Although the Australian outback is often a typical feature of Land Down Under, we must not forget the coral reefs under brilliant blue waves, the white sands and tanned "Australians" that are also part of the people's identity. The Australian continent is lined with over 47,000 kilometers of beach paradise. However, surfing and swimming have always been part of Australian life. Before 1902, ocean bathing was considered indecent and it was forbidden to bathe in the ocean during the day. Men and women could only swim at night and early in the morning and never at the same time! Until one September day, William Gocher, an audacious Australian swam openly at Bondi Beach during the day. This event broke the strict views of the ocean bath and people began to enjoy the vast seas surrounding their country. But nothing of leisure opened the door to the inevitable dangers of the sea. That's when groups of seasoned surfers started forming lifeguard clubs to protect less-experienced swimmers from unpredictable ocean mood swings. But believe it or not, these life-saving clubs started before the surfboard was introduced as a sport in Australia! It wasn't until the summer of 1915 when a Hawaiian visitor surprised the crowd with his skills on a sign made of local wood. The foreign knight took a woman into the water with him. Her name was Elizabeth Latham, and she became Australia's first surfer! Today, AUstralians feed their competitive strength with hundreds of professional, local and national surfing competitions.
1. What is Land Down Under? Why do you think it's called that?
2. What is the Australian outback? What is usually found there?
3. Explain what life-saving surf clubs are all about.
4. The ocean is a dangerous place. What are some dangers of swimming and some tips on how to be safe on the beach.
Respostas
1. The term Down Under is a colloquialism which is variously construed to refer to Australia and New Zealand. The term comes from the fact that these countries are in the Southern Hemisphere, "below" many other countries, especially other Western countries, on a Eurocentric globe where cardinal north faces towards the top.
2. The Outback is the vast, remote interior of Australia. There is found the coral reefs under brilliant blue waves, the white sands and tanned "Australians".
3. It is a groups of seasoned surfers that formed some lifeguard clubs to protect less-experienced swimmers from unpredictable ocean mood swings.
4. The ocean is dangerous because in one moment the waves can appear calm and in the next moment it can change its mood and start to agitate, endangering the lives of less experienced swimmers. So a tip is to always be attentive, and stay in areas with a larger number of people.