Australia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world sitting in the Oceania region. When many think of Australia, they see it as one extreme end of the world due to its distance from other major continents. However, there are many fun facts about Australia that make it such an attractive destination.
Common Facts About Australia
Officially ” the commonwealth of Australia,” this unique country is the 53rd most populous in the world with approximately 26 million people.
Some consider Australia the largest island in the world while others claim that it is a continent by itself. Regardless, the stunning country comprises the continent’s mainland, Tasmania island, and other smaller surrounding islands.
In addition, Australia is famous for its biodiversity, rich history, wildlife, and some mouthwatering beaches.
Historical Facts On Australia
Australia Is Over 60,000 Years
It will be a cliche to say Willem Janszoon discovered Australia in 1606. However, he was the first European to arrive in the area before British explorer James cook claimed the area for Great Britain in 1770.
Before their arrival, the Aboriginal Australians had arrived and settled there for over 60,000 years. They had created over 200 distinct languages. It is no surprise that Australia maintains some of the longest-surviving artistic and religious traditions.
The Aboriginal Museum in Sydney house more about the originals and all other intriguing historical facts about Australia.
Swimming In The Sea Was Illegal
Did you know this historical fact about Australia? Swimming at public beaches in daylight was illegal for over 60 years (1838 to 1902). Especially public beaches in Sydney and other areas of NSW(New South Wales).
This was because of morality. At the time, swimwear for women was not common in the mainstream. Also, there were no separate changing rooms for men and women.
Exposure to female skin was seen as a big problem, but now the story is different as there are no such concerns anymore.
This Australian fact sounds unbelieveable today considering how beaches are synonymous with the country, and Australians are often seen as great swimmers and surfers.
Queen Elizabeth II Fired The Australian Government
There are many historical facts about Australia, but this one certainly stands out with the entire government being sacked in 1975.
The Australian government at the time shut down due to reaching a deadlock over budgetary squabbling. The queen took an approach nobody expected.
Stepping in through her representative in Australia, Governor General Sir John Kerr, she fired the whole parliament and replaced them with new members immediately.
Australian Gold Rush
In 1851, gold was discovered in Bathurst. Edward Hargraves was credited as the man to discover gold in Australia. The Gold rush was the beginning of wealth and migration to Australia.
One fact about the Australian Gold Rush is that it brought about the “Gold Fever .”The gold fever infected the world. The word of gold being discovered in Australia spread across the globe, which led many prospectors from America, Asia, and Europe to flood into Australia.
Another interesting fact about the Australian Gold Rush is that it brought about the term mateship. It centered around loyalty and a strong bond between miners. This diminished the government’s authority, and the gold rush was the conception point of Australian independence.
Dingo Fence
The Dingo fence, built in 1885, is interestingly the longest in the world. It holds the record with an amazing length of 5,614 km. The fence was erected as a means of protecting the cropland from rabbits.
Football’s Largest Victor
Australia made history on its ground by setting a record for the largest win in an international football match.
On the 11th of April 2001, in preparation (qualifiers match) for the 2002 FIFA world cup, Australia hosted American Samoan in the International Sports Stadium.
Australia defeated their opponent by 31-0, setting a world record. Australian player Archie Thompson also set a record for most goals in a single international match by scoring 13 goals.
Useful Facts About Australia For Tourists
The Sydney Opera House
One of the most famous landmarks in Australia is the Sydney Opera House. It’s a multi-venue performing art center.
The building is considered an exceptional architectural and engineering achievement and is one of the world-famous architectural icons. The design is said to be inspired by an orange.
The building of the Sydney Opera House is an important part of Australian history. The construction was supposed to last 4 years, but with 10,000 construction workers, it took 14 years for the construction to be completed.
Every year, at least 11 million visitors fly to Australia to see the Sydney Opera House and enjoy some cool performances.
Biodiversity In Australia
Biodiversity is one of Australia’s charms. There are more than one million species of plants and animals in Australia.
82% and 93% of mammals and frogs are unique to Australia. In fact, 10% of all species on earth can be found in Australia.
