Australia. Only Facts...

Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent and its outlying islands. The mainland is the largest island and the smallest, flattest continent on Earth.

In land area, Australia is the sixth largest nation after Russia, Canada, China, the United States of America and Brazil. It has, however, a relatively small population.

Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent. Sheep and cattle graze in dry country, but care must be taken with the soil. Some grazing land became desert when the long cycles that influence rainfall in Australia turned to drought.

Australia has had one of the most outstanding economies of the world in recent years. As a high-growth, low-inflation, low interest rate economy, it is more vibrant than ever before. There is an efficient government sector, a flexible labour market and a very competitive business sector.

Australia's culturally diverse society includes its Indigenous peoples and settlers from countries all around the world.

Immigration is an important feature of Australian society. Since 1945, over 6 million people from 200 countries have come to Australia as new settlers. Migrants have made a major contribution to shaping modern Australia. People born overseas make up almost one quarter of the total population.

The federal government sets immigration intake numbers on a yearly basis. Australia's immigration policies are non-discriminatory and all applicants to migrate must meet the same selection criteria.

Australia’s lifestyle reflects its mainly Western origins, but Australia is also a multicultural society which has been enriched by over six million settlers from almost 200 nations. Four out of ten Australians are migrants or the first-generation children of migrants, half of them from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Australia is the only nation to occupy an entire continent. Its land mass of nearly 7.7 million km2 is the flattest and (after Antarctica) driest of continents, yet it has extremes of climate and topography. There are rainforests and vast plains in the north, snowfields in the south east, desert in the centre and fertile croplands in the east, south and south west. About one third of the country lies in the tropics. Australia has a coastline of 36 735km.

Isolation of the Australian island-continent for 55 million years created a sanctuary for the flora and fauna. Marsupials were saved from competition with more highly developed mammals. Birds unique to Australia also survived, and distinctive trees and plants developed. Australia’s best-known animals are the kangaroo, koala, platypus and spiny anteater. Of more than 700 bird species listed in Australia, 400 - including the large, flightless emu - are found nowhere else. Australia has 20 000 species of plants, including living fossils such as the cycad palm and the grass tree, and brilliant wildflowers such as the waratah, Sturt’s desert pea, the flowering cones of banksia trees, and the red and green kangaroo paw. The continent has 700 species of acacia, which Australians call wattle, and 1200 species in the Myrtaceae family which includes eucalypts or gum trees.

New Zealand - a country of contrast and variety

A country of contrast and variety, New Zealand offers stunning landscapes and world-class attractions. With towering mountains, pristine lakes and rivers, thermal wonderlands, superb beaches and delightful cities, New Zealand has something for everyone.

New Zealand is famous for its magnificent natural beauty and outdoor attractions, and visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding what to do. Jasons now features video listings of accommodation and attractions in New Zealand. They give you in-depth previews of the fantastic experiences New Zealand has to offer.

Fish for trout and salmon in pristine rivers and lakes, walk on a mighty glacier, hike through the beautiful native bush, experience the thrill of swimming with dolphins, or dine among the vines in New Zealand's acclaimed wine regions. Whatever you choose to do, New Zealand has all the bases covered.

For the more adventurous, New Zealand has just about every adventure activity you can imagine, from rafting and canyoning to skydiving and mountaineering. You can kayak on a remote fiord, hit the slopes for a spot of heliskiing, take to the skies in a hot air balloon, or try one of the uniquely New Zealand adventures like zorbing or the famous bungy jump.

Places you might like to visit on your New Zealand travels include Fiordland, a World Heritage Area renowned for the magnificent Milford Sound; Northland's stunning Bay of Islands region; Rotorua and Taupo, at the heart of the North Island's famous thermal plateau; vast limestone caves at Waitomo; and the South Island's adventure capitals of Queenstown and Wanaka. Soak up some culture at the main centres of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, or sample the award-winning wines and gourmet produce of Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, Gisborne, Nelson and Marlborough.

Jasons New Zealand Accommodation Guide has complete details of available accommodation options in New Zealand, whether you're looking for hotels, motels and motor lodges, camping and holiday parks, bed & breakfasts, apartments, backpackers, or resorts and lodges.

New Zealand's legendary beauty and unique wildlife are a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. You'll find hundreds of parks, walkways, wildlife reserves and marine sanctuaries just waiting to be explored, and three magnificent World Heritage Areas that are home to some of the world's scenic jewels. Walk on the volcano where Lord of The Rings filming took place, cruise a remote fiord deep in the heart of Fiordland, fish for trout or salmon in pristine rivers and lakes, walk on a mighty river of ice or fly high above New Zealand's highest peak, Aoraki/Mt Cook.

Adventure lovers can set their pulses racing with everything from mountaineering and heli-skiing to cave tubing, river sledging and tandem skydiving. Take the plunge on a bungy jump, race through dramatic glacial canyons on a jetboat, raft the rapids on our wild rivers or experience the thrill of swimming with the dolphins.

Of course, there are more leisurely ways to go exploring as well. You can head into the native bush on one of New Zealand's world-famous hiking tracks, enjoy a wildlife cruise or whalewatching tour, or soak away your stress in one of our natural thermal springs. Just as tempting are the superb food and wine trails – relaxing over a glass of wine and gourmet meal is the perfect way to break your travels. Wherever you travel in New Zealand, you’ll discover a world of beauty and adventure that will refresh your spirits.

