50 Australian Facts
Feb 20, 2023 20:07:16 #
50 Not So Well Known Facts About Australia
1. The Australian Alps get more snow than the Swiss Alps.
2. 90% of Australians live on the coast.
3. Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.
4. The Great Barrier Reef is largest ecosystem in the world. It is made up of nearly 3,000 individual reefs and can be seen from space.
5. Australia has over 60 separate wine regions.
6. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world.
7. The Indian Pacific train has the longest straight section of train track in the world.
8. The Great Ocean Road is the world's largest war memorial.
9. 80% of Australian animals are unique to Australia.
10. 5 km of Ayers Rock (Uluru) is underground.
11. Australia has the world's longest golf course measuring more than 1,350kms long.
12. Australia is home to 21 of the world's 25 most venomous snakes.
13. Perth is the only city in the world which can have aircraft land in its CBD.
14. Australia is bigger than we realise, it's almost the same size as mainland USA.
15. The largest cattle station in the world is located in Australia, Anna Creek Ranch in South Australia, and it's bigger than Israel.
16. The first Police Force in Australia was made up of the most well-behaved convicts.
17. It would take around 29 years to visit one new Aussie beach every day – there are 10,685 of them!
18. AFL invented to keep cricketers fit in the off season, there are claims that the game may have been influenced by Indigenous Australians.
19. The world's largest rock is not actually Ayers Rock (Uluru), but Mount Augustus in Western Australia & actually twice the size of Ayers Rock.
20. Australia is the 6th largest country in the world
21. There are 1 million camels that roam wild in Australia's deserts, the largest number of purebred camels in the world, they are exported to the Middle East.
22. You can fly from Perth to Melbourne faster than you can fly from one end of Western Australia to the other.
23. There are over 60 different types of kangaroos, and a baby kangaroo when born is only about 2 centimetres long.
24. Aboriginal culture is the oldest on Earth – it is estimated that the continent's original inhabitants, the aboriginal people, have been in Australia for between 40,000-60,000 years.
25. Australia has 19 World Heritage Listed sites.
26. 91% of the country is covered by native vegetation.
27. 33% of Australians were born in another country.
28. Over 300 different languages and dialects are spoken in Australia including 45 Indigenous languages. In fact, 21% of Australians don't speak English at home!
29. WA is home to what is believed to be the oldest evidence of life on Earth – the Stromatolites.
30. Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano.
31. In Australia, sheep out number people 2.5 to 1 (in 2020).
32. Australia was the second country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1902.
33. Per capita, Australians spend more money on gambling than any other nation, with over 80 percent of Australian adults engaging in gambling of some kind.
34. Canberra was selected as the capital because Sydney and Melbourne could not stop arguing which city should be the capital.
35. Australia is home to the longest fence in the world, the Dingo Fence. Originally built to keep dingos away from fertile land, the fence is now 5,614 km long.
36. The Australian dollar is considered to be the most advanced currency in the world – its waterproof, made of polymer and notoriously hard to counterfeit.
37. Australia is the only continent covered by a single country.
38. The world's oldest fossil was discovered in Australia – 3.4 billion years old.
39. Australia has around 600 varieties of eucalypt trees.
40. Australia was one of the founding members of the United Nations.
41. Stonemasons in Australia instituted the 8-hour working day back in 1856.
42. In Aboriginal culture women are not allowed to play to the didgeridoo.
43. The venom of the elusive platypus can kill a small dog.
44. Australia's most deadly marine animal is the Box Jellyfish, and is responsible for more deaths per year than snakes, sharks and saltwater crocodiles.
45. The only two mammals in the world that lay eggs are found in Australia – the echidna and platypus.
46. Before the arrival of humans, Australia was home to megafauna, three-metre tall kangaroos, seven-metre long goanna's, horse-sized ducks, and a marsupial lion the size of a leopard.
47. Both kangaroos and emus lack the ability to walk backwards. This was the reason they were chosen for Australia's coat of arms – to symbolise a country always moving forward.
48. The termite mounds that can be found in Australia are the tallest animal-made structures on earth.
49. Australia is home to more than 1,500 species of spiders.
50. The Great Victoria Desert is bigger than the whole of the United Kingdom.
1. The Australian Alps get more snow than the Swiss Alps.
2. 90% of Australians live on the coast.
3. Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.
4. The Great Barrier Reef is largest ecosystem in the world. It is made up of nearly 3,000 individual reefs and can be seen from space.
5. Australia has over 60 separate wine regions.
6. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world.
7. The Indian Pacific train has the longest straight section of train track in the world.
8. The Great Ocean Road is the world's largest war memorial.
9. 80% of Australian animals are unique to Australia.
10. 5 km of Ayers Rock (Uluru) is underground.
11. Australia has the world's longest golf course measuring more than 1,350kms long.
12. Australia is home to 21 of the world's 25 most venomous snakes.
13. Perth is the only city in the world which can have aircraft land in its CBD.
14. Australia is bigger than we realise, it's almost the same size as mainland USA.
15. The largest cattle station in the world is located in Australia, Anna Creek Ranch in South Australia, and it's bigger than Israel.
16. The first Police Force in Australia was made up of the most well-behaved convicts.
17. It would take around 29 years to visit one new Aussie beach every day – there are 10,685 of them!
18. AFL invented to keep cricketers fit in the off season, there are claims that the game may have been influenced by Indigenous Australians.
19. The world's largest rock is not actually Ayers Rock (Uluru), but Mount Augustus in Western Australia & actually twice the size of Ayers Rock.
