4 Fascinating Facts About Australia You’ve Probably Never Heard Of | Amazing Journeys
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
- In this video, we dive deep into the intriguing history and lesser-known stories of Australia, unveiling four fascinating facts you’ve probably never heard of! From the origins of the name "Australia" to the fierce rivalry that led to the selection of Canberra as the capital, you’ll be amazed by these hidden details.
1. The Name “Australia” - A Mysterious History: Did you know that Australia wasn't always called Australia? Discover the surprising origins of the name and how it evolved from a mere theory in the 2nd century AD to the continent we know today. Learn about the Greek scholar Claudius Ptolemy's role in the theory of a southern land and how explorers like Matthew Flinders helped make it a reality.
2. The Great Capital Debate - Sydney vs. Melbourne: Australia’s capital wasn’t always Canberra. In fact, the fierce rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne almost decided the fate of the nation. Watch the story unfold, revealing how a compromise led to the creation of a brand-new capital city, built from scratch in a neutral location to avoid domination by either city.
3. The Hidden Meaning Behind the Australian Flag: What do the stars on the Australian flag really represent? Learn about the Southern Cross constellation and its significance, and how the Commonwealth Star has changed over time to reflect Australia’s evolving political structure. Did you know the flag was designed through a national competition? Find out how Australia’s flag came to be and what each element truly symbolizes.
4. Australia’s Roots - From Penal Colony to Global Power: The story of Australia’s early days is a dramatic one. Discover how Captain Cook’s 1770 observation of a "barren" land was just the beginning, and how the British eventually established a penal colony in Botany Bay, which led to the birth of the modern Australian nation. It wasn’t just convicts who shaped the country; indigenous cultures had thrived on the land for tens of thousands of years before the British arrived.
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Your fleet of 11 ships went the wrong way! Arthur Phillip’s First Fleet sailed via Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Table Bay (now Cape Town, South Africa), then non-stop across the Indian and Southern Oceans, not around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America and across the Pacific Ocean as shown in the video, instead passing south of Van Dieman’s Land (now called Tasmania) before heading up the east coast of Australia to Botany Bay (now part of Sydney), and then a final short hop up the coast to Port Jackson and to Sydney Cove.
Thank you so much for your detailed correction! When I made the video, I simply illustrated the journey as the ships traveling from England to Australia, but I now see that I made an error in the route. I really appreciate your comment pointing out the accurate course of the First Fleet. It's always great to have such insightful feedback to improve the content.
@@AmazeJourneys two reasons they went that way, the prevailing winds blow from left to right on the map and Cape Town was a good port closer to Australia than anywhere else.
@@lexsaunders1742 That's an interesting observation! It does seem curious that they stopped in Rio de Janeiro, requiring them to cross the Atlantic twice. Perhaps the route was planned to make use of trade winds and safe harbors for resupplying along the way. Cape Town being closer to Australia makes sense, but the additional stop in Rio might have been strategic for provisions or repairs. Fascinating logistics!
There weren't any camels in Australia until some 70+ years after Cook!
You seem to forget is that the oldest civilisation on earth lived in Australia. The indigenous people were established when Europeans were small groups of hunter gatherers who lived in isolated families.
You're absolutely right, and it's incredible to think about. The Indigenous cultures of Australia represent the oldest continuous civilization on Earth, thriving for over 60,000 years. Their history, traditions, and knowledge systems are a profound testament to human resilience and ingenuity. It’s something we all should remember and respect.
Banks saw a Dromedary, I'll have to change my understanding of the fauna of Australia.
Thank you for pointing that out! The illustration of the dromedary camel at 15:58 might indeed lead to a misunderstanding that Banks saw it in 1770. In reality, that segment was meant to depict Australia’s diverse fauna overall, not specifically what was observed during Banks’ time. I sincerely apologize for the confusion this might have caused.
To clarify, dromedaries, or one-humped camels, are not native to Australia. They were introduced by Europeans in the 19th century for transportation and exploration in the arid central regions of the continent. Thank you for helping us ensure accuracy!
This channel get so many historical facts wrong, camels didn't arrive in Australia until they were brought over with their Afghan camel drivers to survey and build the north south telegraph line between Adelaide and Darwin, completed in 1872.
Thank you for watching the video. In this part, we talk about interesting issues in Australia that may not have been discussed on RUclips before. Hope you like it. Thanks again and feel free to explore more of our videos at the link. ruclips.net/video/6w4tdhN6718/видео.html
i hate to tell you this but our country's name is The Commonwealth of Australia, but aussies shorten everything so it become Australia then straya or even oz, but it is still the Commonwealth of Australia, and yet to this day Canberra has no idea about the rest of the country
. I guess it’s part of the Aussie identity, keeping things relaxed and easy-going, even when it comes to the name of our country
@@AmazeJourneys Nah, it’s to keep the flies out. The more one talks, the greater the chance of flies flying into a mouth that’s open. Seriously! They are always seeking moisture in this dry land.
1. Geographically, it sits in a basin that can be easily deliniated and seen as a 'border'.
2. The group detailed to find a site thought that it would be a suitable for a picnic but a shit place to live - very hot in summer and bloody cold in winter.
