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Australia Decoded 'A-7'
armchair ride—1. easy passage. 2. (Australian Rules football) easy game for a rover because of hit-outs from the ruckman.
Armistice Day—11 November, a national holiday commemorating the end to the WWI. Out of a total population of just 5 million, a staggering 60,000 young Australian male volunteers died fighting for the British war effort; another 156,000 were taken prisoner. Formerly called Remembrance Day. (see also: ANZAC, Anzac, digger). Arnhem—two Dutch ships were given the task of surveying the coast of the the mysterious southern land now known as Australia, the Arnhem and the Pera, under the commmand of Jan Carstenz. In January 1623 these ships sailed from Amboyna and to the coast of New Guinea. Travelling easterly, Carstenz was not able to report on the area's fruits and minerals, but did note the natives were not friendly and were cannibalistic. At one point the captain and several of the crew of the Arnhem were killed by natives. Carstenz headed to the Torres Strait through a maze of reefs and shallows, to the west, then south along the west coast of Cape York. There was a mutiny onboard the Arnhem and it left Carstenz and the Pera on the 25th April, 1623. The Pera continued gathering what information it could about the people and possible things to trade along the coast, but their reports were not very promising. Carstenz returned to Amboyna in New Guinea (June 6). Following its separation from the Pera, the Arnhem was blown west, making land on the east-facing shore of the opposite side. From there, she explored north and west across the top of the region called then (and still known as) Arnhem Land before returning to home. The region was named by Matthew Flinders after this ship, which had preceded his own.
Arnhem Escarpment—the remnant sandstone sea cliffs of a Mesozoic sea, over 500km long and varying from vertical cliff faces to stepped cliffs. Fossiliferous sandstone and siltstone deposited over lowlands record the history and chronology of events that took place here. Spreading across the Kakadu region 140 million years ago, the waters of this sea eroded the older sandstone into sea cliffs. The retreat of the scarp and the headward erosion by streams have isolated massive blocks of resistant sedimentary rock, producing classic outliers. Subsequent erosion along joint and bedding plans and the weathering of tunnels in less resistant strata have produced intricate patterns of relief as well as large numbers of overhang caverns, which house much of the Aboriginal rock art. Most of the watercourses originate on the plateau and waterfalls occur at widely spaced nick points along the escarpment. Creeks have scoured into the escarpment, forming gorges in which monsoon forests have developed. Water seepage from the rock walls of the gorges and the deposition of alluvial soils have resulted in a micro-environment on which many animals rely during the months of drought. Rising 330m above the Arnhem Land plains and extending over 500km along the eastern boundary of Kakadu National Park, the escarpment varies from vertical cliff faces to stepped cliffs with long talus slopes. In the south the escarpment rises about 200m, while in the north it is generally less than 100m high and is much more broken 
Arnhem Land—an area within the Top End of the Northern Territory, encompassing some 150,000sq km. This vast area consists of lowland plains and rock formations. The most spectacular of these is the Arnhem Escarpment, which rises 330m above the plains, extending over 500km along the eastern boundary of Kakadu National Park. Water seepage from the rock walls of the gorges and the deposition of alluvial soils have resulted in a micro-environment on which many animals rely during the months of drought. Arnhem Land is home to numerous Aboriginal communities speaking a large number of different languages, and was declared a reserve in 1931. North-east Arnhem Land (including the Gove Peninsula) is part of the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Land Trust area, held under inalienable freehold title by the traditional owners. Creeks have scoured into the rock escarpment, forming gorges in which tall monsoon forests have developed. Arnhem Land extends around the Gulf of Capentaria from Port Roper to the East Alligator River, where it adjoins Kakadu National Park. The region was named by Matthew Flinders after the Dutch ship Arnhem, which explored the coast in 1623. Largely untouched by tourism development, the home of the world's oldest living culture has only recently become accessible to a tightly restricted number of visitors. (Only about 1000 people are granted permits to visit this area each year, and only 16 non-residents are allowed at any time. Prior to the establishment of the Arnhem Land Reserve in 1931, Arnhem Land had equated with what is now generally known as the Top End. Arnhem Land Aboriginal Trust—previously an Aboriginal reserve, the Arnhem Land region came under the hegemony of the Land Trust in 1980. A grant of fee simple was made under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth) (the Land Rights Act) to the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Trust, placing the region under Aboriginal control. The region has some areas leased for other purposes, such as Gurig (Coburg) National Park and the mining operations near Nuhlunbuy and on Groote Eylandt. Arnhem Land bandicoot—Isoodon arnhemensis, a subspecies of golden bandicoot, of the Arnhem Land area of the Northern Territory.
