Lesson five: Australia’s Cities

Australia’s Capital City Which city is the capital of Australia? How do you know? Source: Wikipedia

Canberra: National Capital Canberra is in the state New South Wales, in the south east. There are lots of parks and museums in Canberra. People say there is never any traffic in this city! Australia’s parliament and government is in Canberra. Canberra is not located right on the coast, but it is nearby.

Australia’s largest cities Australia’s six largest cities are: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth-Fremantle and Darwin. Each of these cities is the capital of one of Australia’s six states.

State Capital Cities Locate the states and match to the capital cities: New South Wales Victoria Queensland Western Australia Northern Territory South Australia Source: http://www.ozshots.com/map/

Where are the cities located? Are the cities located in coastal or inland areas?

Why are the cities located in coastal areas? Gold Coast city: the sixth most populated city in Australia. Gold Coast, Australia © Paul D’Ambra, Flickr The inland areas are too dry and there is not enough water. Pleasant climate and attractive scenery. The coasts are most accessible for trade and travel.

Drought in inland areas Cities have large populations so demand lots of water. The inland areas are too dry. Australian drought Wagga NSW December 2006 Schilling © John Schilling, Flickr

Good climate and attractive scenery The coastal climate is sunny and warm. The coasts are beautiful places to live. People like the beach lifestyle and water sports such as surfing. Summer days © Michael, Flickr

Coastal areas are more accessible than inland It takes 4 or 5 days to drive across Australia as it is such a huge country. The coastal areas are most accessible for Australian trade with other countries and travel. The European settlers first arrived by boat at the Australian coast, so this is where towns and settlements first began in the 1700’s. Burnett HWY, looking south. Australia © Tatters, Flickr

Main activity Each table group has a state capital city to research. Read the information sheet and discuss the images to become an expert on your city. Create an information poster and include pictures. Be ready to present your poster to the class and answer questions.

Plenary Present your information poster to the class and teach other groups about your city. Take questions from your peers. Would you like to travel to your city? Why?