55 Interesting Facts About Australia

  1. Australia is the 6th largest country in the world. It is also the largest country in Oceania and Southern Hemisphere.
  2. Melbourne and Sydney are the 2nd and 3rd most livable cities. Adelaide is the 3rd Australian city on the list of the world’s top 10 most livable cities. (Source)
  3. Australia has the cleanest air in the world. The outdoor and indoor air quality in Australia is the world’s best. (Source)
  4. Daintree Rainforest in Australia is the oldest known forest in the world. It is 100-180 million years old. It is also the largest rainforest on the Australian continent, spreading over an area of 460 square miles. (Source)
  5. Scientists have found the earliest signs of life on earth in ancient rocks of Western Australia. These microbes were discovered from 3.5-billion-year-old stromatolites. (Source)
  6. Australians spend (and also lose) the most money in gambling around the globe. An average Australian adult lost $990 in 2016, 49% more than the next-biggest losers, Singaporeans. (Source)
  7. Australia is a sovereign country with its parliament and prime minister. However, the governor-general represents the monarch (currently Charles III).
  8. Australia contains one of the world’s longest golf courses. The length of the Nullarbor Links is 850 miles (1,365 km).
  9. Australia is one of the driest countries in the world. Nearly 70% of its area is desert (receives less than 250mm of rain) or semi-arid (receives between 250 and 350mm of rain). Therefore, the majority of its population resides in coastal areas.
  10. Australia is the 5th most atheist country in the world and the most atheist nation in the Southern Hemisphere. More than 10% of Australians are “convinced atheists.” (Source)
  11. Anna Creek Station in South Australia is the largest cattle station in the world. With an area of 24,000 square km, this cattle station is bigger than Israel and about the same size as Rwanda.
  12. The world’s first seatbelt law was introduced in Victoria, Australia, in 1970. This law made it mandatory for passengers to fasten their seat belts while in the car. (Source)
  13. Australian silent film The Story of the Kelly Gang is the world’s first dramatic feature film. This hour-long film was shot in 1906. (Source)
  14. The Great Dividing Range (also known as the Eastern Highlands) covers the entire eastern coast of Australia. With a length of around 3,700 km, it is the world’s 3rd longest land-based mountain range (after the Andes in South America and the Rocky Mountains in North America).
    A waterfall along the Great Dividing Range
    The Great Dividing Range is the 3rd longest mountain range

  15. Around 94% of amphibians, 93% of reptiles, 92% of vascular plants, 87% of mammals, 70% of insects, 54% of birds, and 24% of fishes in Australia are endemic. (Source)
  16. There are only two species of egg-laying mammals on earth. Both these mammals are solely present in Australia (and its neighboring New Guinea). (Source
  17. Australia has the highest number of reptile (more than 1000) and fish species (around 5,000) in the world . (Source) (Source)
  18. Australia is one of five countries where cattle outnumber humans. There are 1.2 cattle per every person in this country. (Source)
  19. The Dingo-proof Fence in Australia is the longest in the world. The purpose of constructing this fence was to protect livestock from dingoes (wild dogs). The length of this fence is 3,437 miles (5531 km). (Source)
  20. There are several venomous and deadly animals in Australia. However, most of the human deaths in this island country are caused by domesticated animals such as horses, cows, and dogs. (Source
  21. According to estimates, humans have been living in Australia for around 50,000 years. The first human settlement established in the Northern Territory. 
  22. Australia is the world’s largest producer of bauxite. It produces more than 30% of the total bauxite output. Australia also has the world’s 2nd largest reserves of bauxite after Guinea. It holds 22% reserves of this metal in the whole world. (Source)
  23. Australia has the largest reserves of Uranium in the world. It holds 1.66 million tons of known recoverable uranium reserves. These are 31% of the total uranium reserves on earth. Australia is also the world’s 3rd biggest uranium-producing country. (Source
  24. Australia is also the world’s largest producer of lithium. The country also has the 2nd largest lithium reserves in the world after Chile. (Source)
  25. Australia is the largest producer of iron ore in the world. It currently produces 900 million metric tons of iron ore. (Source)
  26. Australia is the 2nd largest producer of gold in the world. Its current gold production is more than 310 tons per year.
  27. Australia imported camels during the 19th century. Now, it is home to the world’s largest population of feral camels (more than 700,000).
  28. These feral camels are harmful to the native ecosystem. To overcome this problem, Australia is now exporting them to Saudi ArabiaUAE, and a few other countries.
  29. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the world’s largest coral reef, with an area of over 1,500 miles. This barrier reef in the Coral Sea is also visible from space. (Source)
    Satellite image of the great barrier reef
    Great barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef

