Interesting Facts About Australia: Beyond The Land Of Opera & 'Roos

What are some interesting facts about Australia? Well, there's more than just kangaroos, koalas, and giant spiders. How often have you dreamt of hiking up the Uluru Rock? Or go on a wild safari at the Australian Cravens Peak Reserve? Or spend an ethereal evening at the Sydney Opera House?

We all have our desires of a dream Australian Trip at least once in our lives, but without knowing a thing or two about the 'Aboriginal Land' culture, that desired Australian trip will surely be a bland one. So read on to learn some juicy tidbits of information about this vast and prosperous country.

Australia's country gets its name from the Latin word 'australis' meaning 'Southern'. For many centuries, geographers had hypothesized that a massive Southern continent, named 'Terra Australis', existed in the Southern Hemisphere of the world, which was eventually proved correct when explorers like Abel Tasman and James Cook explored this region of the world.

Though it was initially named New Holland by the Dutch, in 1804, the explorer Matthew Flinders proposed the name Australia for this land, made official in 1817. The full official name of the country is the 'Commonwealth of Australia'. Some other colloquial names for this land include 'Oz', 'Straya', and 'The Land Down Under.

The country was first to declare world war on Nazi Germany government. About one million Australian men and women served in what was going to be World War II between 1939 and 1945. There are unimaginable things to explore in Australia. You can start with exploring five facts to know about official language of Australia.

• Australia's most famous landmarks include the Ayers Rock (Uluru), Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is thus a major tourist destination.
• Australia is rightly known as a sports-obsessed nation, with most Australians playing sports at least once a week. Some of the popular sports in Australia include cricket, Aussie rules football, hockey, and water sports.
• In Australia, there is a mountain known as Mount Disappointment. The view from the top was so disappointing that there was no better name for it than this! The explorers wanted to see the ocean from the peak, but a group of trees blocked the view leading to the name.
• The founder of Melbourne was John Batman. Before this city got its present name, it was known as Batmania, that’s one of the interesting facts about Australia. 
• The Government of Australia once banned using the word 'mate' in the Australian Parliament in 2005. However, this absurd ban lasted only 24 hours before being overturned!

Learn more reasons to visit the splendid Australian city of Melbourne and know about the best Melbourne attractions.

Many people around the world move to the land of kangaroos every year. Many youngsters are pursuing their higher education in the amazing country. While some just like to spend holidays here. The incredible combination of flora and fauna makes it a wonderland. However, you must know how many languages are spoken in Australia?

Here we will present some interesting facts about Australian culture. These Australian cultural facts make you think much more about the country's rich diversity. Let's move to cultural facts about Australia that you will love:

Prime values of Australia Support Equal Right and Equal Opportunities

Aussies are open-minded and open-hearted individuals. They value equal rights and opportunities for every citizen. You can observe this in their publicly funded health care and educational systems. Australia is not a socially hierarchical society. At the same time, it's a multicultural country.

Most of the world's religions are practised here peacefully. The unique blend of Australian culture with modern lifestyle is impossible to find somewhere else. This is one of the good things about Australia. 

Australian Indigenous People Are the Oldest Living Civilizations

Another interesting facts about Australia is it’s world's largest sand island and home of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The people who have been living in the country for 60,000 years. The Aboriginal culture finds a special connection with the land. They have a unique bond with the family and community.

The proofs of various Aboriginal groups exploring the various regions of Australia are recorded in arts, books, stories, songs, and dance. This is another Australian culture fun fact if you think what makes Australia unique.

The Aussies Speak Unique Strain of English

One of the interesting facts about Australian lifestyle is natives speak unique English. However, the majority of the people speak English, but that's strangely different from English, you know. The Australian slang is challenging for foreigners to understand. The Aussies have abbreviated many English words.

Even your name is not safe, and that's one of the weird facts about Australia. When Aussie feel comfortable with you, they will call you with a nickname. That might be a slightly altered version of your name. Everyone must know this interesting Australia facts. 

Australians Just Love to Drink

The people of the largest sand island need no reason to drink. They can spend hours on the Australian election TV debate with drinks. They enjoy their alcoholic beverages with friends and family, and that's their best pass time. As per WHO, Australia ranks third among the country consuming alcohol per capita every year.

