Australia is a fascinating country. Due to its isolation from the rest of the world, it is home to hundreds of animal species and many thousands of plants that are not found anywhere else on the planet.

By area, Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, and it also a continent.

Teach your children about Australia using our handy topic guide!

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Teaching Ideas

Use this page of information about the Great Barrier Reef to write a report about it.
Write your own factfile about Australia; this page from National Geographic Kids is a good place to start your research.
Cook some delicious Anzac biscuits.
Compare life in Britain and Australia with this resource from BBC Teach.
Make your own boomerang.

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Resources

Our Australia resources include fact cards, display lettering and useful images.
Use this fantastic scheme of work about Australia from the Royal Geographical Society.
This pack from Fort Wayne Childrens’ Zoo has lots of information and activities related to Australian geography and animals.
This page from 3D Geography is full of worksheets to support teaching about Australia.
Make a timeline of James Cook using the facts from this page from the Royal Museums Greenwich.
Make your own coral reef in a box.

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Australia Facts

Over 10 million people visit Sydney Opera House every year.
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living organism on the planet.
Australia has more reptile species than any other planet in the world, with more than 750.
Australia comes from the latin word australis, which means southern.
Over 90% of the people who live in Australia live near the coast. This is because most of the interior of the country is desert, known as the Outback.

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Videos

Australian Animals

This video shows native Australian animals, along with their calls and their name in different languages.

Running time: 4:37

Australia

This National Geographic video gives a good overview of the country.

Running time: 2:55

History of Australia

Learn about the history of Australia from prehistoric times.

Running time: 4:06

Didgeridoo for Kids

Join in with this school performance by a didgeridoo expert.

Running time: 3:26

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Books

The Koala Who Could

A wonderful rhyming story for younger readers.

Where the Forest Meets the Sea

The beautiful, classic story of a young boy’s visit to the rain forest of North Queensland.

Tiddalick, the Greedy Frog

A retelling of the story of Tiddalick, who drinks all of the water, and the animals who try to get it back.

Possum Magic

Grandma Poss makes Hush invisible. But one day Hush wants to be visible again…

Over In Australia

Learn about the unique animals of Australia in this book for younger readers.

Introducing Australia

This book provides a great introduction to the continent of Australasia.

Shapes of Australia

Explore the landscapes of Australia in this gorgeous book.

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Links

This terrific site is full of accessible information and was created by a 14 year old!
Visit the Dreamtime site to read creation stories from Australia.
This collection of games is great for teaching younger children about the Australian Bush.
Identify the states and territories of Australia with this simple quiz.
Can you strike it rich in the Australian Gold Rush? Find out with this game from the National Museum, Australia.