Australia is a sovereign country and the mainland of the Australian continent is comprised by Australia. It has got numerous islands and in terms of land area, it is known to be the world’s 6th largest country. The name of the country emerged from a Latin word australis which means “southern”. The charm and beauty of the country cannot stop people from visiting and exploring the country, specifically cities like Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. The country is included in one of the most urbanized places in the world.
In terms of the weird and unusual things, Australia has got a lot to offer. From the animals to the islands and deserts, it holds a wide variety of unbelievably weird facts that will not only be an eye opener for you but would also compel you to visit the country at least once in your lifetime. So get ready to freak out and learn something new about the land down under!
15. World’s Oldest Fossil
A fossil is known to be something that has been preserved throughout a long period of time. It can either be the remains of a person, plant or an animal. Surprisingly, Australia happens to have the world’s oldest fossil.
Cyanobacteria are the oldest fossils that are still preserved in Australia. These are microorganisms that are capable of photosynthesis and are related to bacteria. They have been found in the Archaean rocks and are believed to be almost 3.5 billion years old. They are known to have an extensive fossil record and this discovery was quite exciting as the oldest rocks that we currently know are only 3.8 billion years old in comparison.
14. Almost 200 Different Languages Are Spoken
Australia is known to be the 6th largest country by size in the whole world. With the passage of time, slowly and gradually people have started moving to Australia. It might be because of the extremely amazing places it has got or in order to pursue a better life.
It is a country where cultures from all over the world are represented and people of different nationality live, like people of Asia, Africa, Europe etc. Because of this, everyone speaks in a language which helps them communicate with other people of similar backgrounds which is why Australia has become a country where almost 200 different languages are spoken.
13. The World’s Largest Rock
A rock is something that not a lot of people usually find very interesting, however, all of that changes when the rock in questions is either huge, old or quite valuable. In our case, Australia is home to the world’s largest rock which has been preserved in perfect conditions.
It is known as Mt. Augustus and it is present in the Golden Outback of Western Australia. This rock is a natural landmark that deserves to have a space in a national park. Despite the beaches and parks, it has its own significance and is known to be one of the greatest spots in western Australia. It is a much-loved spot and is said to be a place of discovery and adventure.
12. World’s Most Poisonous Snake
Australia is notorious for its poisonous snake population so there is no surprise that it is home to one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. The venom for most of these can immobilize their prey and can also be used in defense, however, this is what makes it dangerous for humans.
The infamous Inland Taipan is an extremely poisonous species of snake and they’re also perfectly capable of blending in the environment, making it difficult for humans to notice them. It is said that one drop of its venom is easily capable of killing almost a hundred grown men. The bite is extremely painful and can quickly result in a stroke and death if an anti-venom is not administered in time.
11. Different Species Of Kangaroos
Kangaroo is said to be the national animal of Australia and to the surprise of many people, there exist 60 different species of kangaroos in Australia. They are one of the most iconic animals in the country. In fact, their importance can be seen by the fact that the kangaroo makes an appearance on the coat of arms for Australia.
The two largest species are the red kangaroo and the grey kangaroo. Different species are also related to them and they belong to a family that is known as the ‘macropod family’ which means great footed. You are most likely to see these kangaroos on your travels around Australia.
10. The Largest Greek Population
A census was done in 2001 in Australia and according to that, Melbourne is known to have the largest Greek Australian population in Australia. These are citizens who have full or partial Greek heritage and who reside in Australia as refugees after the Greek Civil War or those who have migrated from Greece to Australia.
Among the different ethnic groups in Australia, Greek is known to be the 7th largest ethnic group. Not only that, but they have also declared their ancestry simply as Australians and now Australia is a home to largest Greek communities in the world.
9. World’s Largest Sand Island
You all may be well aware of what an island is (a piece of land that is surrounded by water) and among all the islands in the world, Fraser Island is considered to be the largest. This too is an unbelievable fact about Australia.