This natural fact of Australia is impressive for obvious reasons but also has a negative side for the country. This is because some of these animals are dangerous. These include box jellyfish, crocodiles, greater blue-ringed octopuses, etc.
Australia Volcano
The country houses the Tweed volcano, one of the world’s largest but extinct volcanoes. In contrast, a perhaps surprising Australian fact is that there are no active volcanoes in the country. None of the volcanoes have erupted since European settlement.
Pink Lakes In Australia
Australia has many peculiar yet amazing pink lakes, especially in Western Australia. Hutt Lagoon and Lake Hiller are prime examples of these famous lakes.
The science behind these lakes is still a mystery, and scientists have yet to explain why they are pink. But there have been suggestions that these lakes are pink because they host some Dunaliella salina microalgae.
Low And Flat Country
Australia is on the list of one of the lowest, flattest and driest countries in the world. Lake Eyre is the lowest point in the country, sitting approximately 15m above sea level. The highest point at 2,228m is Mount Kosciuszko.
Cockroach Racing World Championship
This is the top of the list of weird facts about Australia. Although not entirely surprising.
Gambling is part of the Australian entertainment culture. They never let up any opportunity when it presents itself.
As such, it birth-forth the infamous cockroach racing world championship held in Brisbane every year. It is an event worth exploring, and you could find it interesting depending on your tolerance for cockroaches.
Greeks In Melbourne
Did you know that Melbourne house a large population of Greeks outside of Athens. From the census done in 2021, at least 424,750 people in Australia have Greek ancestry, and most reside in Melbourne. That makes up over 1.5% of the Australian population.
One interesting fact about Australian food is the influence that Greek cuisine has in it. There are plenty of Aegean-influenced restaurants in Australia. And rightly so. Due to the increasing number of Greeks in the country, it’s no surprise Greek dishes are growing in Australian cuisine.
Wine In Australia
Although wine is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Australia, here’s a pleasantly surprising fact about Australia – they are one of the highest producers of wine in the world.
Australia has at least 60 designated wine regions. Australia produces approximately 1.35 trillion bottles of wine per year. You can visit any Wine Valley on your travels; it’s certainly worth a day trip to check out the vineyards.
Temperature In Australia
The highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in Australia are 50.7O and -23O, respectively. The coldest months are typically June through August, while the hottest are December through February.
Cultural Facts On Australia
Australians Are Egalitarian
Australians are big advocates of equality. They adore and revere the concept of ‘fair go.’ they believe everyone deserves equal opportunity and, as such, should be afforded this opportunity.
Their egalitarianism is evident in their open support for publicly funded healthcare and educational system. Australians distance themselves from the pompous class system of their motherland, Britain.
Gambling A Part Of The Culture
How about this for a shocking cultural fact about Australia? Gambling is a big part of the culture in Australia.
It is surprising since Australia ain’t exactly that synonymous with gambling compared to other things like kangaroos, surfing, or Koalas. However, no country in the world spends as much on gambling (per Capita) as Australia does. Stats have shown that at least 80% of Adults in Australia engage in gambling.
More interestingly, of all the poker machines in the world, 20% are found in Australia, that’s very high.
Roasted Lamb The National Dish
One Australian food fact is that meat form a significant part of the cuisine.
There are many popular foods in Australia, such as meat pie, Pavlova, barramundi, etc. But based on reports from various polls taken in different parts of the country, it is safe to say the national dish is roasted lamb.
As you can imagine, the base ingredient is lamb. You roast the lamb in your oven after basting it with oil and any herb of your choice. After roasting, you can serve it with cabbage, carrot, potato green beans. It’s quite the delicacy.
Be sure to also enjoy some nice desserts in Australia after a hearty meal.
No National Sport In Australia
Unlike some Latin American countries where soccer is the proclaimed national sport, Australia has no such declaration. Sports are part of the culture in Australia; Aussies love some sports action. Football, cricket, rugby, golf, and basketball are some of the most famous sports in Australia.
Cultural Diversity
Talk about diversity; it doesn’t get any better than this. Although Australia doesn’t have an official language at the federal level, over 90% of the population speaks English.
But did you know? There are at least 160 spoken languages in Australia. That’s one intriguing Australian fact.
