Guth & Tuairim, Nollaig 1983

A t I• states and two territories. The Us ra I a. national government is based in j Canberra, a city specially built i to be the caprtal. Most of .Australia- it's the only Australia's huge nation in the world to have agricultural output comes whole continent to itself! from a narrow 1t is a vast land, crescent-shaped fertile almost as large as the strip stretching along the United States. But it coast from the northeast to the has a lot less people, southeast. only 15 million. That's The Great Barrier Reef is less than there are in all of greater New York City! If the Australian population was spread out all over the country there wou Id be less than five people to every square mile. But almost 90 percent of Australians choose to live on the coasts in the big cities. The kangaroo, koala, kookaburra, platypus, Tasmanian devil, eucalyptus tree and boomerang are just a few of the things that make Australia extraordinary. lt is the flattest of all the continents, yet its southern island state of Tasmania is one of the most rugged islands in the world. Australia has literal mountains of iron ore, nearly 30 million acres of grain fields, I0 times as many sheep as people and lots of sunshine 1 Two thirds of the country is desert or semidesert. Australians call it the outback. Some of the world's largest cattle and sheep ranches - called stations - are in this area. Because they live too far away from the nearest school, many children in the outback listen to a special school on the radio, called School of the Air. Sometimes they have a two-way radio so they can talk to their teacher as well as listen. Australia is composed of six probably Australia's greatest natural wonder. It lies along the coast of Queensland, the · northernmost state. Sightseers from all over the world come to enjoy this I,200-mile underwater world of brilliantly colored coral and tropical fish . With lots of sunny weather, it is not surprising that Australians spend much of their leisure time out-of-doors enjoying barbecues, picnics and sports. Because most people live near the ocean, swimming, surfing, fishing and yachting are among the most popular activities. Australia is a young nation. was first settled in I 788 by the British. It is a member of the British Commonwealth. Many of the first settlers were prisoners or convicts sent from England, but the number of free settlers grew rapidly. Since those early years millions of people - mostly from Britain and Europe - have made Australia their new home. CROSFHOCAL 9 ACROSS 167. Shrink (8) ; 23. Plant (4) 1. Melt (4) 69. Consider (10) 26. Resin (5) 5. Reverse (4) 72. Kidnap (9) ! 28. Plea (5) 8. Lazy (4) 75. Finale (4) i 32. Legal wrong (4) 10. Eskimo house (5) : 77. Dread (6) 35. Partia1(6) 1L Nee (4) 79. Animal (4) , 36. Carriage (6} 12. Osier (6) 80. Extant (5) ·· 38. Parasitic.in~ed (5) 13. Eager (4) : 81. Amphibious .. ·39. Salar~ (3) 15. Abatement (9) b~trachian{4)' · ....'AO:"Generatrix (6) 18. Enticement to ev~ Q~) M!Sffle.(4) ... > ' 41. Affi'brosia (6) 21. Vista (8) • 83: Covc;t(4), •· .42. Spill (5) '24. Container (3) ·· • : 44. Ether (3) 25. Passed on (7) 45. Girdle (4) • 27. Cavort (5) 47. Bird (5) 29. Greek letter (3) DOWN 48. View (5) 30. Cab (4) 1. Healer (9) 50. Counsellor (6) 31. Vacated (7) 2. Dry river bed (4) 52. Soldier of fortune 33. Animal (5) 3. Lubrication 54. Cool (5) (10) 34. Target cent~e (4) from flax (7-3) 56. Lord (5) ( 37. Stranger (5) 4. Muse (4) 57. Record (4) 39. Niggardly (12) 5. Prow (3) 59. Remotely (9) 43. Externally (9) 6. Slander (7) 62. Platform (4) 44. Enter without 7. Depressed (3) 63. Jacket (6) invitation (4-5) 8. Writing fluid (3) 64. Grassy plain (7) 46. Bountihood (12) 9. Eagle (4) 65. Rodent (3) 49. Friendship (5) i 11. Ran (6) 68. Fourth caliph (3) 51. Infrequent (4) 14. Self(3) 70. Finish (3) J 53. Phase (5) 16. Low (3) 71. Tax (4) 55. Paid (7) : 17. Breeding place (4) 73. Seethe (4) 58. Desire (4) 18. Flower (5) 74. Period (4) 60. Tank (3) 19. Age (3) 76. Annex (3) 61. Rate (5) ' 20. Mother-of-pearl (5) 77. Number (3) 63. Check (7) 22. Writer (6) 78. Engine (3) 66. Tatter (3) Freagrar ar lth. 15. FILL IN ONLY THE 6 TRIANGLES AND YOU WILL SEE A HIDDEN PICTURE.