Australia Facts - Interesting Facts about Australia

Australia is the only continent covered by a single country with truly unique landscapes, natural wonders and extraordinary experiences for travellers.

Here are a list of facts that you may not know about Australian animals, culture, people and iconic landmarks in preparation for your visit to Australia.

Australian Wildlife

Melbourne was the capital city of Australia for 26 years between 1901 and 1927 before the capital shifted to Canberra
There are three times as many sheep than people living in Australia
The Australian Emu – a large, flightless bird – can run as fast as 45km/h (28mph)
Platypus are highly poisonous, and have enough poison to kill a dog or make a human seriously ill
Wombat poo is shaped like a cube!
The Box Jellyfish – which is found in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef – is responsible for more deaths than snakes, sharks and saltwater crocodiles combined
The record jump recorded by a kangaroo is a whopping 9 metres (30 feet) in a single leap!
Two native Australian animals, Platypus and Echidnas, are the only two mammals in the world that lay eggs to give birth
Koalas sleep for about 20 hours per day
Tasmanian Devils have the strongest bite per body size of any mammal
There are 4 different species of kangaroo in Australia, with the Red Kangaroo being the largest. The largest Big Red ever seen was 2.1m tall (6ft 9in) and weighed 91kgs (200lbs)!
The Australian Thorny Devil is one of the longest-lived lizards of its size in the world, with a lifespan of up to 20 years
The Kangaroo and Emu were chosen to be the two animals on the Australian Coat of Arms because they can't walk backwards, reflecting a forward-thinking culture
17 of the world's most poisonous snakes can be found in Australia
Australia is home to around 1,500 types of spiders, 4,000 types of ants and 350 types of termites
While Kangaroos are considered a national icon, with over 40 million estimated throughout the country, they can also be considered a pest in some locations and are sometimes culled
Australia has a larger population of camels than Egypt

Australian Laws

Voting in elections in Australia is compulsory (you don't have a choice) for everyone 18 years of age and over, with an initial fine of $72 issued for non-voters. Despite this, only around 81% of eligible Aussie voters cast their vote
Australia was the second country in the world to grant women the right to vote; this occurred in 1894
In 2005, the government issued a ban on saying the word 'mate' at Parliament House. The ban lasted 24 hours before it was overturned
Swimming at public beaches in Australia during the day was made illegal for 64 years
The legal drinking age in Australia is 18 years old
Australia officially became a federation in 1901
Australia's first police force was made up of 12 convicts who were judged to be the best behaved

Australian People

49% of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was born overseas and moved to Australia
Someone from Sydney is typically referred to as a Sydney-sider
A person from Melbourne is called a Melbournian
Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke once held the Guiness World Record for the fastest beer sculling, downing 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds (he recreated the legendary feat at the SCG in January 2017)
Despite being a massive continent, 90% of Australia's population live on the coast due to the majority of the interior being a vast desert
Australia's Aboriginal people are estimated to have lived here for roughly 50,000 years, yet they now make up only 1.5% of the total population
The average Australian will eat the equivalent of 18 full cows and 90 full sheep in his or her lifetime
After Athens, Melbourne has the world's largest Greek population
Australia has one of the world's lowest population densities – it's size is only a bit smaller than the USA, yet the population is only around 23 million, as opposed to 313 million in the United States.
The average Australian drinks 83 litres of beer per year
In Aboriginal culture, women are not permitted to play the didgeridoo

Australian Cities & Natural Attractions

Australia is the driest of any continent on earth other than Antarctica
The Great Barrier Reef is regarded as the world's largest living organism, and is often listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World
Australia is the only continent covered by a single country
The highest mountain in Australia is Mt Kosciuszko, which stands 2228m high. Australia as a whole is a fairly flat country, with relatively few mountain ranges given its size.
The Daintree Rainforest, found in tropical north Queensland, is the country's largest and covers around 1,200 square kilometres
The Aussie state of Tasmania has the world's cleanest air
While mining is one of Australia's biggest industries, more land is covered by pubs than mines
Uluru (Ayers Rock) is known as the largest monolith in the world and is over 8km wide at its widest point
Australia is home to the world's largest cattle ranch – which is bigger than the entire country of Belgium
Australia is the 6th largest country in the world in terms of land area
Australia's dingo fence is longer than the Great Wall of China
The Nullarbor Plain is home to the longest straight road in the world, at 146km long
Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano
The termite mounds that can be found in Australia are the tallest animal-made structures on Earth
Melbourne has the largest public tram system in the world
The Gold Coast has the world's largest canal system, which is larger than those of both Venice and Amsterdam combined
Canberra was built specifically to be Australia's capital city as both Sydney and Melbourne had reasons for being denied

Australia is truly a beautiful place to visit. If you're looking for experiences within Australia - visit our home page for information on tours, attractions, activities, information and much more.

Explore Australia

Australian Wildlife

Zoos & Aquariums

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Tickets

SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast Entry Tickets

Australia Zoo Tickets with BONUS Wildlife Hospital Entry

Featherdale Wildlife Park Entry Tickets

Australian Laws

Popular Australian Activites

Sunshine Coast Go Karting

Aquaduck Gold Coast City Tour and River Cruise

Kuranda Scenic Railway + Skyrail Rainforest Cableway

Gold Coast Express Jetboat Ride - 30 Minutes

Australian People

Australia Tours & Day Trips

Moreton Island Dolphin and Tangalooma Wrecks Snorkelling Adventure

Noosa Dolphin Viewing Sea Kayak Tour

Remote Fraser Island Full Day Tour

Picnic Among the Vines

Australian Cities & Natural Attractions

Experience The Great Barrier Reef

Fitzroy Island Full Day Trip

Green Island Full Day Cruise - 9am Departure

Whitehaven Beach and Hamilton Island Tour with Lunch

Whitehaven Beach Northern Exposure Tour

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