Culture[change | change source]

The Sydney Opera House was officially opened in 1973.

Australia was colonised by people from Britain,[23] but today people from all over the world live
there. English is the main spoken language, and Christianity is the main religion, though all
religions are accepted and not everybody has a religion. Australia is multicultural, which means that
all its people are encouraged to keep their different languages, religions and ways of life, while also
learning English and joining in with other Australians.
Famous Australian writers include the bush balladeers Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson who
wrote about life in the Australian bush. More modern famous writers include Peter Carey, Thomas
Keneally and Colleen McCullough. In 1973, Patrick White won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the
only Australian to have achieved this; he is seen as one of the great English-language writers of the
twentieth century.
Australian music has had lots of world-wide stars, for example the opera singers Nellie
Melba and Joan Sutherland, the rock and roll bands Bee Gees, AC/DC and INXS, the
folk-rocker Paul Kelly (musician), the pop singer Kylie Minogue and Australian country
music stars Slim Dusty and John Williamson. Australian Aboriginal music is very special and very
ancient: it has the famous digeridoo woodwind instrument.

didgeridoo

Australian TV has produced many successful programs for home and overseas - including Skippy
the Bush Kangaroo, Home and Away and Neighbours - and produced such well known TV stars
as Barry Humphries (Dame Edna Everage), Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) and The Wiggles.
Major Australian subgroups such as the Bogan have been shown on Australian TV in shows such
as Bogan Hunters and Kath & Kim.[24]
Australia has two public broadcasters (the ABC and the multi-cultural SBS), three commercial
television networks, three pay-TV services, and numerous public, non-profit television and radio
stations. Each major city has its daily newspapers, and there are two national daily newspapers, The
Australian and The Australian Financial Review.
Australian movies have a very long history. The world's first feature movie was the Australian
movie The Story of the Kelly Gang of 1906.[25] In 1933, In the Wake of the Bounty, directed
by Charles Chauvel, had Errol Flynn as the main actor.[26] Flynn went on to a celebrated career in
Hollywood. The first Australian Oscar was won by 1942's Kokoda Front Line!, directed by Ken G.
Hall.[27] In the 1970s and 1980s lots of big Australian movies and movie stars became world famous
with movies like Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli (with Mel Gibson), The Man From Snowy
River and Crocodile Dundee.[28] Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger became global
stars during the 1990s and Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman made a lot of
money in 2008.
Australia is also a popular destination for business conferences and research, with Sydney named as
one of the top 20 meeting destinations in the world.[29]