Daily life and cultural practices
An overview of documented cultural practices — not an exhaustive list, and without claiming to sum up the real diversity of people's habits.
Sydney Opera House
Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and opened in 1973 after a ten-year delay and a huge budget overrun, the Sydney Opera House, known for its precast concrete shells covered with more than a million tiles, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2007 and hosts more than 1,800 performances a year.
Uluru and Anangu culture
This 348-metre-high sandstone monolith in the Northern Territory is a sacred site for the Aboriginal Anangu people, to whom ownership of the site was returned in 1985 before it was leased back to the state for 99 years. Climbing the rock, long tolerated despite Anangu opposition, has been banned since October 26, 2019.
The Great Barrier Reef
The largest coral ecosystem in the world, it stretches for more than 2,300 km off Queensland and is home to exceptional marine biodiversity, but suffers recurring coral bleaching events linked to warming waters.
Cricket and Australian rules football
Cricket, inherited from the British tradition, holds a central place in national identity, notably through the historic "Ashes" rivalry with England. The Australian Football League (AFL), an indigenous sport born in Melbourne in the 19th century and almost unique in the world, draws huge crowds every year, especially for the Grand Final.
Vegemite and the barbecue
A dark spread made from yeast extract, Vegemite, invented in 1922, remains a strong marker of identity despite its very distinctive taste. Outdoor barbecue culture (the "barbie") and a cuisine strongly shaped by immigration (Asian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern) characterise contemporary eating habits.
Aboriginal art and the didgeridoo
Contemporary Aboriginal art, especially the dot painting developed from the 1970s in the central desert, draws on motifs and stories of the Dreaming that are tens of thousands of years old. The didgeridoo, a traditional wind instrument from northern Australia, is one of its best-known musical symbols abroad.