20. Australia is the 6th largest country in the world
21. There are 1 million camels that roam wild in Australia's deserts, the largest number of purebred camels in the world, they are exported to the Middle East.
22. You can fly from Perth to Melbourne faster than you can fly from one end of Western Australia to the other.
23. There are over 60 different types of kangaroos, and a baby kangaroo when born is only about 2 centimetres long.
24. Aboriginal culture is the oldest on Earth – it is estimated that the continent's original inhabitants, the aboriginal people, have been in Australia for between 40,000-60,000 years.
25. Australia has 19 World Heritage Listed sites.
26. 91% of the country is covered by native vegetation.
27. 33% of Australians were born in another country.
28. Over 300 different languages and dialects are spoken in Australia including 45 Indigenous languages. In fact, 21% of Australians don't speak English at home!
29. WA is home to what is believed to be the oldest evidence of life on Earth – the Stromatolites.
30. Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano.
31. In Australia, sheep out number people 2.5 to 1 (in 2020).
32. Australia was the second country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1902.
33. Per capita, Australians spend more money on gambling than any other nation, with over 80 percent of Australian adults engaging in gambling of some kind.
34. Canberra was selected as the capital because Sydney and Melbourne could not stop arguing which city should be the capital.
35. Australia is home to the longest fence in the world, the Dingo Fence. Originally built to keep dingos away from fertile land, the fence is now 5,614 km long.
36. The Australian dollar is considered to be the most advanced currency in the world – its waterproof, made of polymer and notoriously hard to counterfeit.
37. Australia is the only continent covered by a single country.
38. The world's oldest fossil was discovered in Australia – 3.4 billion years old.
39. Australia has around 600 varieties of eucalypt trees.
40. Australia was one of the founding members of the United Nations.
41. Stonemasons in Australia instituted the 8-hour working day back in 1856.
42. In Aboriginal culture women are not allowed to play to the didgeridoo.
43. The venom of the elusive platypus can kill a small dog.
44. Australia's most deadly marine animal is the Box Jellyfish, and is responsible for more deaths per year than snakes, sharks and saltwater crocodiles.
45. The only two mammals in the world that lay eggs are found in Australia – the echidna and platypus.
46. Before the arrival of humans, Australia was home to megafauna, three-metre tall kangaroos, seven-metre long goanna's, horse-sized ducks, and a marsupial lion the size of a leopard.
47. Both kangaroos and emus lack the ability to walk backwards. This was the reason they were chosen for Australia's coat of arms – to symbolise a country always moving forward.
48. The termite mounds that can be found in Australia are the tallest animal-made structures on earth.
49. Australia is home to more than 1,500 species of spiders.
50. The Great Victoria Desert is bigger than the whole of the United Kingdom.
Feb 20, 2023 21:01:08 #
Feb 20, 2023 21:02:04 #
Feb 20, 2023 21:15:12 #
Feb 20, 2023 21:38:36 #
Interesting facts Ron. When I was youngster I had hopes of moving to Australia. It seemed to be a place where a man, or woman, could live his/her life free from unnecessary regulations and government intervention.
The whole world has changed since the 60s when I was a naïve dreamer. I read and hear that such freedoms are no longer common there. I read about gun control laws and social wokeness in your Country. Is it true or are the still places, outside the cities, where an individual can live free?
The whole world has changed since the 60s when I was a naïve dreamer. I read and hear that such freedoms are no longer common there. I read about gun control laws and social wokeness in your Country. Is it true or are the still places, outside the cities, where an individual can live free?
Feb 20, 2023 22:25:50 #
Very interesting and informative. My cousin has lived there since the 60s. Loves it.
Feb 20, 2023 23:16:45 #
Feb 21, 2023 00:57:16 #
Curmudgeon wrote:
Interesting facts Ron. When I was youngster I had ... (show quote)
There are still lots of places like that Jack, most of the centre of the continent is uninhabited, pretty dry and rigged though. I was a shooter many years ago, went rabbiting and belonged to a rifle club and also a pistol club at one time. I also worked for a company that made firearms and was instrumental in helping with the design of a few of them. I was pretty upset when the gun buy back system was introduced in the mid 90s, I had to hand in a Browning auto .22 that belonged to my Grandfather and my Dad...didn't even work properly it was a family keepsake, broke my heart. I had a real shot at the policeman there but he said he was in the same boat and had to do the same thing. All because one arsehole shot some people down in Tasmania. Not a good thing at all but we were all punished for what one person did...the crims and bikies still get their guns OK though.
I had a small collection as well and while they were legal, I eventually lost interest as the annual fees were becoming ridiculous so I sold them.
Just a few of my collection...
Feb 21, 2023 01:42:38 #
SX2002 wrote:
There are still lots of places like that Jack, mos... (show quote)
OMG what a loss, those are some beautiful weapons. I am down to 5 hand guns and a shotgun now. I had a high school teacher who once told the class: "Rights are like muscles, if you don't exercise them you lose them." Here in Arizona we have a concealed carry law. My wife and I carry where ever we go. Not because we expect to shoot anyone but because we are exercise our rights. Also floating around deep in my memory I remember Dad saying, "You never need a gun until you need it bad."
Feb 21, 2023 06:08:45 #
Feb 21, 2023 06:56:28 #
Feb 21, 2023 07:35:24 #
Feb 21, 2023 08:15:04 #
I did not know most of these--interesting! Thanks for posting this list.
Feb 21, 2023 10:39:03 #
Feb 21, 2023 10:39:30 #
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