Religion in Australia is vast with the majority being Christian or Agnostic. Christianity makes up 43.9% of the population. Agnostic is 38.9%, Islam is 3.2%, Hinduism is 2.7%, Buddhism is 2.4%, other religions is 1.7%, and unspecified religion is 7.2%.
Other Interesting Facts About Australia
Australia Is A Continent And A Country
Here’s one of the most confusing geographical facts about Australia. Many wonders if Australia can be term a country, island, or continent.
Some believe Australia is both a country and a continent, whereby mainland Australia, Tasmania, and other smaller surrounding islands form the continent.
One of the reasons for the confusion is also because many claim Oceania to be a continent and Australia is only part of the continent, which also includes countries like New Zealand.
This is a fun and unique fact about Australia, it is one of a kind. It is the only country in the world that some believe to also be a continent. We will leave it to you to
Canberra The Capital
You can be forgiven for thinking Brisbane, Melbourne, or Sydney are the capital city of Australia. Considering they are the most popular cities in the country.
The capital of Australia, though, is Canberra, which has been since 1927. For 26 years, though, Melbourne held that title from 1901 to 1927. This is an often mistaken yet important fact about Canberra.
5% Of The World’s Land Area
Did you know that Australia is twice as big as India? It might not be obvious since Australia is often visually distant from other countries on the map. However, the country actually covers about 5% of the world’s land area.
The world’s total land area is about 149,450,000 square km, and Australia’s land area is about 7,682,300 square km.
Kangaroo, Emus, And The Flag
Here’s an interesting fact about the Australian flag. The coat of arms features two of the most populous animals in the country, an emu and a kangaroo.
The coat of arms represents progress and forward movement at all times. Kangaroos and emus don’t move backward; they only move forward. They only attempt to move backward when necessary. For this reason, they feature in the coat of arms.
Another interesting fact about the Australian flag is that most countries don’t eat the animals featured on their coat of arms; the story is different in Australia as they do consume kangaroos and emus.
More Camels Than Egypt
This has to be one of the more surprising facts about Australia. Did you know that Australia has more camels than Egypt? Interestingly Australia exports some of its camels to Saudi Arabia.
There are over a million feral camels in the range-land ecosystem of Australia. That is why perceptions can be deceiving as camels are usually more closely linked to countries with more desert-like climates.
Selling New Zealand
There are plenty of Australian facts, some of which don’t make logical sense. But how about this for a funny fact about Australia? Once, an Australian man tried to sell New Zealand on eBay. Crazy right?
After visiting New Zealand in 2006, he listed the country up for sale on eBay at a starting bid of $0.01 Aussie Dollar. What’s insane was that people were actually bidding for it. The price bid went up to $3,000 before eBay noticed it and took it down.
Australia Facts For Kids
States In Australia
Although there are many popular cities in Australia, there are only 8 states. The states in Australia include Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Victoria, and New South Wales.
Animal To Human Ratio
Here’s an interesting fact about Australia. There are more Kangaroos and sheep than people in Australia.
Australia’s population is approximately 25.7 million. Interestingly, there’s an estimated value of 50 and 74.4 million Kangaroos and sheep, respectively, in Australia.
10,000 Beaches In Australia
There are at least 10,000 beaches in Australia. Here’s a fun trivia about Australia. If you were to visit one beach per day, it will take at least 27 years to exhaust all the beaches in Australia.
Forest Fires In Australia
An unfortunate fact about Australia’s geography is that forest fires are very common due to due to the country’s climate.
One of the reasons for these bushfires is that trees, especially eucalyptus, usually explode like fireworks. The eucalyptus contains flammable oil and these trees burn like crazy in the event of forest fires.
Discovering More Fun Facts About Australia
With its unique geography, diverse wildlife, and interesting history, it’s no wonder that the country is such a popular destination for travelers. From the large camel and kangaroo population to the abundance of beaches – these are just some of the fascinating facts about Australia.
Whether you’re planning a trip down under or simply want to know more about Australia before your visit, we hope these fun Australia facts have inspired you to explore even further into what makes this great nation truly remarkable.