Arnhem Land Reserve—an Aboriginal reserve of more than 100,000ha and some 18,000 people, established in 1931. The reserve came under the hegemony of the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Land Trust in 1980. Aroona Valley—an area of the outback flanked by the Heysen and ABC ranges, and one of the most scenic locations in the Flinders Ranges National Park. The Aroona Valley is best known for the inspiration it to gave landscape painter, Sir Hans Heyson. An Adnyamathanha word meaning 'place of the frogs', Aroona was settled on a permanent spring. Above the spring are the remains of Haywards head station for the Aroona run of the 1850s. around the traps—pertaining to an intimate familiarity with and knowledge of the places where people gather, news is spread, decisions are made, etc. around the twist—at the end of one's endurance or tolerance; unable to cope in a reasonable or sane manner; crazy: e.g., I'll go around the twist if those kids don't stop screaming!
arsapeek—upside down. arse—1. buttocks; bum; bottom. 2. cheek; impudence. 3. nonsense; rubbish; foolish talk. 4. despicable person. 5. a woman as a sex object. 6. daring; effrontery; self-confidence; brazenness. arse about/around—1. muck around; fool around; play around. 2. do nothing constructive; waste time: e.g., Quit arsing around and get some work done. arse about-face—back to front; facing the wrong direction by 180 degrees. arse has dropped out of (something) —a failed situation, especially in commerce, business, finance, real estate. arse knows no bounds!—an exclamation of surprise at an unusual degree of good fortune: i.e., there's no limit to your luck! arse off—peremptory request for some to depart, or to leave-off from some annoying activity. Equivalent to "piss off". arse out of (one's) pants—(to have one's...) impecuniary; financially impoverished: e.g., He's had his arse out of his pants since he took up the trots. arsed out—fired, dismissed unceremoniously. arsehole—1. anus. 2. despicable person or thing. 3. throw out unceremoniously; evict; sack; fire: e.g., He wasn't doing his job so we arseholed him quick smart. arsey—unusually lucky. arsey-tarsy—arse-a-peek; upside-down. art bank—a government-funded collection of works of art for display in public buildings. 
Art Gallery—(the...) rock art sites at Cathedral Cave and the Art Gallery are some of the largest in central Queensland. The art styles and motifs suggest that Carnarvon Gorge was occupied by people closely associated with the Bidjara people from the headwaters of the Warrego River. In freehand art, pigment was applied to the rock surface with a finger or possibly a twig brush. Stencils were applied by blowing ochre pigment mixed with water from the mouth, over an object held against the wall. Engravings were made by removing material from the rock surface by pecking and abrading, possibly using bone or stone tools. Art Gallery of New South Wales—located at the north-eastern end of The Domain, a large grassy area set aside for public recreation by founding New South Wales Governor Arthur Phillip in 1788. The Domain, separated from the Royal Botanic Gardens by Cahill Expressway, was also the site of Australia's first farm. The Art Gallery of New South Wales houses extensive art collections, including Australian art from the colonial period, Asian and European art, and an extensive Aboriginal collection in the Yiribana Gallery. art union—something like a lottery, except that it is usually run to raise money for a charity, and the prize is usually not money, but a house on the Gold Coast, or a car, or both. Art unions were formed in Britain and Europe in the 19th century as associations to promote art by purchasing paintings and other works of art and dispensing these things among their members by lottery. Over time in Australia and New Zealand things changed. All kinds of prizes (not just paintings and other works of art) came to be offered, and consequently 'art union' came to be applied to any lottery with prizes in kind rather than cash. artesian aquifer—a confined aquifer in which the hydraulic pressure will cause water to rise in a bore above the upper confining layer of the aquifer. If the pressure is sufficient to cause the well to flow at the surface, it is called a flowing artesian aquifer. Arthur, Lt-Governor George—(1824-1836) the fourth governor of Van Diemen’s Land, appointed in 1823 and taking office on 14 May 1824. George Arthur was fresh from battling monopoly timber interests as the Superintendent of Belize (a British colony in Central America on the Caribbean). Governor Arthur’s control over colonial timber interests in Van Dieman's Land resulted in the preservation of large timber tracts that were maintained in Tasmania right up to recent times. In the first six years of his 12 years as governor, Arthur became one of its largest landowners. In 1825, he established the first penal colony in Van Diemen's Land, at Maria Island. Two years later, he acquired the Cascades for the female factory from the owner of a failed rum distillery. The infamous Port Arthur prison was established in 1930. One of his earliest actions as governor was to place the island under martial law, resulted in the genocidal Black War (1824—1831). In November of 1830, he directed the military operation known as the Black Line, which attempted to drive all Aboriginal people from the settled parts of the colony and onto the Tasman Peninsula. Arthur's autocratic and authoritarian rule led to his recall, following the longest term of any governor of Van Dieman’s Land, in 1836. Arunta—alternate spelling of Arabana. 
