The paradise down under, Australia is worth a visit as it appeals to all kinds of travellers! Check out these 17 crazy and interesting facts about Australia that you probably never heard of!
Kangaroo Island (from the official tourism website)
1. Australia has a number of bright pink lakes, naturally formed due to a salt water algae that secrete a red pigment in the water. The Murray Sunset National Park in Victoria has one such lake. These are also present in Western Australia and South Australia
Lake Hilier (from the official tourism website)
2. The word “selfie” was coined by an Australian.
A sunrise selfie in Tasmania (from the Facebook page of Discover Tasmania)
3. Australia is home to the world’s largest living structure, which is even visible from space–The Great Barrier Reef. It even has its own postbox!
The Great Barrier Reef (photo by (WT-shared) Queensland)
4. It’s one of the top places to spot an alien, or that’s what the Aussies claim. Wycliffe Well at the edge of the Tanami Desert is considered to be an alien hotspot and attracts hordes of tourists each year.
Wycliffe Well (photo by Tony Bowden)
5. In the world’s top 10 list of the most venomous animals in the world, 5 are from Australia alone. This makes Australia one of the most dangerous places to live in the world.
The Box Jellyfish is the most venomous creature in the world (photo by Guido Gautsch)
6. In direct contrast to the above statement, Melbourne earned bragging rights for earning the title of the “Most Liveable City in the World” for three consecutive years.
Melbourne at night (photo by Hai Linh Truong)
7. And if you’re looking for some fresh air away from city life, it doesn’t get much fresher than at Tasmania. It beat Antarctica and Hawaii in having the cleanest air in the whole world.
Bay of Fires in Tasmania (from the Facebook page of Discover Tasmania)
8. In New South Wales, there is a hill near Wingen called the Burning Mountain that takes its name from an underground coal seam fire that has been smoldering for the last 6000 years.
Coal embers (photo by Jens Buurgaard Nielsen)
9. Next on the list is the ultimate getaway of all island getaways. At Mackerel Islands in Western Australia, you can rent your very own island and live out your wildest Robinson Crusoe fantasies!
The cabin on Discovery Island (from the official tourism website)
10. Have you ever heard of horizontal waterfalls? That’s exactly what you’ll find if you plan a trip to the Buccaneer Archipelago in Kimberley.
Buccaneer Archipelago (from the official tourism website)
11. Swimming with the sharks is so old school. What you can do is catch them instead! 20 lucky divers are selected to join a scientific research conducted by the Undersea Explorer to tag sharks, from March to May each year. If you are the chosen one, you’ll get to go to places where no regular tourist has ever been allowed.
Feeding the sharks (photo by Joi Ito)
12. Did you know that both kangaroos and emus can’t walk backwards? That’s the reason they are present in the Australian coat of arms.
Australian coat of arms
13. Australians are known for their sense of adventure and a quirky sense of humour. So it isn’t all that surprising that they host sporting events like the Cockroach Racing World Championship held in Brisbane or the cane toad racing held at Magnetic Island.
World Cocokroach Racing Championship (from the official event website)
14. If all the sails of the Sydney Opera House were to be put together, it would make a sphere. The idea for this extraordinary design came to Utzon–the architect of this magnificent building–while he was eating an orange.
Sydney Opera House at night (photo by Brent Pearson)
15. Fraser Island in the southern coast of Queensland is the largest sand island and the only such island to support a rainforest. The entire island is made up of sand that has been depositing on the volcanic bedrocks for the past 750,000 years.
Fraser Island (by Sensenmann)
16. Speaking of old, recent studies state that Jack Hills in Australia is home to the oldest continental crust world which date as far back as 4.4 billion years! This means that the continents arose on earth much earlier than previously calculated.
Jack Hills (from the official NASA website)
17. Look at the picture below. These naturally sculpted limestone structures can be found in the Nambung National Park in Western Australia.
Pinnacles in Nambung National Park (photo by Andrzej Kulka)
Who knew there were so many amazing things to watch out for in just one country? Make these 17 interesting facts about Australia your 17 reasons to travel to this incredible wonderland. And as the Aussies say, have a g’day, mate!
About the Author:
A true Bengali at heart, Debangana loves to read, eat kosha mangsho and hunt for offbeat places. She dreams of visiting Ireland and Norway someday.
