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Welcome to Australia–The Land Down Under!
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andandandBeautiful Country
From its diverse coastline to its interior Outback, Australia is such a beautiful country. Equal in size to the continental United States (land mass), Australia is home to almost 26 million people spread throughout 7 states. Sydney (5.3 million), Melbourne (5.0 million), and Brisbane (2.6 million) are ranked as the top three most populated cities.
During our 26 days, Team Australia will minister to several churches within the Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney regions. These cities are located in three of their seven states: Queensland, Victoria, and New South Wales, respectively.
Driving
Because Australia has English roots, driving is on the left side of the road, so in essence, American drivers must remember that basically everything is opposite. Also, one must remember that miles per hour is now kilometers per hour as the typical speed limit on the National Highways/Motorways is 110 kilometers per hour (almost 70 mph).
Because Australia is such a large area, our ministries are spread out and require either flying or much driving. For example, the distance between Melbourne and Sydney is over 500 miles (a 1.5-hour flight), and Melbourne to Brisbane is over 1,000 miles (a 2-hour flight).
After sunset, most drivers stay off the roads due to roaming wildlife (kangaroos, emus, black cows), especially outside the towns/cities. Because of the wildlife (particularly the kangaroos), many folks equip their vehicles with “roo” bars and/or an extra set of headlights to help scour the night roads for extra safety.
Weather
When we arrive in Australia in late June, it will be the winter season when nights get chilly and temperatures can dip below freezing. Thankfully, the days warm up to around 10–15 degrees celsius (in the 50s and 60s). During the evening, particularly out of the towns on a clear evening, one can clearly see the Milky Way galaxy and myriads of stars, even the Southern Cross constellation. One can only think of what David said in Psalm 19:1 when he said, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
The People
Special attribution is made today to the indigenous Aboriginal people who were present before the English settled Australia as a penal colony. Although Australia has a large English influence, it is a diverse nation with many people groups. The Australian mindset is that of fun and sports as they are very laid back with a “no worries, mate” mentality. They love the outdoors, are health conscious, and overall are very friendly people.
