher insurance premiums.

Australia is vulnerable to continued climate change

Australia is particularly vulnerable to climate change as it is one of the driest inhabited continents on the planet on par with Africa. Australia is currently enduring a record breaking drought and water rationing is now a standard practice in most capital cities during the summer months. The economic and psychological impacts on Australian farmers have been particularly devastating and a number of rural communities have been decimated by the ferocity of this unprecedented drought. Continued climate change will only make Australia drier and drought conditions will become the norm in many areas. Water shortages in large cities will be commonplace, further forcing up the price of essential food produce. The likely alarming impacts on future generations should be sufficient incentive for any Australian to do everything they can to fight climate change and in fact any behaviour to the contrary could be deemed as criminally irresponsible.

The majority of renowned climate experts and scientists agree that large parts of the Arctic and Antarctica are melting at alarming rates as higher global average temperatures continue to rise. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out that as large areas of land base ice continue to melt, the inevitable result is an increase in overall sea levels. As an island continent with the majority of the population living in cities located in coastal areas, Australia is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels. There have been a number of reports of luxury waterfront properties in some areas of New South Wales and Queensland coming under threat of rising tides, forcing home owners to flee their property. This trend has not escaped the notice of insurance Companies who are have sharply increased home insurance premiums in some coastal areas to match the higher risk.

Conclusion

As a major exporter of coal and leading the table on carbon emissions per head of population, Australia has an obligation to take a leadership role in the global fight against climate change. Furthermore, as one of the driest continents Australia will be particularly impacted by increasing temperatures and its coastal regions will be vulnerable to rising sea levels. As a result Australia has many reasons to play a leadership role in the global fight against climate change for the sake of current generations and future generations to come.

These articles are written by Tony Innes who has a unique blend of business experience and environmental knowledge. Tony has over 20 years experience in the finance sector, is a Certified Practicising Accountant and holds an Economics Degree from Adelaide University. Tony has a Post Graduate in Business Sustainability and is a member of the Al Gore Australian Climate Project team. Tony Innes is the Managing Director and co-founder of Sustainable Directions) in Adelaide, South Australia. ( http://www.SustainableDirections.com.au ). He can be contacted on 0416 097 790 or at tony@sustainabledirections.com.au

Emu: The National Bird of Australia

Emu is the largest bird of Australia and is the only member of the genus Dromaius. It is also the second largest bird of the world after its ratite relative Ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emu recorded from Australia. It dwells along the mainland of Australia and avoids dense forests, heavily populated and arid areas. Emus are flightless birds with body reaching a height of about 2 meters and covered by brown, soft feathers. Neck and the legs are thin and long. They can travel great distances with a fast speed of about 50 km/h for some distance at a time. They are nomadic and may travel long distances in order to find food. They feed on a variety of plants and insects and can remain without food for many weeks. They also take stones, glass pieces and bits of metals which squash the food material in the digestive system. They drink water at an interval of one or two days and are also known to ingest copious fluids. They are also able to swim in water and are known to follow and watch other animals including humans also. They do not sleep continuously at night but are known to take short sleeps.

They are known to bear nails on their toes which are as sharp as knife and are used for kicking away the predators. Their legs are the strongest among all animals are bearing the potential of ripping metal wires and fences. Eye sight and the hearing power is very well developed in Emus so they can identify a predator easily even in the vicinity. The plumage on an eye keeps on changing according to the surrounding environment and acts as a camouflaging structure. Feathers incubate the body excellently and maintain homeostatic balance of the body. Male and female cannot be identified by the external appearance but on the basis of the loud calls that they produce from their inflatable necks. Mating occurs in May and June and they are not monogamous. Fighting among the males for females is very common. Females are known to mate with more than one male and produce a number of eggs in each season. Both male and female are known to gain weight before mating and most of the act of incubation is performed by the male. The male loses weight during incubation as he does not eat anything during this time. Eggs hatch after eight weeks and are nurtured by fathers. They become full grown in six months and will mate after half a year later. They may live from 10-20 years and are easily preyed by dingos, eagles and hawks. They may jump and kick in order to avoid dingos but can only run when chased by eagles and hawks.