The country is full of luxurious wine bars and shops, including the Australian capital territory. These great wineries are the amazing passing time for a country with the world's largest rock. Clinking glasses and uttering "cheers" are the most common sound you can hear in the wineries. That’s another interesting facts about Australia. 

Australians Are Big Foodies

The Aussies love food, and you will find multicultural cuisines from every corner of the globe. People have migrated the land from every part of the world. They also bring their culinary skills and delights with them to the country. Just think of any global cuisine, and you will get it in the country.

Get burgers, fish and chips, Greek tavernas and outdoor food markets. Chinese, Thai, Japanese takeaway and great Turkish, Mexican and Indian restaurants are excellent. The tropical climate enables locals to offer fresh produce. The country is the hub of various fresh fruits and vegetables that you will love to cook.

Aussies Are Passionate About Sport

From South Australia to every part, people are sports buffs. The citizens back their local team even in the local tournaments. The Australian enjoys sports like cricket, football, rugby, tennis, AFL, motorsports and more. The world's longest golf stretch is in the land of roos.

The Australian stadium will give you the magical feel of the sports passion. The world's leading tournaments like the Australian Open, Cricket Tournaments, and Grand Prix motor races are held annually in the country. 

Australians Are Artistic in Nature

Australians are the most creative people. You can find that in their plays, folk ballads and paintings. Aboriginal art also got the most appreciation, and admiration worldwide. The unique way of story-telling with just mesmerize you. The great art form is a kind of chronicle to convey knowledge of the Aboriginal people's land, events, and beliefs.

The country's government supports their art forms with special grants. That motivates youngsters and fun, artistic pursuits including Sydney's Art and About, Vivid Sydney, Brisbane Street Arts Festival and more. Want to be part of their creative events? Search online of Facebook for “Events near you”.  In the meantime understand the Australian workplace culture.

 Some famous inventions that the modern world couldn't run without from Australia include Black Box Flight Recorder, Google Maps, electronic pacemaker, ultrasound, Wi-Fi, refrigerator, feature films, notepads, and battle tanks! The world surely owes a considerable debt to Western Australia for these innovations.

• Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke set the world record for drinking a yard of beer in 11 seconds. According to him, this was the reason for his political success!
• The nation's capital city, Canberra, was originally a small village. Later became the capital of Australia. It lay exactly halfway between Australia's two premier cities, Sydney and Melbourne
• The biggest metropolises in Australia are Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide. These cities are all located right on the coast or close to the coast and are the only cities in Australia with more than one million inhabitants.
• Voting in elections in Australia is compulsory 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.
• English is the best language to learn in Australia and one of the interesting facts about Australia. 
• The Australian Alps get more snow than the Swiss Alps.
• Australia has three times more sheep than people. That’s another interesting facts about Australia. 
• Dr Cyril Callister invented Vegemite, a brown spread. The texture of Vegemite is a little sticky with a salty, malty and bitter taste. Aussie parents feed their kids and toddlers on Vegemite. 
• Australian National Highway 1 is the longest highway of any in the world! This is due to the vast distances in Australia.

Most of Australia's exotic flora and fauna cannot be found anywhere else in the world. A selfie with cuddly marsupials like koalas, quokkas, wombats, and kangaroos are only possible in Australia. 

• It is a known fact that Wallabies like to break into Opium crops, get high and run around in circles to create a "crop circle".
• Each year, the cockroach racing world championship is held in Brisbane.
• Australia has three times more sheep than people.
• Australia has a cattle ranch larger than Belgium, the largest globally.
• Australians developed a fake animal to scare tourists further. The drop bears usually drops from trees and attack tourists. As if Australian fauna isn't scary enough already!
• The Drop Bear is a fantasy animal and a carnivorous version of the Koala. The Aussies created it to frighten away tourists! But you can rest assured, the drop bear will not leap down from the foliage and attack you in real life!
• The Emu and Kangaroo were the two animals on the Australian Coat of Arms because they can't walk backwards, reflecting a forward-thinking culture.
• The Great Barrier Reef off Australia's northeast coast is the most massive single structure by living organisms worldwide. It is so vast it is visible from space! 
• Australia has more camels than the Sahara Desert. This makes it the country with the most number of camels in the world. Even the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia imports its camels from Australia!
• Australia is home to six of the ten most poisonous animals on Earth! Better to go prepared!
• Lake Hillier is a famous Australian lake which is pink in colour and one of the interesting facts about Australia. 