Oceania & Food

Throughout the years, Oceania has remained true to its mission of supplying quality, wholesome and nutritious foods at the lowest possible prices, emphasizing organically grown foods. Organically grown means that food is grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Products carried at Oceana contain no artificial additives or chemical preservatives.

Oceania is the section of the world located in the Pacific oceans. It includes a number of different countries, as well as small volcanic islands that have no names. Some of the countries that reside in Oceania are Australia, Indonesia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, and New Zealand.

Because there are so many different islands, each with a different culture inhabiting it, there is no one cuisine that is shared by them all. There are some common ingredients and spices that some of the islands share between them, but the dishes are extremely varied in flavor as well as texture.

Food in Australia

Because Australia was colonized by people from England most of their cuisine is based in that of Great Britain. There are plenty of meat pies, steaks -steak is a staple in the Australian diet and grilled chicken, often accompanied by vegetables. Some exotic meats like kangaroo, crocodile, or buffalo might also appear in an Australian menu. Seafood like mud crabs or yabbies (shrimp) are also well-liked. Australia major cities are on the coast, so they always have the freshest seafood. With such a huge range of fresh produce, Australia can boast of one of the finest cuisines in the world.

Eating outdoors is popular and most Australian houses would have barbecues. Aussies also share the British tradition of afternoon tea which consists mainly of sandwiches and cookies with tea or juice to drink.

In Australia there are a lot of immigrants -in the 50s they were from Italy and Greece, in the 70s it was Vietnam and Asia- so Australians appreciate a whole range of foods and are not averse to stealing from them all. In the 60's finding a packet of dried pasta in the supermarket was a thrill. Nowadays you can find arborio rice or Malay, Indian or Thai curry pastes in any small town supermarket. Italians brought their love of coffee with them, and in the past 15 years this has grown to be one of Australia’s biggest love affairs, black, strong coffee always with the cream floating on the top.

Food in New Zealand

Though there is a love for fish and chips inherited from British settlers, New Zealand cuisine -varied, young and fresh- it is relatively new in the world of food and this relative youth brings a willingness to experiment with dishes. Newly picked ingredients from its fertile farms and sea make it fresh. New Zealanders feel relaxed at meal times and meals progress slowly; that’s the way they like it.

Who does not know about New Zealand lamb? But there is also pork, venison, salmon, oysters, paua (abalone), mussels and some varieties of New Zealand clams, kumara (sweet potato) and kiwis. Kiwi cuisine would be New Zealand’s.

Many of the islands in Oceana that are close to Asia use rice and noodles, just as the Asian culture does. The starches are a staple in the diet, served with almost every meal. One dish that is popular is called nasi goreng. Nasi goreng is created when fried rice is mixed with other items. Sometimes the leftovers from the night before are thrown into the dish and it is served for breakfast. Chicken is also cooked frequently on the islands. Some islands spice the chicken up and grill it, while others make a type of chicken soup out of it. Many of the island chickens are allowed to run wild and are skinnier and have more muscles because of it.

Australian Marriage Traditions

Oceania basically refers to New Zealand and Australia, two of the liveliest countries full of excitements and attractions. Both Australia and New Zealand are British Commonwealth members. Many of the Oceania traditions of marriage are borrowed from Great Britain. With the stately traditions of Great Britain the wedding traditions of Oceania are colored with local colors and different flavors.

The Oceania traditions of marriage differ according to different lands. Australian marriage traditions are different from marriage traditions of New Zealand.

New Zealand has many luxirious marriage traditions. The marriage is held in the church replete with a bride wearing a white gown and bridesmaid dressed in nice dresses. The groom in New Zealand wears dark coat, white shirt and dark pants. The groom is assisted by his best man and the groomsmen. If the groom sees his bride before she walks down the aisle on the wedding day, it is believed to be bad luck in New Zealand. New Zealand marriage customs have incorporated many Maori customs. Being the native people of New Zealand, Maori have some great traditions and customs.

Australian Marriage Traditions

Australian wedding is splendid. The color of the dress in Australian wedding is white traditionally. White is the symbol of future joy and hope. In Australia, traditionally a keepsake Bible is gifted to the groom and bride. These marriage Bibles are treated as treasures and as family heirlooms, and travel from generation to generation.

As Australia is a British Commonwealth member, Australian marriages have many customs of Great Britain marriage traditions. Irish and Scottish weddings are also performed in Australia. The aboriginal customs of Australia make Australian marriages colorful and different. At the end of marriage ceremony in Australia, rings are exchanged. As in the world, the circular ring symbolizes the un-ending bond of love.

Music is an integral part of Australian wedding. Wide range of music is played in Australian weddings including bagpipes, American music and tradition English music. Aboriginal didgeridoo is also played in Australian wedding.

Maori Marriage Traditions

In Maori wedding traditions, the groom and the bride are welcomed with ceremony, known as Powhiri. This welcome often is inclusive of the traditional warrior challenge. After the marriage is conducted, the couple is blessed by a Maori Tribal leader. Maori flavored Oceania marriage traditions have “infinity loops”, which are placed around the necks of the groom and the bride, a symbol of their never-ending love.

Whatever are the marriage rituals and traditions the marriage ceremony is the time of celebration and joy. Oceania has its unique marriage traditions and celebration of the auspicious bond. Explore the different marriage traditions of Oceania and enrich your knowledge of marriage traditions around the world.