Things That Will Inspire You To Visit
Are you interested in learning more about the country down under? Then here are some fun and fascinating facts about Australia that you probably didn’t know and will surely surprise you. As Australia is pretty much isolated from the rest of the world, many people haven’t ventured here.But having lived here all my life, I would love to share some of this beautiful country with you, the weird and the wonderful, which might just inspire you to visit.
Some of these facts about Australia may actually shock you.
People
- As of 2021, the population of Australia is 25.7 million.
- It is the 6th largest country in area, but one of the least densely populated countries.
- One third of Australians were born in another country.
- Over 200 cultures exist and over 300 languages are spoken, making it the most diverse culture in the world.
- The oldest culture on earth is the Australian Aboriginal people who lived here for about 50,000 years before European settlement. Now they make up only 1.5% of the population.
- Other prominent cultures are Italian, Greek, Asian, and Indian.
Melbourne beach
- 4 out of 5 people live within 50 km of the coast. Aussies love the beach.
- On the Human Development Index, Australia ranks 3rd in the world, behind Norway and Switzerland.
- Melbourne was ranked the world’s most liveable city 7 years in a row, from 2011 to 2017.
- 73% of Australians live in stand-alone houses.
Aerial view of Australian houses
- Australia has the highest minimum wage in the world.
- Voting in Australian elections is compulsory for all citizens, or they will be fined.
- Tasmania has the world’s cleanest air.
Cradle Mountain, Tasmania
Landscape
- There are over 10,000 beaches in Australia.
- Australia has a lot of islands, 8,222 islands in fact. The biggest is Tasmania.
- The Australian Alps (Snowy Mountains) receive more snow each year than the Swiss Alps. Why? I’ll tell you. The Australian Alps are located close to the coast and as such, coastal regions receive greater precipitation in the cold months than inland locations. Switzerland is very much a landlocked country.
- Uluru is the largest monolith, a large single rock monument, in the world.
- There are 10 deserts in Australia.
- In fact, deserts account for approximately 35% of the country.
- The Great Victoria Desert is bigger than the whole United Kingdom.
- Australia is the only continent without an active volcano.
Uluru – Ayres Rock
Sports
- Australia is the sports capital of the world, with many major sporting venues, which host world events, such as Australian Tennis Open and Formula 1 Grand Prix.
- 70% of the population participate in some type of sport at least once a week.
- Aussie Rules football is like a religion in many states, especially in Victoria.
Melbourne sporting precinct
Inventions by Australians
Australians have been an inventive bunch. Over the years they have come up with some pretty impressive stuff. Check these out:
- Black box (cockpit flight recorder) in 1953.
- Bionic ear implant in 1970’s.
- Electronic pacemaker in the 1920’s.
- World’s first anti-cancer vaccine for cervical cancer in 2006.
- Ultrasound scanner in 1976.
- First frozen embryo baby was born in Melbourne in March 1984.
- Wi-fi was invented by CSIRO inventors in 1992.
- Anti-flu virus in 1996 in Monash Melbourne.
- Car baby safety capsule 1984.
- War tank 1912 by a South Australian.
- Clapper board for films in 1930.
- Winged keel for yachts 1983.
Wine
- There are 60 Wine Regions in Australia, including the Yarra Valley and the Hunter Valley regions.
- Over 100 varieties of grapes are planted.
- Over 2000 different wine producers.
- Wine casks were invented in 1965 by a South Australian.
McLaren Vale Winery, South Australia
Animals
Australia has some cute animals and some that are not so cute, and downright dangerous.
- 1 million camels are roaming free in the desert. More camels than Egypt.
- There are 21 of the world’s 25 venomous snakes. But don’t worry, they won’t bother you as long as you leave them alone. Hardly anyone dies from snake bites unless they wrestle with one!
- Over 210 species of reptiles live in Australia, including the famous desert Death Adder snake.
- The spiders are not really deadly, anymore. No one has died of a spider bite since the 80’s, when anti-venom was invented.
- Saltwater crocodiles in the far north are extremely dangerous and eat people. Needless to say, use your common sense and stay away from them!
- The Box Jellyfish is deadly, as is the Blue Ringed Octopus.
- There are 3 times as many sheep as there are people.
Weird and (not so) wonderful things
- The longest fence in the world is the Dingo fence (to keep out dingoes and wild dogs from fertile land) which runs through South Australia and Queensland which is 5,600 km long.
- Australia has cattle ranches larger than Israel or Belgium.
- World’s longest golf course, being 850 miles long.
- Really bad broadband speed, in fact Australia ranks 60th in the world! Sooo frustrating.
- Brisbane hosts the world’s yearly cockroach championships! What the … ?
- The highest electricity rates in the world.
UNESCO sites
Great Barrier Reef
Australia has 19 World Heritage Sites. Some of them are:
- The Great Barrier Reef, the largest living organism in the world and visible from space. It is also one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.
- The Sydney Opera House.
- Fraser Island, the worlds biggest sand island.
- Kakadu National Park, Australia’s largest reserve, has been continuously inhabited for more than 40,000 years, and is the size of Slovenia.
- Tasmanian Wilderness.
Indigenous Australians – photo credit
That’s it for now.
Have you enjoyed these fun and fascinating facts about Australia? Let me know what you think in the section below.
Tours of Australia
After reading about the wonderful country of Australia, you may be inspired to visit. So here are some fantastic tours to consider to make the most out of your Australian adventure.
