The 20 Ultimate Fun Facts about Australia!

Want to have some good icebreakers in the bar? Or get ready to impress that ever-funny Ozzie friend? These are the 20 ultimate fun facts you need to know about Australia!
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​When you say Australia, you say crocodiles, koalas, and kangaroos (and probably sharks, spiders, and snakes), but did you know that:
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​1. The wild population of koalas is decreasing? One of the causes: a big epidemic of chlamydia! Better get those STD testing done!

The wild population of koalas is affected by chlamydia. Photo by Dutchess Travel Diary©

​2. Yes, my dear Australia consists mainly of outback and dessert, but did you know there’s a big population of camels roaming around? There are even 10 times more camels in the country than koalas! The more reason to export them! To Saudi Arabia to be precise. 
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3. Kangaroos are doing a lot better than the koalas. So well, that there are even more kangaroos in Australia than people!

There are more kangaroos in Australia than people!. Photo by Dutchess Travel Diary©

4. Speaking of kangaroos. When it is born, a kangaroo is only one centimeter tall.
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​5. There are about 50 different species of macropods (kangaroos, wallabies and related species). The smallest is the musky rat-kangaroo which weighs around 620 grams. The tallest is the Red Kangaroo, which can reach a height of around 1.80 meters (6ft).

The smallest of all is the musky rat-kangaroo. Photo by Wikimedia

6. Kangaroos are not capable of moving their hind legs separately from each other. That's why you will always see them hopping around. 
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​7. Kangaroos and emus (an ostrich-like bird) are not capable of walking back. This was considered a great symbol for the progression of the nation and therefore these animals are now part of the Australian coat of arms.

The Australian coat of arms. Photo by Wikimedia

8. Nothing stops an Ozzie from a good barbeque. Kangaroo and emu meat are fairly popular to put 'on the barby'. What makes Australia one of the fewer countries that eats the animals representing their coat of arms. ​
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​9. Most people have great fear of the spiders, sharks, crocodiles, and snakes (Australia has the top 10 deadliest snakes). But fear not. The last time somebody died from a spider bite in Australia was in 1981. 
You are way more likely to get killed by a kangaroo (18 recorded deads and causing 5.5% of all car accidents). 
The most dangerous animals in Australia are: dogs, cows, horses and the biggest cause of dead: humans! With traffic accidents causing 1200 deads a year!

The chances of being killed by a dog or a horse in Australia are way higher than all deaths caused by sharks, spiders, crocodiles and snakes combined. Photo by Dutchess Travel Diary©

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Due to the fact that 2D world maps are not 100% scaled. Australia always looks smaller than it actually is. Did you know that:
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10. Australia is the 6th largest country in the world! Following Russia (1), Canada (2), United States of America (3), China (4) and Brazil (5). ​
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Australia looks way smaller on a 2D map than it actually is. Photo by Wikimedia

​11. If Alaska wouldn’t be a part of the United States, Australia would be around the same size as the states.
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​12. Australia is as wide as the distance between Moscow and London.
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​13. Australia's Highway 1 is the world's longest national highway. With about 14,500 km, (9,000 mi) going around the entire country.
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Australia has the longest national highway in the world. Photo by Dutchess Travel Diary©

​14. Australia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. Only 2.66 persons per square kilometer (The UK has 248.25 per square kilometer). Most people, more than 85% are living within 50 kilometers of the coast.
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​But overcrowded beaches? No way!
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15. Australia has more than 10.000 beaches. If you would visit a different beach every day, it would still take you over 27 years to visit them all. ​
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With more than 10.000 beaches, chances are high you'll have the beach just for you and your friends.
Photo by Dutchess Travel Diary©

​But not everywhere it is beach time in Australia. Did you know that:
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​16. The Australian Alps have more snowfall than the whole of Switzerland.
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Believe it or not, but this photo is taken in Australia!. Photo by Wikimedia

​On top of that
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​17. Australia has the largest territory in Antarctica, 5.8 million square kilometers (2.2 million square miles).
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Then city wise Sydney is by far the biggest attraction with its famous opera house, but not many people know that:
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18. The capital of Australia is not Sydney, nor Melbourne, it is Canberra. Sydney and Melbourne were both fighting for the title. As a compromise, the city that was located exactly in the middle was given the honor: Canberra.
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​Canberra is definitely a great example that Australians like to keep it simple. Just as they like the good life and beer plays a big role in that.
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​19. On average an Aussie drinks around 96 liters of beer a year.
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20. The 23rd prime minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records in 1954 for sculling 2.5 pints of beer in as little as 11 sec. A fact many Australians are still very proud of! ​
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Former prime minister Bob Hawke is famous for his drinking skills. Photo by Wikimedia

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