11 FUN FACTS ABOUT AUSTRALIA

In this article we have prepared a list of 11 fun facts about Australia. These 11 fun facts about Australia range across all topic areas from geography, culture, demographics, sport and more.

If you know of any fun facts about Australia that you think should be included in our list, please let us know in the comments below!

Australia is Big!

Australia is big! Australia is the world's 6th largest country - occupying an entire continent with a size of approximately 7.6 million km² (2.9 million miles²).

Another interesting fact is that servicing such a large land mass requires big trucks! In fact, Australia has the largest and heaviest road-legal vehicles in the world, with some "Road Trains" reaching close to 200 tonnes in gross vehicle mass (GVM).

Australia is Sparse!

Although Australia is one of the biggest countries in the world, it is also one of the least densely populated! Australia's population density is a low 3 people per km² - a stark contrast to other countries such as the United States (35 people per km²) and the United Kingdom (267 people per km²).

Greek Population

Melbourne is home to the largest Greek population of any city in the world outside of Greece! Only the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki (both in Greece) have larger Greek populations. It is estimated that there are more than 150,000 Greek people living in Melbourne.

Beach Lovers!

More than 85% of Australians live within 50 kilometres (31 mi.) from the coast!

This is a fun fact about Australia that is close to our hearts!

Sheep

As of 2017, Australia was home to approximately 72 million sheep - a ratio of approximately three to one when compared to Australia's population of 25 million people.

As of 2014, Australia had the third largest population of sheep in the world, after only China (187 million sheep) and India (75 million sheep).

From all those sheep, the total wool production for the year (2017) was approximately 340 million kgs greasy (unwashed) and approximately 230 million kgs clean weight (Source: Australian Wool Production Forecast Committee).

Here at AustraliaInfo, we think this is one of the more interesting fun facts about Australia!

Apparently, NASA Owes Esperance $400!
NASA has an outstanding fine with the small coastal town of Esperance in Western Australia.

In 1979, the US space station "Skylab" crashed into the ground in Esperance. The space station had been orbiting Earth since 1973, but had been abandoned by NASA in 1974.

Bits of the space station landed all around Esperance, littering the ground. In response, Esperance Council issued NASA a $400 fine for littering, which by all accounts remains unpaid!

Cattle

Australia is home to the largest working cattle station in the world. Anna Creek Station, located in the South Australian outback, covers 23,677 km2. This makes Anna Creek Station considerably larger than Israel (20,770 km2).

The Right to Vote

Australia was the second country in the world (after New Zealand) to grant women the right to vote. Australia's Parliament House, located in Canberra, is pictured on the left.

The dates of when Australian women gained rights to vote can be found on the Australian Electoral Commission website.

Do you think this deserves a mention in our list of 11 fun facts about Australia? Let us know in the comments below.

Melbourne Cup

On the first Tuesday of November every year the Melbourne Cup is held. It is affectionately known as "the race that stops the nation". The race has a long tradition, with the first race being run in 1861. The race day is gazetted as a public holiday in Melbourne.

Commonwealth Coat of Arms

The Australian Coat of Arms features a kangaroo and an emu. Some people say that these two native animals were chosen as they can't walk backwards.

This is to symbolise progress, and and our intention, as a nation, to always move forwards.

We think this fun fact definitely deserves its place in our list of 11 fun facts about Australia!

Longest Fence in the World

The longest fence in the world is located in Australia.

The Dingo Fence is located in South Australia and was constructed to keep dingoes out of the farming land in the south-east of Australia.

Construction of the 5,614 kilometre (3,488 mi.) long fence was completed in 1885.

5,614km and the world's longest fence? That definitely deserves a mention in our 11 fun facts about Australia!

Originally seen here:
https://australiainfo.com.au/2018/04/26/11-fun-facts-about-australia/