Australian refers to anything from Australia, the massive island country in the Southern Hemisphere known for its unique wildlife, vast deserts, and beautiful coastlines. An Australian person is someone from Australia, just as an American is from the United States or a Canadian is from Canada.

Australia separated from other continents millions of years ago, which helps explain why so many Australian animals exist nowhere else on Earth: kangaroos, koalas, platypuses, and wombats are all distinctly Australian. The country also has some of the world's most dangerous creatures, including venomous snakes, spiders, and jellyfish.

The word can describe people, places, animals, or things connected to Australia. You might watch an Australian film, eat Australian beef, or learn about Australian history. When someone has an Australian accent, their speech has the distinctive sound patterns of English as it's spoken in Australia, which can sound quite different from American or British English.

Australia is both a country and a continent. Most Australians live in cities along the coasts, while the interior, called the Outback, remains largely wild and sparsely populated. Indigenous Australians, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, have lived on the continent for over 60,000 years, making theirs one of the world's oldest continuous cultures.