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Australian aborigines

(Encyclopedia)Australian aborigines, indigenous peoples of Australia. The first modern humans in Australia probably came from somewhere in Asia more than 40,000 years ago, most likely sometime between 55,000 and 10...

Ayers Rock

(Encyclopedia)Ayers Rock, monolith, Australia: alternative name for Uluru. See Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park. ...

Morrison, Scott

(Encyclopedia)Morrison, Scott, 1968–, Australian political leader, b. Sydney. Morrison was head of tourism for both New Zealand and Australia before he became state director (2000–2004) of the Liberal party in ...

Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean

(Encyclopedia)Christmas Island, tropical island, 60 sq mi (155 sq km), an external territory of Australia, in the Indian Ocean c.200 mi (320 km) S of Java. The majori...

Entrecasteaux, Joseph Antoine Bruni d'

(Encyclopedia)Entrecasteaux, Joseph Antoine Bruni d' zhôzĕfˈ äNtwänˈ bro͞onēˈ däNtrəkästōˈ [key], 1739–93, French navigator. He entered the French navy in 1754, fought (1756) at Minorca, commanded (...

Great Dividing Range

(Encyclopedia)Great Dividing Range, crest line of the Eastern Highlands of Australia. For the most part it separates rivers draining into the Pacific Ocean from those flowing into the Indian Ocean and the Arafura S...

Port Phillip Bay

(Encyclopedia)Port Phillip Bay, large deepwater inlet of Bass Strait, 30 mi (48 km) long and 25 mi (40 km) wide, Victoria, SE Australia. Port Melbourne and Williamstown are on Hobson's Bay, its northern arm. ...

Parkes

(Encyclopedia)Parkes, town and area (2016 pop. 14,608), New South Wales, SE Australia. North of the town is the Parkes Observatory, the site of a 210-ft (64-m) movable dish radiotelescope that opened in 1961. ...

MacDiarmid, Hugh

(Encyclopedia)MacDiarmid, Hugh məkdûrˈmĭd, –mĭt [key], pseud. of Christopher Murray Grieve, 1892–1978, Scottish poet and critic, b. Langholm, Dumfrieshire. Passionately devoted to Communism and to Scottish...

Queensberry, James Douglas, 2d duke of

(Encyclopedia)Queensberry, James Douglas, 2d duke of, 1662–1711, Scottish statesman. One of the early supporters of William III in Scotland, he held offices under him and Queen Anne, rising to become commissioner...