Tasmania
South Australia
Queensland
New South Wales
Victoria
Western Australia
Northern Territory
Accommodation deals in Australia
Pin Facts About Australia on pinterest
Other Snazzy posts you may like
10 Facts About Aboriginal Art
INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN ART Art is part of the cultural makeup of every society and Australia is...
Best Places To Visit In Hobart
A QUICK GUIDE TO TASMANIA'S CAPITAL Hobart has endeared itself to Australians and tourists alike. With...
Why Visit Westminster Abbey
Planning a trip to London for the first time and not sure whether to visit...
Singapore’s Iconic Raffles Hotel
HIGH TEA AND SINGAPORE SLINGS You don't want to miss the iconic Raffles Hotel in Singapore....
12 Really Cool Facts About Malaysia
THINGS TO INSPIRE YOU TO VISIT When visiting other countries, I love learning fun and interesting...
Spread the love
I’m Aussie but I didn’t know some of these facts. I guess you learn something new every day!
As a born and bred Aussie, even I learnt a thing or two from reading this list. While we are a very clever and inventive bunch, I don’t think we need to tell the world that we invented cask wine 😉
Nice post, plenty of facts, love it! 🙂
I wasn’t aware that so many Aussies were born elsewhere. I always just assumed that immigration to the land down under was some sort of mythical right. Who would have known it happened with such regularity. Plus 850 mile golf course… What the what.?
At first, I was hooked on Tasmania’s air quality. But then I kept reading and learned more about Australia’s wine. Yum!
I knew Australia was unique among countries and super-interesting…but I had no idea just how much! Thanks for all the great insights. The thing I found the most interesting is all the UNESCO Heritage Sites. I’d consider going just for that alone!
I have been wanting to go to Australia for a very long time. I just feel it is too expensive a holiday destination. You have listed some great facts which I had no idea about.
A truly wonderful list! I just took my first trip to Australia and I am already checking my calendar to see when I can go back. Tasting wine from Margaret River was a lot of fun and I’d eventually like to go back and see that area. I would love to go see Uluru someday. Thanks for sharing!
I had no idea all of these things came from Australia, especially wifi! Thanks for sharing so much great information.
Woah, so many things I had no clue about in Australia. Firstly, I had no idea there were snowy mountains, I guess I just assumed it was beach and desert, so that was really eye opening. And while I knew about the venomous animals, I had no idea there were camels in Australia. It’s more diverse than I thought! Thanks for sharing!
Oh this is great! I’m going there this autumn, this made me even more excited haha!
I’ve always wanted to visit Australia! I had no idea that voting was compulsory. Uluru is top of my list of things to see when we visit someday. Love this list and I learned a lot about Australia.
I love this post! Is it just me, or who doesn’t love to read about fun facts! I liked your categories and to know that the country is now ranked 6th for population size is something I didn’t realize. I also found it interesting the amount of electricity used and unfortunately the poor bandwidth you have. That seems surprising based on the 25 million people who live there, at least you have 2,000 wineries. Congratulations on having the highest minimum wage! That helps with having a strong economy and healthier standard of living.
I’m Australian and I loved reading this post! Yes lots of our animals are deadly, yes we mostly live around the coast of the country, yes we are one of the driest countries in the world. I live in Melbourne, I own a stand alone house, I live in the world’s most liveable city and I still don’t know how we manage to win that every year!
When we travel internationally my kids don’t ask are we nearly there yet, they as have we left Australia yet! A flight to Asia where we travel most often, is an 8 hrs flight, 5 hrs in and we are only just leaving Australian shores!
I wouldn’t have it any other way! My Aussie and proud and wouldn’t live anywhere else, but a little further north than Melbourne would be perfect!!
I’ve always been fascinated by Australia but there are so many points that you’ve made that I had no idea about! I think its amazing that only 1/3 of the population were born there! I had no idea that Australians had to vote or be fined. I just love that! It is incredible that the same country has so many deserts as well as more snow than the Swiss alps! I have to say that the number of dangerous reptiles and other animals in Australia is quite daunting. It’s probably the only thing that would keep me from visiting!
I loved visiting Australia. The Great Barrier Reef was amazing. I want to go back and visit Uluru and Tasmania. This list had great reasons to visit Australia. Of course the opera house is awesome!
I LOVE fun facts like these. Australia was already on my list of places I want to visit, but this made me even more eager to get there eventually!
Thank you for some great facts. I have lived in Australia for over 20 years and I still learned new things. The fact that Tasmania has the cleanest air doesn’t surprise me, it’s such a pristine place. As for the wine regions, I’ve just come back from Orange in New South Wales. A new find for me, I had only visited Mudgee and the Hunter Valley in New South Wales…
I look forward to reading about Orange, as I haven’t been there.
Someone once told me wifi started in Australia!
I haven’t even dealt with Australian wine yet. Interesting to hear more about it.
Such interesting facts! I can’t believe Australia has ranches larger than whole countries! Thats amazing.
What a fun post with so many interesting facts about Australia! I would love to visit Australia and it’s very helpful to learn these facts prior to visiting. ?
I want to go back to Australia after reading this hahaha! I knew about the air in Tasmania, it was on my scratch map! I had no idea the Australian Alps were getting more snow than in the Swiss Alps though that’s crazy! Thanks for sharing this great post 🙂
Great post 🙂