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Australia relies a great deal on industry, agriculture and tourism to foster its economy.  It has a thriving film industry and very advanced technology. Most tourists visit places such as Sydney Harbour, Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Central Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland.  Other favorite destinations are the wine making areas of South Australia and northern Victoria, the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, the natural wonders of Tasmania and the huge outback expanses of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.  Some cattle stations in Australia rival Texas in size and the distance between towns in some areas is enormous.

Australia relies a great deal on industry, agriculture and tourism to foster its economy.  It has a thriving film industry and very advanced technology. Most tourists visit places such as Sydney Harbour, Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Central Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland.  Other favorite destinations are the wine making areas of South Australia and northern Victoria, the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, the natural wonders of Tasmania and the huge outback expanses of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.  Some cattle stations in Australia rival Texas in size and the distance between towns in some areas is enormous.

80% of Australia's population, of just over 20,000,000 people, live on the coast line.  It is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries (2.7 people per square kilometre)[http://www.abs.gov.au ABS].  Water is scarce and some cities have some form of water restrictions in place.

80% of Australia's population, of just over 20,000,000 people, live on the coast line.  It is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries (2.7 people per square kilometre)<ref>[http://www.abs.gov.au ABS]</ref>.  Water is scarce and some cities have some form of water restrictions in place.

Weather extremes are common in Australia with temperatures sometimes measured into the high 40s Celsius (45 degrees Celsius = 113 degrees Fahrenheit).  The city of Darwin was destroyed by Cyclone Tracey in 1974 and bushfires often ravage the southern states - one of the worst occurring on Ash Wednesday in 1983 when over 2000 homes were destroyed and over 70 people lost their lives in Victoria and South Australia.

Weather extremes are common in Australia with temperatures sometimes measured into the high 40s Celsius (45 degrees Celsius = 113 degrees Fahrenheit).  The city of Darwin was destroyed by Cyclone Tracey in 1974 and bushfires often ravage the southern states - one of the worst occurring on Ash Wednesday in 1983 when over 2000 homes were destroyed and over 70 people lost their lives in Victoria and South Australia.