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The modern culture of Australia draws from many sources,
including indigenous Australians, the former British penal
colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania),
massive immigration of a diverse range of people with the
Australian gold rushes in the 1850s, and post-World War II
refugees from Europe. Mainstream Australian culture is currently
strongly influenced by United States culture, British culture
and European culture more generally, along with distinctive
influences from the Australian natural environment and indigenous
Australians.
The Royal Exhibition Building was the first building in Australia
to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in 2004.
The demographics of Australia show it to be one of the most
urbanised and ethnically diverse populations in the world;
the majority of Australians live on the coast with the Outback
being sparsely populated. Australia's cities are melting pots
of different cultures and the influence of the longer-established
southern European communities in particular has been pervasive.
The great post-World War II influx of non English-speaking
migrants from Italy, Greece, Eastern Europe, Germany, the
Netherlands, Malta, the Middle East, East Asia and South-East
Asia has had a significant impact. Australia has been one
of the most multicultural societies globally.
The early Indigenous Australian culture before European settlement
of Australia, is evidenced in the oral traditions and lore
of their descendents and the range of material artefacts,
however precise detail in the western academic sense is not
accessible. Cultural continuity over 53,000 (or more) years
of human habitation of the continent cannot be assumed. Modern
Indigenous Australians culture is rich and diverse although
severely impacted by European colonisation.
The vigour and originality of the arts in Australia —
film, music, painting, theatre, dance and crafts — are
achieving international recognition. In practice, it is difficult
to discern much about Australian culture by examining the
isolated peaks of music, dance or literature. Just as the
Australian landscape is defined not by the small mountains
in the south, but by the vast barren plains elsewhere, Australian
culture is best defined by looking at the less prominent,
by considering the more subtle and pervasive aspects.
Traditionally, Australians have viewed themselves as an egalitarian
society, with a distrust of the rich and powerful; this is
reflected by status of the Eureka Stockade and the bushrangers
within the Australian psyche. Today this belief continues
in the form of the tall poppy syndrome.
The Australian culture has historically been a masculine
one, forged on the hardship of early settlers and later on
the heroism of the Australian soldiers. "Mateship",
or loyal fraternity, has been a central tenet. This also explains
why the more aggressive forms of sport (Rugby and Australian
rules football, for example) are particularly popular in Australia.
There has been a belief in Australia is that bigger is better,
be it houses, often with a swimming pool in the back, or cars,
such as the best selling models, Ford Australia's Falcon or
GMH's Holden Commodore.
Traditional "high culture" gains small attention
from much of the population, in contrast to popular culture.
High culture thrives nevertheless, with excellent galleries
(even in surprisingly small towns); a rich tradition in ballet,
enlivened by the legacy of Dame Margot Fonteyn and Sir Robert
Helpmann; a strong national opera company based in Sydney;
and good symphony orchestras in all capital cities, particularly
the Melbourne and Sydney symphony orchestras.
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