51 Interesting Facts About Australia That Will Blow Your Mind

Australia and kangaroos have become more of an automatic association in our minds, but is Australia known solely for kangaroos?

Australia is surrounded by the Pacific and Indian oceans. This place is full of natural wonders and is famous for them too.

Australian cities like Melbourne and Sydney are famous across the world. Apart from the cities, the deserts, beaches, mountains, and animals are all beautiful in this country. Australia also has some of the weirdest things too. You might not find these things anywhere else on earth.

These are only available in Australia. What are some interesting Australia facts that make this country different from other countries on Earth? Let us find out.

Afterward, also read about England facts and facts about Cuba.

Weird Facts About Australia

Australia is a familiar place for all of us. But this familiar place also has some fun facts that many of you might not be very familiar with. Well, since we are already talking about it, let’s get to know some interesting facts about Australia.

Australia is famous for its wine. There are around 60 wine regions in this country. Almost 343 million gal (1.3 billion liters) of wine are produced each year in Australia. As a result, it should come as no surprise that the wine cask was invented in Australia. 

Uluru, also called Ayers Rock, is the second-largest monolith seen in the world. This is situated in central Australia.

The Australian alps have more snow than anywhere else, even more than the snow in Switzerland. There are many important rivers in Australia, but this country also has many lakes, and they are quite beautiful. Australia is the only country without an active volcano, and the entire continent is full of native vegetation.

Did you know that Australia almost became a Dutch territory? It is believed that James Cook discovered Australia, but the Dutch explorers already knew of this place even before him. If they had claimed the discovery of this land, then the Australia that we know today would have been a Dutch country!

Here is an interesting fact about New South Wales, Australia. Most places in New South Wales are named after the first few governors of the state, mainly the second governor, John Hunter, and the fifth governor, Lachlan Macquarie.

An island found in south Australia called Tasmania has the world’s cleanest air. Although it is slowly becoming more populated, compared to the whole world, this island still has the cleanest air. Another interesting fact about Australia is that Australians invented the word 'selfie'. Now, did you know that?

The design of the Sydney Opera House was inspired by an orange. The design of the Sydney Opera House is in the form of a segmented orange!

There are some weird and interesting facts about Australia's capital city, Canberra. The people of Sydney and Melbourne fought for the title of capital city, and finally, to end this fight between these two Australian cities, Canberra was formed.

Even though Melbourne is the most liveable city in the world, it lost the title of the capital city. But Melbourne is the sporting capital of the world, so we guess they didn’t lose much anyway.

Australians even have their own version of football. How cool is that? However, Australia has slow internet speed.

Aussies are paid really well and are entitled to the highest minimum wage in the world. But don’t think of buying too many potatoes with this money if you are in Western Australia. Since 1946, it has been an offense in western Australia to have more than 110 lb (50 kg) of potatoes on a person.

Interestingly, the first police force in Australia was made up of well-behaved convicts! There sure are many weird and fun Australia facts to learn.

Facts About Australian Animals

When you think about Australia, the first animal that comes to mind would probably be a kangaroo. Kangaroos are more common in Australia than the human population. That is a fact. Australia also has some more interesting animal facts.

Australia is home to kangaroos and emus. These are the symbols of the country. Do you want to know why?

It's because they can't walk backwards. These animal species became a symbol of the country that ‘only moves forward’. It is a means to show the country's intention of moving away from the British monarch. Australians are the only ones that are known to eat their national animals, namely kangaroos and emus.

They sure are delicious meals for the Aussies. The flightless bird lays large eggs. Even these emu eggs are eaten by Australians.

Not everything is delicious though. Australia is home to 21 venomous snakes. There are only 25 highly venomous snakes in the world and 21 of them are in Australia.

There are also around one million wild camels in the desert areas of Australia. These camels are imported to the Middle East.

We talked about the venomous snake species in Australia but they are not the deadliest animals found in Australia. The box jellyfish is the most dangerous species found on the coast of Australia. One fatal sting from these creatures can kill a person.

There are many wild animals seen in Australia. Among the many animal species, the megafauna used to be giant creatures. They lived in Australia, but unfortunately, these creatures are now extinct. But some sad Australian facts about animals are that the koala and tassie devil seen in Australia are suffering from being wiped out from their Australian lands.

There are only two mammals that lay eggs, are the duck-billed platypus and the echidna. Both these species are seen in Australia.

How big is Australia?

Australia is the 6th largest country in the world. It is almost as big as the mainland USA. But the big things in Australia don't end there.

Australia has the largest golf course in the world. It also has the longest fence, called 'dingo fence' or 'dog fence'. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world.

Australia has the world’s largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef, which is located in the Coral Sea. The largest cattle station in the world is located in Australia.

If that’s not impressive enough, the world’s largest island, called Fraser Island, is also in Australia. Fraser Island is one of the world’s largest sand islands. In Western Australia, there is a large mountain called Augustus.

Do you know that the largest rock in the world is this mountain, Augustus? It is also one of the highest mountains in the world, which is obvious by now. It is twice the size of Uluru.

Interestingly, Australia also has the largest purebred camel population in the world. The largest free festival held in Melbourne is called Moomba, which is a pretty weird fact.

The largest and deepest artesian basin, called the Great Artesian Basin, is also located in Australia. There is also a great wall in Australia.

These are some of the big things seen in these regions. There are also plenty of weird big things in Australia, from guitars to shoes.

There is a big banana park in Coffs Harbor. A big prawn restaurant in Ballina. There is also an almost 40 ft (12 m) high big golden guitar and another big playable guitar in Australia.

You can find a big tennis racket in Barellan and a big bowl in Lake Cathie. The list of big things doesn’t end there. There is a big crocodile, a big Tasmanian devil, a big penguin, a big koala, a big rocking horse, a big cane toad, a big mango, a big pineapple, and a big tap.

What is the deal with big things for Australians? We will never know!

How many beaches does Australia have?

There are many extraordinary things in the world, and Australia is the continent that has most of them. From some of the largest things to a large number of beaches, Australia is known for many things. There are beaches, and there are many of them.

The vast majority of Australians live along the coast. There are many public beaches. Australia is the only country with this many beaches.

Guess how many beaches there are in Australia? You know what, you could never guess this number because it is a crazy big number. The entire country could be full of beaches. There are almost 12,000 beaches in this country!

If that is not super amazing, what is? Australia is a beautiful country with many beautiful beaches. Some of the world’s best beaches are found in Australia. Australians sure are lucky.

They can go on a beach vacation wherever they want. There are plenty of options to choose from. It's no wonder tourists overstay in Australia.

Among the largest countries, Australia sure has a large number of beaches. Among these, Bondi Beach is considered the busiest beach in the country. Whitehaven Beach is considered the most beautiful beach in Australia, with the purest sand in the world and azure-colored water. If you love beaches, you will surely love Australia.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Australia facts then why not take a look at facts about Russia, or facts about Alaska.