» The original culture of Australia can only be surmised: cultural patterns among the remote descendants of the first Australians cannot be assumed to be unchanged after 53,000 years of human habitation of the continent. Much more is known about the richly diverse cultures of modern Aboriginal Australians, or at least of those few who survived the impact of European colonization. Australian Aborigines are the indigenous peoples of Australia . Their ancestors probably arrived in Australia just over 50,000 years ago, although the date remains uncertain.


» Australia is slowly getting over its cultural cringe, and the white-bread Australia that Barry Humphries began railling against in the 50s has long gone. Experimental groups are pushing the boundaries of ideas (and taste) in all aspects of the arts and taking their efforts to the global stage. Australians are taking the leads in Hollywood , galleries of Australian art line the streets of London and New York and its musicians export new sounds across the oceans. Australia 's image as a sports-mad nation still rings true, but you're likely to end up talking football during an interval at the theatre and diuscussing the latest gallery trends between innings at the cricket.