Also, check out interesting Polish facts to get more surprised.

The country is diverse, with fantastic food, history and unique weirdness. Here are some more amazing facts that might surprise you.

• If you visit the new beach of Australia every day, you will take almost twenty-seven years to enjoy them all.
• The second-largest Greek population lives in Melbourne, Victoria, after Athens in Greece.
• Australia became the second country to provide voting rights to women in 1902. That’s one of the interesting facts about Australia. 
• Australians spend more money on gambling than other countries in the world. More than eighty per cent of Australian adults like gambling. You will find twenty per cent of the world's poker machines in the country. 
• Canberra was selected as the country's capital only because Sydney and Melbourne were continuously arguing which city should be the capital. However, Melbourne was Australia's capital between 1901 to 1927 before Canberra. 
• You will find the world's longest fence in Australia. It was built to keep dingos away from the fertile land. The total length of the fence is 5,614 km.
• There are instances of termite mounts. The tallest structures by animals on the planet. Sound crazy? Isn't it!
• Voting is compulsory for every citizen in Australia who reaches eighteen years of age. You don't have a choice, and there is a $72 fine for non-voters. But still, the average voting percentages are 81% in the country.
• The land of kangaroos is the driest continent on the globe, ranking second after Antarctica.
• Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world when we talk about the land area.

The Australian economy is also called the 'miracle economy' as it was booming for 30 years without a recession. It has an AAA-rated stable outlook by all three global credit rating agencies and some of the best living conditions in the world. Overall it is the 14th largest economy in the world.

• Australia is also one of the most diverse and multicultural countries in the world. 49% of Australians have been born overseas or have at least one parent from abroad and moved to Australia. The different groups include Europeans, Aborigines, Africans, and Asians. This is why, if you are moving to Australia, make sure to translate your documents from the country's reputed Translation services Australia to avoid any future error.
• An Australian person tried to sell New Zealand on eBay once and one of the interesting facts about Australia. 
• Australia was the second nation on Earth to enact women's suffrage and give women the right to vote!
• Having a vibrant and diverse culture, Australia has produced some world-famous personalities. These include Russel Crowe, Margot Robbie, Cate Blanchett, Chris & Liam Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger, Steve Irwin, the band ACDC, Kylie Minogue, Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Don Bradman, Les Murray, and Rupert Murdoch. Talent is obviously not in short supply in Australia.
• Aboriginal culture is the oldest on Earth, around 60,000 years old!! Well known for the didgeridoo, boomerang, and belief in the Dreamtime. 
• One of the common words in Australian English is 'mate'. In 2005, the government banned saying the word 'mate' in Parliament. The ban lasted only 24 hours.
• A cult may or may not have tested the first non-governmental nuclear weapon in Western Australia. Australia is so big, though no one is entirely sure!

Melbourne, Australia has the largest Greek population outside of Greece - it is a Greece away from Greece!

• Australia is one of the wine-producing destinations of the world, with more than 60 designated wine-producing regions and making more than 1.35 trillion bottles of wine per year! That's enough for the entire world's population’s drink! This contributes to the economic diversity in Australia.
• The official national day of Australia is 'Australia Day. People celebrate it on the 26th of January. This particular day is a remembrance of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson in New South Wales. It also remembers the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Philip.
• There have been cases of wallabies getting intoxicated after breaking into opium crops, then running about and making crop circles similar to those in the science fiction movie Signs.
• Australia is also the only continent out of 7 that does not have an active volcano. That’s one of the interesting facts about Australia. 
• Australia's first-ever police squad was made up of 12 prisoners. They were famous for their best behaviour in the colony.
• The island of Tasmania, south of Australia, has the cleanest air in the world.
• The Australian city of Gold Coast has the world's most extensive canal system, which is larger than the more famous canals of Venice and Amsterdam combined!
• South Australia Economy generates $223.513 Billion. That's 5.8 per cent of $3.885 trillion generation of the country.

Australia has always been a fascinating country attracting tourists around the world. The people love their food, beer, art, music and culture. The amazingly diverse flora and fauna will mesmerize you. The region of Fraser island, unique seat belt law, and loving police force is always there to help you.

Hopefully, you learned some interesting and fun facts about Australia after reading this article. Australia is so much more than its stereotypes! This article was just a small glimpse; there are many more interesting facts to learn about this magnificent country.

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