Arunta Province—a region that is believed to be mineral-rich. Ongoing geoscientific studies are expected to assist further mineral exploration in the region. The eastern part of the Arunta Province has been the target of many previous studies, including regional mapping in the 1970s (BMR) and 1980s (NTGS). A major goal of the studies is to increase geological knowledge and understanding of the eastern Arunta Province, and in particular the Strangways Metamorphic Complex. The southern Arunta is now recognised as a discrete terrain, with chronological and lithological affinities with mineralised terrains such as Mount Isa and Broken Hill. The eastern extension of the southern Arunta occurs in Hermannsburg and eastern Alice Springs. The northern Arunta Province lies between the Tanami and Tennant Creek regions, which are the largest gold-producing regions in the Northern Territory. arvo—afternoon. as Australian as meat pie—a reference to the wide popularly of such staple meals as the classic steak and kidney pie. as clear as mud—denoting murky instructions. as common as dishwater—1. lacking in refinement; working-class. 2. coarse; vulgar; having low morals. 2. very common; nothing out of the ordinary. as game as Ned Kelly—defiantly reckless. as happy as Larry—completely satisfied; without a care in the world. as it were—so to speak. as long as (one's) arse points to the ground—as long as one is still standing, i.e., so long as one lives: e.g., Fleeb will tinker with crazy inventions as long as his arse points to the ground. as mad as a cut snake—viciously or dangerously angry. as mad as a frog in a wet sock—amusingly and ineffectually angry. as mean as monkey muck—exceedingly stingy: e.g., My boss is as mean as monkey muck, and that's too mean to stink!
as near as damn it—as close as possible to: e.g., We came as near as damn it to winning the final. as rough as bags—uncouth; unrefined (a reference to the hessian bags once used for packing and transporting goods). as rough as guts—uncouth. as scarce as hen's teeth—so rare as to call its existence into question: e.g., Men who uncomplainingly help with the housework are as scarce as hen's teeth. as scarce as rocking horse manure—rarely encountered or only rumoured to exist. as serious as a whore at a Christening—irreverent. as the actress said to the bishop—a stock remark to someone who has said something innocent or innocuous that could be taken as a sexual innuendo having a double, lewd meaning. as tight as a fish's arse—exceptionally stingy: e.g., Yeh, the old man's as tight as a fish's arse—and that's watertight! as weak as cat's piss—pusillanimous. Asbestos Range National Park—renamed to Narawntapu National Park. asbestos-cement sheeting—flat or corrugated sheeting used in the building industry for the construction of walls and ceilings; wallboard. Known in the trade as AC sheeting, and to the general public as fibro. Also known as FC (fibrous cement) sheeting. asbestos-related diseases—lung diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma are caused by inhalation of asbestos fibres. The latency prior to onset of these diseases is typically from ten to forty years following exposure to asbestos fibres. As the level of exposure that may cause health effects is not known, exposure to asbestos fibres or dust containing asbestos fibres should always be avoided.
