Australia And Turkey: Bond Made In The Battlefield

If you look at the lot of people coming into Australia, visa holders would often come from many different places around the world. This is not really that surprising, because the land down under is considered to be one of the best places to move into nowadays. And one of those countries that have a lot of people moving in to Australia is Turkey.

However, aside from immigration, it is surprising to note that both countries actually share a lot with each other. Though many Australians don't really know where Turkey is (they often think that it's a kind of dish) and vice versa, the two countries actually has a long history of relationship with each other. And as you read on, you will gain a better appreciation of the bond that these two have despite the distance that separates them.

The first meeting between Australia and Turkey actually occurred on the battlefield almost a hundred years ago. In World War I, Australia was one of the major participants in the Gallipoli Campaign, led by the British. The campaign was intended to capture the city of Istanbul, then the capital of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. On the other hand, for the Turks, this was to defend themselves from invasion.

The battle was recorded as one of the fiercest that was fought in modern times with heavy casualties on both sides. Though the intended purpose of the campaign did not succeed, the war did eventually led to the formation of the current Republic of Turkey. The war has since been remembered by the two countries with a commemoration every April 24 and 25 in Canakkale, Turkey, where much of the battle took place. Also, both countries contributed in the building of the memorial in ANZAC Cove, also in Turkey, remembering the soldiers from both sides that have died in battle.

After the wars, it took a long time before formal diplomatic relations between the two countries was began. Finally, in 1967, the two opened up diplomatic relationships with each other. Turkey was the first one to do so when it opened its embassy in Canberra that year. On the other hand, Australia followed suit a year later, when it established its own office in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

It would be interesting to note that, despite starting out as enemies, there has been no point of major conflict between Australia and Turkey in their almost fifty years of diplomatic relations. Though there were often clashes of opinion with regards to certain issues, the two countries seemingly are able to easily patch them up. This one many attribute to the mutual respect that both earned from each other during the wars.

And as indicated by the large number of Turks moving into Australia yearly, this is likely to continue for many more years to come.

Campaigning For A Greener Australia

Upon arrival to Australia, permanent visa holders often imagine themselves as living in a lush village with a nice garden beside their homes and breathing clean fresh air. While this one is indeed a great picture of life in the country, this would actually be a little off from the reality that will greet immigrants here. And there are a lot of issues that will make this ideal picture even harder to achieve.

One of these major concerns that have dogged Australia in recent years is that of climate change. While the country is traditionally considered to be a warm place, the rapid changes in the world's climate have made it even hotter than usual. Thus, Australia has actually become one of the forefronts in the fight to stop climate change.

And in order to promote awareness and response against climate change, Australia become host to the 2010 Climate Action Summit that was held in Canberra last March 13 to 15. Aside from providing and disseminating information about climate change, the summit also served as a venue for devising solutions that will be able to help in lessening the impact of climate change, not only in Australia, but also in other regions of the world. More than three hundred climate change activists and experts participated in the said summit.

One of the major topics that was touched in the said conference was the impact of humans on the accelerating change. According to many studies, it is indeed human activities that contributed greatly to the speeding up of global warming. Thus, some of the solutions that came out of the summit were the reduction of activities that are deemed harmful to the environment.

Another solution that was presented in the summit is that of pursuing alternatives to these. One such proposal is a complete shift of the Australian energy infrastructure into one hundred percent renewable sources. As of current, much of the continent's electrical output comes from coal fired power plants, which is not only non-renewable but is also one of the major sources of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The summit also encouraged industries to move into greener means of operations, not only for their businesses but also for the sake of their workers as well.

One notable talk in the summit was given by climatology professor David Karoly. Here, he focused on the attempts of certain groups with vested interests to stop the movement to prevent climate change. He said that these groups try to control the dissemination of information about climate change and prevent these from reaching the wider public. According to him, all of these are in order to protect their businesses. He then encouraged the Australian people to seek out these information by any means and never be discouraged by these groups in their quest for a greener Australia.

