Today we’ll be discussing the beautiful land down under Australia. If there’s one thing that Australia is best known for its numerous stereotypes. Most of which involve various kinds of slang. It’s a well-known fact that Australians take pride in shortening almost every word in the English vocabulary. However, none of these American fables tell the whole truth about this beautiful region. Sydney is its biggest urban region while Canberra serves as the country’s capital.
The Northeast Dutch explorers discovered this island in the early 1600s which later opened it up to British settlers. Who claimed half of the entire region to the east. Prior to these settlements, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Ozzie’s who are believed to have over 200 language groups. By the late 1800s, Australia had already been fully occupied with over six different crown colonies established under colonial rule. It wasn’t until January of 1901 that all six colonies came together federated and formed the Commonwealth of Australia. Today Australia is the world’s thirteenth strongest economy and the second when it comes to the global Human Development Index. It has also ranked highly in health, civil liberties, education, quality of life, economic, freedom and as a tourist destination.
1.Progress Oriented
There are two endemic creatures featured in the Australian coat of arms. There is an emu the only bird closest in height to the ostrich and a kangaroo. Both of these animals can only make forward movements. It tends to paint the image of a country that is always moving forward never backward. And this is evident by the tremendous growth. The country is experiencing on all fronts be it education, economic stability, freedoms and the like.
2. Australia Is Home To 7000 Beaches
Australia literally has 7,000 beaches this is due to its unique geographical structure which includes numerous islands apart from the mainland itself. And this is what gives Australia the number one ranking when it comes to tourist-friendly destinations worldwide. Therefore if surfing, sunbathing, fishing or beach volleyball is your thing you’ll definitely find Australia to be a very welcoming host.
3. It Is Sparsely Populated But Closest To The Coast
It’s sparsely populated except for the coasts despite having over 700 million square kilometers in space. Close to 80 percent of the country’s population resides within one hundred thousand meters of the coastline. As a matter of fact, all of the major cities have been built along the coast. This is attributed to the fact that a greater chunk of the land is not fit for agriculture due to the water shortage experienced. Much of the expense is actually covered by dry land and deserts as a result of inland.
4. Longest Fence In The World
The longest fence in the world, the saying added like a rabbit holds a lot of weight in Australia. There’s a fence believed to stretch for approximately 5,600 kilometers. That was originally put in place to prevent rabbits from spreading. Later on, the fence helped keep dingoes from accessing any fertile regions.
5. Longest Golf Course Worldwide
Australia’s home to the biggest golf course in the world. It’s estimated to be 1 million three hundred and sixty-eight thousand meters in size. So for all golf lovers, Australia has a whole lot to offer. It is also important to note that Australia has the longest railway stretch known to man. Four hundred and seventy-eight thousand meters in length.
6. Australia Moves 6 CENTIMETER To The North Annually
Research shows that the continental plate is gradually moving towards the equator with the west coast moving faster than the East Coast. Every 15 million years the plate moves half a degree. It might seem like a minute figure but it greatly affects GPS readings.
7. BOB Hawke, Australia’s Beer Minister
No one has served longer as Australia’s Prime Minister than Bob Hawke. However, his fame came to be 30 years prior to his election. After he broke a Guinness world record by drinking two and a half pints of beer in 12 seconds. Since the majority of those that voted for him worthy beer-drinking population.
8. Foster’s Is The Australian Drink Of Choice
Aussies definitely drank a whole lot of beer, however contrary to popular belief Foster’s is not among the popular beer brands in the country. The beer preference here varies depending on the geographical location. For instance, Cooper’s is a very popular choice in southern Australia as well as Adelaide whereas Forex gold is more popular in Queensland.
9. The 2nd Greece
Australia and specifically Melbourne is home to the largest Greek population that is after Greece. There are great Greek sites to visit such as the Hellenic Museum and the Hellenic Foundation for Culture Centre.
10. Rarest Animal Species
Australia is home to some of these animals examples being the bilbies, koalas, and wombats. It is said that millions of years ago Australia helped form the Great God wanna continent. Most of these rare species adapted to live in Australia after the continent broke away.
11. Watch Out For The Box Jellyfish
Most people believe that crocodiles drop, bears funnel-web spiders or sharks are the most dangerous animals in Australia. However, the box jellyfish is responsible for more fatalities than all of these four species combined. It’s because of this that authorities insist that tourists should never wade into the Australian waters without a guide.
12. Highest Number Of Natural World Heritage Sites (UNESCO)
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO has listed several world heritage sites in Australia. However, only four of them are not natural heritage sites. The four include Carlton Gardens, Sydney Opera House, Royal Exhibition Building and Australian convict sites.
13. Australia Is Almost Equal In Size Of USA
Most people assume that Australia is a very small country the truth of the matter is that it’s only smaller than the US by approximately 7.7 square kilometers. Its only issue is the fact that has a small population. However, it covers a very huge expanse but more or less similar in size to the United States.
14. Weirdest Laws On Earth
Australia has some of the strangest rules, for instance, it’s a requirement that taxicabs carry one bale of hay in the trunk. Why nobody knows putt rules are rules and another weird rule is that in Victoria it’s illegal to dawn pink hot pants on a Sunday afternoon. Deemed as obscene that means it’s illegal to sing along to 70% of rap music known to man in Australia. It’s even illegal to leave one’s car key in the ignition of an unattended vehicle safety first right.
15. Home To Several A-List Celebrities
It’s home to several A-list celebrities little known by many is that Australia. Has
produced a great number of Hollywood celebrities, popular actors such as Hugh Jackman, Mel Gibson, rebel Wilson, Lima, and Chris Hemsworth and Nicole Kidman. This list is endless additionally the bootylicious rapper Iggy Azalea also hails from this unique country. Clearly, Australia is not short of talent or wealth. And now that you’ve learned some more about this country we’d like to know would you choose Australia as your ideal tourist destination.
Here’s the bonus pack just for you the legendary matrix franchise films were shot in Australia. This includes the matrix revolution and the Matrix Reloaded all of which feature household names such as Keanu, Reeves Jada, Pinkett Smith, and Monica Bellucci. Other notable films shot in Australia include Halle Berry’s Catwoman, Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider and Denzel Washington’s training day.