Ashes—(the...) the bi-annual Ashes cricket series, played between competing teams from England and Australia, is the most widely followed competition of its type. When England lost to Australia in 1882, the English newspaper, Sporting Times, printed an obituary to cricket which read: 'In Affectionate Rememberance of English Cricket Which Died At The Oval on 29th August 1882.' Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances R.I.P NB: The body will be cremated, and the ashes taken to Australia.' The English captain during his stay in Sydney for the third test was billeted at the home of the Fletcher family in the suburb of Woollahra. On his return to the Fletcher home from the after match celebrations, it was suggested by Annie Fletcher she should make a velvet bag in which Bligh could store the "imaginary" Ashes of English cricket. Bligh agreed, and Annie promptly made a beautiful brown velvet bag with the year 1883 embroidered on the front in gold thread. Ashmore, Captain Samuel—the first recorded European to sight Ashmore Reef was Captain Samuel Ashmore, commander of the Hibernia. He discovered the reef on 11 June 1811. This same captain, who was admired in Sydney for his ability in sailing through the Torres Strait, had discovered Hibernia Reef, 3 km north-north-east of Ashmore Reef, 13 months earlier. Ashmore and Cartier Islands Territory—a shelf-edge atoll, rising from a depth of over 100m. The Ashmore Reef, comprising the islands known as West, Middle and East, lies at the western extremity of the Sahul Shelf. These biologically diverse platform reefs exhibit a high level of inter-dependency with adjacent ecosystems to the north and south. An ocean current known as the Indonesian Throughflow provides a steady stream of nutrients across the west Sahul Banks, transporting biological material from the rich and diverse reef systems of the Philippines and Indonesia. The reef platform covers an area of 239sq km at the edge of the North West Shelf. Captain Samuel Ashmore, commander of the Hibernia, was the first European to discover the reef on 11 June 1811. 
Ashmore Reef—a shelf-edge atoll, rising from a depth of over 100m. The reef platform covers an area of 239sq km at the edge of the North West Shelf. The Ashmore Reef, comprising the East, Middle and West islands, lies at the western extremity of the Sahul Shelf. A steady stream of nutrients travels across the West Sahul Banks on an ocean current known as the Indonesian Through-flow, transporting biological material from the rich and diverse reef systems of the Philippines and Indonesia. Today, 58,300 ha of wetlands in the Ashmore Reef are protected within the Ramsar-listed Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve, which is also listed on the Register of the National Estate. The Ashmore Reef is included on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) list of coral reefs of international significance .During the 1850s, American whaling ships operated in the region and during the latter half of the nineteenth century, West Island was mined for phosphate. This resulted in the removal of most of the topsoil from West Island and the impacts are still evident today. Asia-Pacific Television—On 31 December 2001 ABC Asia Pacific, a new television service for the region, was launched. The return of a reinvigorated television service, complemented by its own online service, was—and is—intended to strengthen the ABC's ability to provide an independent voice in the region and raise awareness of Australia's economic and trade capabilities. ABC Asia Pacific has a different relationship with ABC from other ABC networks. ABC AP has its own board and a business-type relationship with the ABC in that it will pay for programs produced by the ABC and will commission programs from it. However it is still under the control of the ABC Board. It has separate funding, a grant of $90M over five years from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; DFAT maintains that the service will remain independent of government. To be viable. ABC AP has to supplement its income through sponsorship and advertising. Commercials are placed at the beginning or end of programs (except on programs purchased from the domestic commercial channels). There is strong reliance on sponsorship, particularly from the education sector. ASIO—(see: Australian Security Intelligence Organisation). aspro—1. aspirin (from a popular brand name). 2. an Associate Professor. assignment—(hist.) convicts were were put to work on arrival in the penal colonies, either providing labour for public works such as roadmaking, or through "assignment" to an individual for whom they would work, after an application for a convict servant or worker was lodged with the governor. Both free settlers and emancipists were commonly assigned convicts as servants, farm labourers, etc. Some married convicts were even assigned to their free spouses. assignment registers—(hist.) very few assignment registers have survived but the assignment registers of 1821 to 1824 do exist. They are indexed, and record names, ships, assignment dates, masters, residences, dates and reasons for return. Occasionally they give occupations and other details as well. The 1828 census provides a column for 'employer'. Convicts were often listed as 'Government Servants' (GS) while serving time. assignment to convict's wives—(hist.) convicts were able to apply to have their families brought out to New South Wales at Crown expense. On arrival the spouse often applied to have the convict assigned to them. This allowed the convict to serve out his sentence while living with his family.
