consisted of various subgroups. Based on their ties to a common ancestor, the family groups conducted certain rituals and owned certain land.The Aborigines religion linked them to nature through ancestral beings that created the world in a time called Dreamtime long ago. The beings never died but merged with nature to live in sacred beliefs and rituals. Aborigines could renew ties with the Dreaming through rituals.1700s and onAt first, Aborigines believed that the Europeans that came in the 1700s were spirits of their dead relatives because of their pale skin. Soon their image of the Europeans changed as they forced them from their homes and killed some of them. Other Aborigines died from diseases such as smallpox and measles. Now Australia has only around 206,000 Aborigines, which is about one percent of the countries population. Some Aborigines still live partly as their ancestors did with their own customs, beliefs, and language. Others lost most or all of their traditions but were excluded from society until 1967 when the Australian Constitution was changed so Aborigines got to vote and to have service benefits.GREAT BARRIER REEFAlong the northwest coast of Australia lies the Great Barrier Reef, the largest group of reefs in the world. This chain consists of about 2,500 reefs. In all, the reefs are also many small islands that extend for about 1,200 miles. It lies around 10 to 100 miles from the Australian coasts.Coral reefs are limestone formations that lie under the sea or just above the surface. The Great Barrier Reef is made up of a coral of dead hardened animals call polyps, which are attached to the reef. The diameter of the polyps is about 1 to 12 inches. The polyps are extremely colorful, just as all the sea animals that live there.The Great Barrier Reef supports about 400 species of polyps, about 1,500 species of fish and several kinds of birds. Giant clams, sea turtles, and crabs also live in the reef. The warm waters arou...
