Academy Modules

Welcome to the Academy Modules course, designed to teach you about Australia through advanced English lessons and interviews.

Every module is built around one subject — an animal, an event, an invention, a piece of history — and you approach it from three directions: the words, the sounds, and a real conversation where it all shows up in use.

How each module works

• Vocabulary Breakdown — the words and expressions you'll need for the module, explained with examples rather than definitions.
• Pronunciation Lesson — a short, focused drill on the sounds that will trip you up in this particular module.
• Interview — a long, unscripted conversation with someone who actually knows the subject.

The order matters. You meet the language first, so that when the interview arrives you're recognising vocabulary instead of drowning in it.

What you'll learn about

59 modules covering the country from every angle:

• Wildlife — dingoes, feral cats, cane toads, blue-ringed octopuses, bats, bees, seals, flies, shark attacks, the Tasmanian tiger.
• History — convict life, the Frontier Wars, the bombing of Darwin, the Kokoda Trail, the gold rush and migration, Port Arthur, the Dreamtime.
• Culture and everyday life — the Hills Hoist, the Aussie ute, the Akubra and slouch hat, surf lifesaving, coffee, gambling, Christmas in Australia, the Bathurst races.
• Land and climate — bush fires, dust storms, cyclones, mining, the Snowy Hydro Scheme, Australian weather.
• People and stories — Banjo Paterson, the greatest sportsperson of all time, Pete's own family, and the orcas that once helped whalers in Eden.

How to use the course

Take one module at a time, in whatever order interests you — they're independent. Do the vocabulary and pronunciation lessons before the interview, not after, and listen to the interview more than once: the second time is where the language sticks.