assisted Aborigine—a designation, created under the Aborigines’ Act 1965 (Qld), that was applied to all Indigenous people living on a mission, station or reserve. All 'assisted Aborigines' were required to hold a Certificate of Entitlement in order to remain within the settlement that provided assistance. Conversely, an assisted Aborigine could be legally detained for up to one year, for "leaving, escaping, or attempting to leave or escape, from the reserve". The designation was abolished by the Aborigines' Act 1971 (Qld). 
assisted passage—(hist.) during the early 1800's, as poverty and unemployment increased in Britain, the British government tried to encourage people to emigrate to Australia by agreeing to pay for their passage (this was called "assisted passage"). These settlers were called "Free Settlers". Some of these new settlers laid claim to vast tracts of land on which they started grazing cattle and sheep. They came to be called the "Squatters". Over time some of these families became very wealthy and respectable. Their land holdings (stations) in some cases are bigger than some small countries. Assisted Passage Scheme—any of various immigration schemes introduced after the Second World War. Initially only British migrants and some refugees and displaced persons received assisted passages. In 1948 the scheme was extended to Dutch and Maltese immigrants. Under the Italian Assisted Passage Scheme (1951), the immigrant had part of the passage paid by the government (usually about half) with the balance of the fare provided as credit to be repaid by the immigrant in Australia. The immigrant was required to work as directed in approved employment for two years. However, between 1950 and 1973, the Commonwealth continued to administer the infamous ‘£10 Pom' (Ten Pound Pom) scheme in which English citizens paid a scant ten pounds for their fare.
asthma weed—Pariettaria judaica, an aggressively spreading weed of southern Queensland that is detrimental to farmland as well as people's health. Drought conditions assist its invasion of pastureland, where it competes for survival with grasses required for grazing animals. Aston—(Victoria); named for Tilly Aston, blind writer and teacher who helped found the library of the Victorian Association of Braille Writers. ASX—the Australian Stock Exchange.
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Armidale—a provincial city of educational and architectural significance in the heart of the 
Arnhem Coast—a coastal strip extending from just east of 
Arnhem Land Plateau—the extensive and highly dissected Proterozoic sandstone massif of western 
Arrernte tribal group—an extensive 
as miserable as a bandicoot—wretched.
asbestos—any of the fibrous (asbestiform) varieties of several different minerals. Asbestos fibres for commercial use have been derived from silicates belonging to the serpentine and amphibole groups of rock-forming minerals, including actinolite, amosite (brown asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), chrysolite (white asbestos), tremolite, or any mixture containing one or more of these. The fibres are resistant to wear from heat, chemicals and abrasion. Asbestos was used in the Australian building industry between the 1940s and late 1980s. In buildings, asbestos fibres are found either firmly or loosely bound in a number of products. Loosely bound asbestos was commonly used as insulation and fire retardant. Firmly bound, or “non-friable” asbestos can be found in the following building products: Flat or corrugated sheeting (commonly called “fibro” or “AC (asbestos cement) sheeting” or “FC (fibrous cement) sheeting”; water or flue pipes; roof shingles; flexible building boards; imitation brick cladding; plaster patching compounds; textured paint; vinyl floor tiles, and the backing of linoleum floor coverings. The commonly found, internal asbestos-cement sheet walls are not regarded as a health risk, provided that they are in good condition and coated with paint. Asbestos-based products become a health hazard when broken or in a deteriorated condition, and may result in 
Ash Wednesday fires—consisted of some of the most devastating 
assimilation—a process of acculturation imposed upon Indigenous Aboriginals. In 1937, the State Governments met with the Federal Government to discuss a national assimilation policy. The 
Association of Commonwealth Universities—a global network of outstanding human and scientific resources.
We serve our member institutions by advancing international co-operation and understanding in higher education, and by providing a broad range of services and facilities.
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