Climate:
Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, and although the time difference with China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) is only 2-3 hours, the seasons are exactly the opposite. December-February is summer, March-May is fall, June-August is winter, and September-November is spring.
Australia straddles two climatic zones, with the north being tropical, and January-February being the typhoon period due to its proximity to the equator. The south of Australia is temperate. Australia's central and western parts are deserts in the middle of nowhere, arid with little rain, high temperatures and large temperature differences; in the coastal zone, rainfall is abundant and the climate is humid.
Life:
Often portrayed as a predominantly rural country, in fact it is the urban culture and cosmopolitan lifestyle that still dominates, including the delicious food that can be enjoyed from around the world.
Australians love their beer, and in their spare time, especially on weekends, many enjoy meeting friends in pubs for a drink, music or a barbecue in the park. Australia's cities have a wide-open feel, with many open parks and green spaces dotted around. The vast majority of parks in Australia are free, with no fences and paths leading in and out of the parks in all directions. Convenient transportation can also effortlessly take people into national parks on the outskirts of cities.
No holds barred best sums up Australians, and the country has a particularly strong atmosphere of freedom and freedom from inhibitions. People call each other by their first names on a daily basis (first names only, not last names), as do bosses and employees, teachers and students. In the city centers of Sydney and Melbourne, it is not uncommon to see white-collar workers or white-collar women in smart suits gathering with friends and colleagues at midday on weekdays for a simple lunch of sandwiches or hotdogs on the steps in front of a building, or white-collar workers sitting on the street eating bento, a scene that would be unthinkable in a modern metropolis such as Tokyo or Hong Kong.
Recreation:
Australians love the outdoors, for example, climbing the Sydney Bridge for a 360-degree view of Sydney Harbour. Swimming with dolphins, visiting penguin paradise, coming to Australia to see wildlife, walking on camels, horseback riding, exploring, all kinds of exciting and thrilling activities.
Australians are both Westerners and Easterners. They have a wide range of interests and enjoy sports such as surfing, windsurfing, horse racing, fishing, boccia, Australian rules soccer (commonly known as footy), cricket, rugby, netball and swimming.
Education:
Australia's education is world-class. In a country whose population exceeded 20 million only a few years ago, thirteen scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize. All Australian schools are tailored to the needs, abilities and interests of the individual, so that every student can realize his or her individual potential and apply it to all walks of life.
Medicine:
Australia has a comprehensive universal publicly-funded health care system called Medicare, which was established in 1984, and Australia is ranked 12th in the world by the World Health Organization (WHO) in terms of the overall ranking of health care systems (2009). Australian citizens and permanent residents have access to free health care at public health facilities throughout the country, and according to the US Central Intelligence Agency, Australia ranked fifth in the world in life expectancy from 2006 to 2010 with an average life expectancy of 81.2 years.