Fun Facts About Australia That are So Ridiculous Yet Totally Real

Did you know that the Parliament House of Australia is one of the largest buildings in the Southern Hemisphere? It is located in Canberra.

Vacayholics Staff

Last Updated: Feb 20, 2018

Australia is located to the south of Indonesia and nestles between the South Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. Australia is the world's smallest continent. It lies in the Southern Hemisphere; hence, the seasons here are exactly the opposite of the countries in the Northern Hemisphere. For instance, when it is winter in the United States, Australia enjoys a warm and sunny summer. Australia is lovingly referred to as the "island continent". Though originally, it was a British penal colony.

Kangaroo in Australia

Animals such as emu, kookaburra and kangaroo are unique to Australia. Are you aware of the fact there are 1,500 species of Australian spiders? There are 6,000 species of flies and 4,000 species of ants. There are over 350 species of termites as well.

Sheep in Australia

Did you know that the population of the sheep is more than the entire human population in Australia? As per recent statistics, there are approximately 150 million sheep, while the human population is around 20 million. Most of the cities are closer to the ocean or a beach. You can see a beach every 1000 km. The world's largest cattle station/ranch is in Australia. It is the size of the country Belgium.

Great Barrier Reef

Did you know that the Great Barrier Reef has a mailbox? If you want to post a letter or send a card to your loved ones, all you have to do is take a ferry out there. However, remember to stick only the stamp of Great Barrier Reef. Great Barrier Reef is the longest coral reef in the world.

Australian Alps

The Australian Alps span the states of New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria. It is also home to Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's tallest peak. It may come as a surprise to many that the Australian Alps receive more snow than Switzerland!

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House is one of the major tourist attractions and is considered as one of the most beautiful buildings of the twentieth century. This building was completed in the 1960s and has excellent acoustics. It has around 1,000 rooms and can seat a combined total of over 5,000 people at a time. Sydney Harbor Bridge is the world's largest steel arch bridge and the Sydney Tower Center is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere.

rabbits are marked as pests in australia

Invasive Species

Though Australia is unique almost every way including its geography, climate, and flora and fauna, yet the threat of invasive species is similar to other parts of the world. Australia is host to almost 56 species of animals that had been introduced by European settlers and have now turned invasive. Did you know the cute and puffy rabbits are marked as pests in Australia?

Literacy

Australia claims to have the highest rate of literacy in the world. This could be the reason, why the per capita newspaper reading is more than any other country in the world. One of the important facts about Australians is, 88% live in towns and cities. Another fact is 22% of adults don't have children, while 16% have only one child. The statistics also show, 32% women and 34% men never marry.

australian flag in the form of a speech bubble

The language that is commonly spoken by the Australians is English. If you are planning a holiday Down Under, some words you should get yourself familiar with are,

Aussie - Australian
Arvo - Afternoon
Barbie - Barbecue Grill
Billabong - Pond
Billy Tea - Tea made over a camp fire in a tin can
Brekkie - Breakfast
Chewie - Chewing Gum

Clobber - Clothes
Fairy Floss - Cotton
Give it a Burl - Try it
Lollies - Candy
Lolly Water - Soda
See you in soup - See you around
Sunnies - Sunglasses

Australia is a great tourist destination and there are many places of attractions in the island continent that are worth a visit.