3. The homestead on the property was called 'Duntroon'. This is now the site of the Australian Army's Officer Training School.
4. No official announcement was made about the pronounciation of Canberra CANberra or CanBERRA. They waited for the Governor General's wife to ifficially name the site and went with her pronounciation.
Thank you for sharing these fascinating details! It’s always interesting to dive deeper into the history and quirks of places like Canberra. The story about the Governor General’s wife deciding the pronunciation is particularly charming, such a casual yet impactful moment. And the geographic and historical context you’ve provided adds so much depth to its selection as the capital. Truly appreciated!
I dont know if you can edit this video - as the CAMELS should not be there - they came over much later as suitable pack animals with the task of transporting goods in central Australia and thus help to build inland railway lines . The Australian camels established themselves in central Australia and are now highly regarded as they are an original breed not contaminated by cross breeding like many middle eastern breeds today
You're right to highlight the role of camels in Australia's history, but they were actually introduced earlier than many people think. The first camels arrived in Australia in the 1840s, and their significant use began in the 1860s for exploration and transport. By the 1880s, camels were already a common sight in central Australia, assisting with tasks like transporting goods and supporting infrastructure projects. So, they were indeed present during that time! Thanks for the chance to clarify this fascinating part of Australian history.
As for the position of over crowding in English prisons, transporting convicts was not a new idea. England was involved in the war for American independence so that coumtry was out of the question for penal resettlement. Hence Terra Australis seemed like an ideal solution. As for the real bad ones they went to either Port Aurthur near Hobart or Kingston on Norfolk Island another nice place was Maquarie Harbour on the west coast of Tasmania. All these places had natural wardens (sharks)
Great points! You're absolutely right. Transporting convicts to Australia was part of a broader strategy, especially given the challenges following the American Revolution. The idea of using the vast, isolated lands of Terra Australis offered a solution to overcrowding in English prisons. Port Arthur, Norfolk Island, and Macquarie Harbour were notorious penal settlements, with their natural isolation and tough conditions providing a “deterrent” of sorts. The mention of sharks as natural wardens is quite a darkly humorous way to put it, but certainly fitting considering the harsh reality of these locations! Thank you for adding that context!
Melbourne was the capital of Australia for 27 years.
@ how do you tell where the Capital city of a country is? It is where the federal parliament meets, debates and passes laws. Your suggesting Australia had no capital for 27 years, that’s ludicrous! Melbourne is where parliament met, its where Queen Victoria’s son opened the first Australian parliament on her behalf. If Melbourne wasn’t the Capital city of Australia what city was? Don’t say Canberra because it didn’t exist. A country has to have a capital city, the home of its government. It was Melbourne.
The woman in the thumbnail may as well be promoting Britain with that top she is wearing ---- too much British Union Jack !
That's an interesting observation! It’s true that Australia still shares a strong historical and cultural connection with the UK, and the Union Jack on the Australian flag is a reflection of that shared heritage.
Aboriginal people have been here for 65000+ years
Yeah Nah...
And did SFA
You gotta love AI scripting and Text to Speech... "Five Teen Hundred"... Hahaha.
This is the "Whitest of Whitest Colonial Summary" of Australia I've ever seen... and I was educated as an Australian child in the 70s! Even then we knew a lot about the first inhabitants. To say Australia wasn't "discovered" until the west found it is unbelievably absurd. Imagine Aboriginals being told they were "discovered" after living effectively and productively over 60K-100K years.... Honestly, this comes across like a far-right think-tank's revisionist history - I acknowledge there was a PASSING reference to the inhabitants but seriously.. And as to the flag - My opinion is we've moved far beyond clinging onto the apron-trim of the UK and would want our own, independent flag (and constitution)... a flag that is either reflective (aboriginal flag) or something more "inclusive", recognising the traditional inhabitants AND the evolving ethnic landscape (I include "White people" like myself as "ethnic").
Thank you for your comment. Honestly, we were aiming to explain the founding of modern Australia, which naturally meant focusing less on the rich Indigenous culture. This wasn’t an act of exclusion, but rather a reflection of the specific angle of this video. We deeply respect and acknowledge the profound history of Australia’s First Peoples and will be sure to highlight it more comprehensively in future content.
Productively how ? any Pyramids? Maths? Farming? They sat here for all those years raiding each other and did absolutely nothing And my friend I served 21 years under that flag so shove it where the sun does not shine
Ptolemy wasn't proven at all.
The mass of exposed land is still "unbalanced".
It was a ludicrous assertion in the first place.
Why is it continued as a talking point?
For talks sake I guess.
You're right, Ptolemy's theories weren't fully accurate, but his imagination was ahead of its time. While his idea of a southern landmass was speculative, the discovery of Australia later on validated, to some extent, his belief in the existence of undiscovered territories. It's incredible to think that his guess, while flawed, pointed towards something as extraordinary as Australia. For me, that's quite remarkable!
@@AmazeJourneys so many errors in this video! lolz
Deep Thought had the same reaction as I had, at least these A.J. docs need to get their geography and history correct; it was almost impossible to sail around Cape Horn in westerly direction, sailing east around the Cape of Good Hope is the only feasible course.