  30. There are more than 8,222 islands in Australia. The country has the 6th highest number of islands in the world.
  31. The four largest sand islands in the world are present in Australia. All these islands are in the northeastern state of Queensland.
  32. According to a misconception, Canberra became the capital of Australia due to a dispute between Melbourne and Sydney (both cities refused capital city status for the other). However, the primary reasons to choose Canberra as the capital were its pleasant weather and distance from the coast.
  33. The authorities in New South Wales prohibited swimming in the ocean during the daytime in 1838. They lifted this ban in 1902.
  34. Aboriginal (indigenous) Australians own 49% of land in Northern Territory. This largest Australian territory also has the highest percentage (over 25%) of Aboriginal Australians.
  35. New South Wales (NSW) is the most populous state in Australia, with more than 8 million inhabitants. Sydney, the capital of NSW, is the most populous city in the country. This state also hosts the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra and its surroundings).
  36. South Australia is the only state that shares a land border with all other states and Northern Territory in mainland Australia.
  37. Western Australia is the largest state in Australia, with a total land area of 2,529,875 km2. It is also the second-largest subdivision of any country in the world, only behind the Sakha Republic of Russia.
  38. Queensland is the 2nd largest state in Australia. It is also the 6th largest subdivision of a country in the world.
  39. Victoria is the smallest state in mainland Australia. It is also the most densely populated state in in the country.
  40. Tasmania is the smallest state in Australia. It has more than 300 islands, including the largest island of Tasmania. 
  41. The Great Ocean Road in Victoria is the world’s largest war memorial. It was established in 1919 after World War 1. (Source)
  42. Uluru and Kata Tjuta are two enormous rock formations in central Australia in the Northern Territory. Uluru is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
    Uluru in Australia
    Uluru in Australia is a World Heritage Site

  43. Australia Highway 1 is the world’s longest national highway and also the 2nd longest highway in the world after the Pan-American Highway. Its length is over 9,000 miles and connects all seven state capitals in mainland Australia.
  44. The longest straight section of railway line in the world is in Australia. The length of this straight section of the Trans Australian railway is 478 km. (Source)
  45. In 1902, Australia became the 2nd country in the world to allow voting rights to women. Australia followed its neighbor New Zealand where women got this right in 1893. (Source) 
  46. Australia is one of just 22 countries where voting is mandatory for citizens. Like many other countries, the minimum age for mandatory voting is 18 years. (Source)
  47. In 2013, a couple in Canberra decorated their house with more than 500,000 lights for Christmas celebrations. It was a world record at that time. (Source)
  48. Melbourne has the largest tram system in the world. The length of this tram network is 250 km (155 miles).
  49. Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Australia. The performance of its men's cricket team is best in the world. It has won the most ICC cricket ODI world cups (5 out of 11).
  50. The oldest rock segment on earth is more than 4.3 billion years old. This rock was discovered in Australia. (Source)
  51. Mount Augustus in Western Australia is the largest monolith in the world. It is 1,105 m above sea level. (Source)
  52. Rabbits were imported to Australia in the 18th century. They multiplied to several folds (from a few dozen to over 2 million) in just ten years. 
  53. Every year, the Australian city of Brisbane hosts the Australian Day cockroach race on the 26th of January. This cockroach race is famous and has thousands of spectators. (Source)
  54. Australia is one of the five countries that participated in every modern Summer Olympic Games. However, it appeared in 1908 and 1912 Olympics with New Zealand as a combined Australasia team. (Source)
  55. Australia is one of the seven countries that have territorial claims for Antarctica. The territory claimed by Australia is the largest by any claimant in Antarctica.

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