As one of the most urbanized countries in the world, it is still surprising that Australia has maintained its natural sceneries quite well. Flora, as well as fauna, are teeming in some parts of Australia, which are enjoyed by both locals and foreign tourists. In contrast to its stunning landscapes, the cityscape offers a maze of architecture and historical landmarks that highlight the diverse culture in the country. Australia is known for many things, including marsupials, a laid back city vibe, and beaches, but there is more to the destination than what the media say. Get ready for a satisfying experience for all senses in this melting pot of natural and man-made wonders.
Important and Interesting Facts about Australia
- Australia is the world’s 6th largest country by area. Due to its large size and isolation from the rest of the world, Australia is sometimes known as the ‘island continent’.
- The world’s largest reef system, the Great Barrier Reef, is found off the north-eastern coast of Australia, the planet’s largest living structure and it has its own postbox!
- Australia is home to a variety of unique animals, including the koala, kangaroo, emu, kookaburra and platypus.
- Although they usually keep to themselves, there are a range of dangerous snakes in Australia, such as the Brown Snake, Tiger Snake and Taipan. Australia has over 750 different reptilespecies, more than any other country in the world.
- The only place in the world where you can still find the lung fish which is a living fossil from the Triassic period 350 million years ago.
- Australia hosted the 1956 (Melbourne) and 2000 (Sydney) Summer Olympics.
- It has the world’s 3rd largest ocean territory, spanning three oceans and covering around 12 million square kilometers.
- Most of Australia’s exotic flora and fauna cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
- It has 16 world heritage listed sites including historic townships, cities and landscapes.
- The largest cattle station in the world is Anna Creek Station in South Australia at over 34,000 square kilometers is the world’s largest cattle station. It is even larger than Belgium.
- It has the highest rate of gambling in the world with over 80 percent of Australian adults engaging in gambling of some kind and 20 percent of the poker machines in the world are found in Australia.
Cool Funny and Fun Facts about Australia
- Dropbears – Dropbears are an evil species of koala that fall from trees and attack humans. The evil strain of koala don’t actually exist. The story was created to fool Americans.
- Yowies- Like the Nth American big foot, the yowie emits a vile odor and screams offensively. Numerous sightings of Yowies have turned out to be escaped mental patients or hermits in jungle attire.
- The Western Australian section of the Eyre Highway lies entirely on the Nullarbor Plain is regarded as the longest straight stretch of road in the world, between Balladonia and Caiguna; the road stretches for 146.6 kilometres (91.1 mi) without turning.
- Australia is home to the longest fence in the world. It is 5,614 km long, and is about twice as long as the Great Wall of China. It was originally built to keep dingoes away from fertile land.
- Kangaroos and emus cannot walk backward, one of the reasons that they’re on the Australian coat of arms. Speaking of, Australia is one of the only countries where we eat the animals on our coat of arms.
- The name ‘Kylie’ came from an Aboriginal hunting stick, similar to the boomerang.
- If all the sails of the Opera House roof were combined, they would create a perfect sphere. The architect was inspired while eating an orange.
- Moomba, Australia’s largest free festival, held in Melbourne, means ‘up your bum’ in many Aboriginal languages.
- A gay bar in Melbourne, Australia won the right to ban women from the premises, because they made the men uncomfortable.
- 1450 kilometers. The world’s longest mail run. From Cairns to Cape York, Australia. ( the postman flies).
Historical and Cultural Facts about Australia
- The Indigenous ‘Dream Time’ is the foundation for tens of thousands of years of spiritual aboriginal art, traditions, legends, myths, folklore and culture.
- The wattlewas adopted as the national floral emblem in 1912.
- Australia is predominantly Christian but people are free to practise any religion they choose.
- The first Australian of the Year award was awarded to Professor Macfarlane Burnet who had won the Nobel Prize in the same year of 1960 for his groundbreaking physiology research.
- Australia’s first television station was Channel 9, which opened in Sydney in 1956.
- Cartoonists – A cartoon is a drawing that makes a satirical, witty, or humorous point. On 17 July 1924, the world’s first society of cartoonists, the Black and White Artists’ Society, was formed in Sydney.
- The oldest skeleton to ever be found in Australia was believed to be 60,000 years old. It was that of an Aboriginal male, traces of ochre (a ceremonial paint used by Aboriginals) were also found.
- It is believe that the Aboriginal game of Mangrook inspired the rules for Australian Football, while invented in Sydney became popular in Victoria.
- Australia was the 3rd country, after the US and Russia, to launch a satellite into orbit. It was for the British, using a ‘Blue Streak’ rocket. The first photos from the 1969 moon landing were beamed to the rest of the world from Honeysuckle Tracking Station, near Canberra, Australia.
- In 1979, debris from NASA’s space station ‘Skylab’ crashed in Esperance, WA. The town then fined NASA $400 for littering.
