experience now, pay laterlearn more

Rating

WINNER: Online Booking Website of the Year 2018

Want it

Choose the items you love and select Zip at checkout

Get it

We pay the store, you get the goods, nothing to pay today

Own it

Choose how you pay us back over time, interest free

*A $6 monthly account fee applies. Pay your balance by the due date (the end of next month) and we'll waive the fee. See full Ts & Cs.

Shop experiences near me

AUD ($)

Please note: currency conversion prices are an approximate guide only and are updated daily. All transactions are processed in AUD.

You have Experience Points Sign out

Need Help? Call 1300 935 532

English

AUD ($)

Please note: currency conversion prices are an approximate guide only and are updated daily. All transactions are processed in AUD.

Already have an account? .

7 Day Support Cancellation Guarantee No Booking Fees

Experience Oz Presents

Facts About Australia

by Experience Oz staff

Australia as a country is both very similar and at the same time, very different than many other western countries due to its distant location and colourful history.

Here's a comprehensive list of Australia facts that you may not already know, with both adults and kids facts on the likes of Australian people, the population, culture and a few fun figures thrown in.

Facts About Australian Animals

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
If you ever get attacked by a crocodile, try pushing your finger into its eye to deter it
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
Insects and arachnids – 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

Facts About 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
Only licensed electricians are legally allowed to change a lightbulb in Australia
Australia's first police force was made up of 12 convicts who were judged to be the best behaved

Facts About Australian People

Over 25% of Australia's residents were born overseas as of 2012 – a number that is expected to increase rapidly
Someone from Sydney is typically referred to as a Sydney-sider
Those from Queensland are nicknamed Banana Benders
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.
Despite its image as a sporting nation, Australia has the highest rate of obesity in the world, with 63.4% of the population clocking in overweight.
Perhaps, on a related note, the average Australian drinks 83 litres of beer per year
In Aboriginal culture, women are not permitted to play the didgeridoo

Facts About Australian Language and Slang

Australians generally use British English for the majority of language, with 'colour' and similar words spelled with a 'u', while words such as 'specialised' use an 's' as opposed to a 'z'
Some popular Aussie words/terms and their meanings:
G'day - good morning or hello
Arvo - afternoon
Mate - friend
Cheers - thank you
She'll be right - it will be OK
Barbie - barbecue
Mozzie - mosquito
Bloody oath - hell yeah
Thongs - flip flops
Ta - thanks
Bogan - redneck
Australia as a name comes from the latin terra australis incognita meaning unknown southern island

Facts about Australian Nature and Land

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
South Australia is the driest state in Australia
The Murray River is the longest river in Australia, with a length of 2,995 km
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
Australia's alps receive more snowfall annually than those in Switzerland
The termite mounds that can be found in Australia are the tallest animal-made structures on Earth

Facts about Australian Sports & Games

Australian Rules Football (also called Aussie Rules) was originally created for cricket players to play in their off season. It is now one of the most popular sports in the country.
Over 80% of Aussies engage in some form of gambling
Australia holds the record for largest margin of victory in an international soccer match, beating American Samoa 31-0
Some of Australia's best and most famous sporting figures in each sport include: Sir Donald Bradman (cricket), Andrew Gaze (basketball), Cathy Freeman (track & field), Dawn Fraser (swimming), Leigh Matthews/Gary Ablett (Australian Rules Football), Andrew Johns/Darren Lockyer (Australian Rugby League) and Greg Norman (golf).

Facts about Australian Cities

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
The Great Barrier Reef has its own mail box
Sydney is Australia's largest city, but NOT its capital – Canberra is the country's capital city

If you're looking for things to do around Australia, check out our catalogues for all of the country's main cities and regions featuring tours, attractions, activities and more.

Browse All Experiences

Facts About Australia

by Experience Oz staff

Facts About Australian Animals

Facts About Australian Laws

Facts About Australian People

Facts About Australian Language and Slang

Facts about Australian Nature and Land

Facts about Australian Sports & Games

Facts about Australian Cities

Become an Affiliate

Become a Supplier

Careers

Public Relations

Privacy Policy

About Us

Partner with Us

FAQs

Terms and Conditions

Work with Us

Facts About Australian Animals

Facts About Australian Laws

Facts About Australian People

Facts About Australian Language and Slang

Facts about Australian Nature and Land

Facts about Australian Sports & Games

Facts about Australian Cities

Join over 250,000 of our mates