When locals or tourists think of Australia, they picture sandy beaches, lifeguards, picturesque landscape, fascinating wildlife, creepy crawlies, the amazing cities and most importantly Vegemite and Tim Tams but here are some quirky facts that may intrigue or shock you about the Land Down Under.
1. In 1954, Bob Hawke was immortalised by the Guinness Book of Records for sculling 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Bob later became the Prime Minister of Australia.
2. Wombat poo is cube shaped
3. Kangaroo meat can be purchased from the supermarket, butcher and available on restaurant menus as a leaner and healthier alternative to beef or lamb with a 1-2 percent fat content.
4. Surprisingly Australia is the most obese country in the world as of 2012 with a 26 percent obesity rate despite being a sport loving nation.
5. Australian TV networks love cooking shows, airing one after another upon viewership success of My Kitchen Rules and MasterChef.
6. Canberra was selected as the capital because Sydney and Melbourne could not stop arguing which city should be the capital of Australia.
7. Over 25% of Australians were born in another country
8. AFL was originally designed to give cricketers something to play during their off season.
9. The ‘dingo’ fence in Australia is the longest fence in the world and is about twice the size of the Great Wall of China.
10. In Australia it is illegal to walk on the right hand side of the footpath.
11. 750,000 wild camels roam Australia’s deserts. One of the largest held on earth.
12. Bluey is a common nickname for redheads in Australia
13. In 1838 it was declared illegal to swim at public beaches during the day! This law was enforced until 1902.
14. Australians may refer to fools, idiots and hopeless cases as Drongos. Drongo was a 1920's racehorse that showed promise but never won anything in 37 starts.
15. The male platypus has a poisonous spine that can kill a dog and inflict immense pain on a human.
16. There are more than 150 million sheep in Australia, and only some 20 million people.
17. The Australian Alps, or Snowy Mountains as they are also known, receive more snow than Switzerland.
18. The world's longest golf course, measuring more than 850 miles long is located in Australia.
19. There are nearly 20 million people in Australia, of which approximately 80% live in cities next to the sea.
20. Australia has, probably; the lowest population density of any country in the world, ie, 2 people per square km. Japan has 327 people/2km!
Got your own quirky fact? Comment below!
Posted By chantelle
Updated : 6th January 2022 | Words : 432 | Views : 8753
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