They are hunted for their meat, oil and leather. Emu has lean meat and the oil bears good anti-oxidants but not suitable for humans. It is an important cultural icon of Australia and appears on the coins and on the coat of arms. They are classified in the family Casuariidae with their closest relatives, the cassowaries and in the order of ratites Struthioniformes. The body weight may range between 18-48 kg. The females are larger than males and bear wider rump. They bear vestigial wings measuring 20 cm and r a claw is present at the tip of these wings. The wings stabilize the body of the bird while it is moving. The musculature of the pelvic limbs provides them the power for swift running. There are only three toes in the legs and the number of bones and muscles is also reduced. Only gastrocnemius muscles are present at the back of the legs. Pelvic limb muscles play similar role like that of the flight muscles. While walking they take steps of around 100 cm but during striding the size of the steps may reach up to 275 cm. legs lack feathers and the underneath of the feet is provided with cushioned pads. They have a soft bill for grazing.

The neck of Emus is pale blue and sparsely covered with feathers. They have brown to grey-brown plumage and the shafts and the tips of the feathers are black in colour. The tips are known to absorb solar radiation and the inner plumage is known to provide insulation to the bird. Both the sexes are similar but the penis of the male can be seen clearly when he defecates. Plumage is very much influenced by the environmental conditions. Eyes are protected by the nictitating membranes. These membranes are translucent and secondary eyelids. They have a tracheal pouch which becomes more prominent during the mating season. This is used in courting as well as in communicating. The pouch may be 30 cm long, thin walled and very spacious. The amount of air entering the pouch affects the intensity of the call produced by the bird. Females cry typically louder than that of males. During the hot and sunny days the lungs act as evaporating coolers and avoid alkalosis of blood. The metabolic rate is low in comparison to other ratites. Their calls are made up of loud booming, grunting and drumming that can be heard from a distance of about 2 kilometers.

They dwell in most areas of Australia especially in the sclerophyll forest and savanna woodland and least in the populated areas. They travel in flocks showing typical social behaviour. They spend much of their time in preening their plumage with the help of beaks. They forage in a diurnal pattern. They devour crickets, ladybird beetles, moth larvae, ants and grasshoppers. They are known to form breeding pairs during the months of December and January and remain together for about five months. They make a territory and are known to guard it. Both the sexes attain weight and the females weigh heavier than the males weighing about 48-58 kg. Male loses around 9 kg weight while incubating the eggs. During the mating season the testicles in male become double in size which is under the control of luteinizing hormone and testosterone. Female court the males and attain more attractive physical appearance during the mating season. The plumage in female darkens. When a female finds a suitable mate it looks continuously at him by turning her neck and the rump also faces him. At this time female produces a call. Females are more aggressive for mates and often fight for males.

After mating the male loses appetite and constructs nest on the ground with the help of bark, sticks, grass and leaves. The nest is somewhat flat, spherical and 7 cm tall and provides best insulation to the eggs. The male may also add its feathers to the nest if he is interested. The pair mates every day or in a couple of two days and after each mating the female lays about 11 eggs which are very large, thick shelled and dark green eggs. The shell may be 1 mm thick and the number of eggs laid varies with every rainfall. Eggs may weigh 700-900 grams. Incubation period may be of 56 days. The eggs hatch into precocial young ones which require parental care. Newly hatched chicks are active and can leave the nest after few days. Chicks may become full grown in about 5-6 months and may stay with the family for about 6 months. Males can nurture the chicks for a period of about 7 months.

They are consumed as food by Australian and European settlers. Emu fat was used as bush medicine and was rubbed on the skin. It also served as an excellent lubricant. Emu fat contains low fat and cholesterol about 85 mg/100 g. Emu fat is rendered to produce oil to be used in cosmetics, therapeutic products and dietary supplements. The oil is harvested from the subcutaneous and retroperitoneal fat. The oil is a rich source of fatty acids namely, oleic, linoleic and palmitic acids along with various anti-oxidants like carotenoids and flavones. Researches have shown that the oil also bears anti-inflammatory properties. The leather is used for making wallets, shoes, decorative arts and crafts.

They deserve an important place in the Australian Aboriginal Mythology. Emu is the national bird of Australia.

Navodita Maurice