Living In The Top End

For those thinking of emigration, Australia's Northern Territory is often the most unlikely place that they would want to move into. Many picture the place as a barren wasteland. However, in reality, one find that this rather arid place actually has so many to offer for people coming in.

Though the picture of the Northern Territory as a desert is very popular to many people, it is not an entirely correct one. The truth is, there are actually two different climates in the area. The arid desert climate that many people associate with the Norther Territory is actually limited to its southern region, which is the center of Australia. And even here, there are actually large patches of land that are quite lush. On the other hand, the coastlines enjoy a milder and much more tropical climate, which is why most of the cities and towns are located near them.

And if you are thinking that it was only recently that people decided to move into the Northern Territory, you will be surprised to find out that it has been already inhabited by the native Aboriginal population for more than 40,000 years. The British themselves made three unsuccessful attempts to move into the area during the exploration years of the 1800's. It was only in the 1860's that settlement finally did took hold in the area. However, once it was established, development of the Northern Territory gradually sped up. Today, the Northern Territory actually has one of the fastest growing populations in Australia.

The capital and largest city of the Northern Territory is Darwin. This is also where most of the people living in the state actually resides. Darwin is on the topmost end of the Stuart highway, the only major highway that connects it to other parts of Australia. Contrary to what you might think, Darwin is not a sleepy town. In fact, the city is very lively and there is much for you to see here. One of the most remarkable landmark is the Government House. On the other hand, many people visit Nightcliff, one of the city's major suburbs for recreation.

Another town worth mentioning in the Northern Territory is Alice Springs. If you are looking for something that is rather idyllic and relaxing, this one will definitely be the place for you. However, there is still a lot for you to see here. One of the things that you must see is the historic Overland Telegraph Station, to which the city owes much of its existence. And only a few hours' drive from the city is Uluru, which is one of the most striking natural monuments in the area.

Have A Snowy Australian Adventure

One of the things that many Australian tourist visa holders would want to know is whether it really does snow in Australia. Even today, many people, especially those coming from the northern countries, still see Australia as an entirely desert country, much like the Middle East (they actually also do have camels here). This why many people doubt whether the land down under ever see even an inch of snow.

The truth of the matter is that it indeed does snow in Australia. In fact, it actually does snow a lot here. Well, not exactly all over Australia, but there are places that do receive a hefty amount of snow. Being a large continent, the climate varies vastly across the entire country. While the northern and central regions do have tropical and arid conditions, the entire southern part of the country has a temperate climate, which, as you have already known, is very ideal for snow.

One of the snowiest places in Australia is probably Tasmania. Being the southernmost of all the states, the island's climate is well within the southern temperate zones. This is why the state receives a lot of snowfall. This actually makes it ideal as a popular ski resort destination for many tourists. Here, Mount Wellington, where the capital city of Hobart is located, is the best one that you can go to if you want to have a winter adventure. The snow capped mountain actually does have a lot of ski resorts already established at its foot, so you have plenty of options right in front of you.

Next to Tasmania, you can head to South Australia for your winter escapade. The state is also rather temperate, with a temperature average of only 29 degrees Celsius during February (though the highest one recorded here is around 40 degrees). Though the snowfall isn't as much as that experienced in Tasmania, it is still considerable and enough for all those winter activities that you have already planned. Since it's near the ocean, this also make for a rather cool climate.

On the other hand, the Snowy Mountains regions of southeastern New South Wales and northeastern Victoria are also another great region to head to for snow trippers. Much like Mount Wellington, the Snowy Mountains also have a large amount of snowfall during winter, which make them very inviting to skiers. Again, there are a lot of resorts here that you can visit.

What's great about Australia is that, while it's not a traditional winter getaway, it does have complete facilities for such activities. The ski resorts are also well maintained, which attracts a lot of winter tourists