The total area covered by this island is 163,000 ha (402,750 acres) and the sand dune is 75 kilometers long. The sand for this island has been accumulated for approximately 750,000 years on volcanic bedrock. It is also known as Queensland’s largest island and has sand dunes, coastal heaths, and rainforests. Numerous panoramic viewpoints allow visitors to see some incredibly beautiful sights from the island.
8. Cleanest Air In The World
Air, a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen gases that are invisible gaseous substances found around us, in the environment is very important as it helps us to breathe and also maintains the habitable temperature of the Earth. You may be well aware of the importance of air as it is very much necessary for plants, humans, and animals.
Therefore, having an air free from all the toxicity is very important. Australia has got an island state named Tasmania that has the purest air. This is due to its southerly latitude and distance from other land masses that give it a cleansing effect.
7. Cockroach Racing In Brisbane
In the Australian state of Queensland, Brisbane is the capital and a very populous city. In 1982, at a hotel named Story Build Hotel in Queensland, a club gambling activity started that was the racing of cockroaches.
Like everything else mentioned above, this might also be surprising news for you but this event actually holds great importance. Every year on Australian Day that happens on the 26th of January, this event takes place with the title ‘Australia Day Cockroach Races’. The cockroaches are either bought from the venue or are brought to the race by the participants. ‘Softy Cocky’ was the winning cockroach in the first race held in 1982.
6. Mailbox located on the Great Barrier Reef
The world’s largest coral reef system is the Great Barrier Reef. The reef is basically a huge rock, coral, sand and a combination of other materials that lie beneath the surface of the water. The Great Barrier Reef is very beautiful and is visited by the people almost every day.
Along the state of Queensland, the reef stretches 2,300 km, and 72 km offshore at the Coral Sea lies a mailbox on the Agincourt Reef. There are teams who are in charge of the protection of the reef as well as the mailbox. A ferry, that is, a boat or ship used for short distances can be used in order to deliver a letter or postcard to the mailbox.
5. World’s Oldest Flower
The flower is a specialized part of a plant that possesses great beauty. One of the unbelievably weird things and facts about Australia is that if we look back to almost 120 million years ago, the world’s oldest flower would be seen flourishing. This is because a fossil of the flower was found near Melbourne.
The plant which had the oldest flower was comprised of only two leaves and the flower in question. Not only that, but some of the oldest vines were also found in Australia. Australia is a home to a lot of old and unique things. It would have been very difficult to preserve such a plant fossil for a long period of time but Australia’s climate proved to be perfect to preserve the plant as well as its leaves and flower.
4. Darwin Beer Can Regatta
A term that basically describes the racing events or boat racing in Australia is known as the Regatta. There are promotional and social activities included in a Regatta. Cyclone Tracy caused a lot of damage to Darwin in 1974 and in order to survive the hot weather, the workers consumed a lot of beer.
Since there was no proper cleaning system and someone had to take the initiative, Regatta helped as a cleaning aid to solve the problem of littered beer cans and now this has become a remarkable event and an annual ritual as the boats are made up of the beer cans which can then be floated in Mindil beach, on the shallow water.
3. Highest Electricity Prices
When referring to the prices of electricity, it may vary from country to country while in some cases it even varies for different localities within a country. In terms of the highest electricity prices or bills being paid, you will be surprised to know that Australia is the country whose households are paying the highest electricity prices in the world.
There are people living in Australia from all over the world and paying such huge bills might put a huge dent in their budget. Even though there are countries where electricity is taxed heavily such as Germany, Italy, and Denmark, the power bills are still higher in Australia.
2. World’s Longest Fence
Normally when you think about a man-made wonder of the world, a fence is the last thing that would come to your mind. While often the case, fences are used to support or protect an area. Where man-made structures are doing wonders in the world, you must not miss out on the longest man-made structure in the form of a fence that has been made in Australia and is known as the Australian Dingo Fence.
The Dingo fence is 5,614 kilometers long and it stretches across the two states of southeast Australia that are Queensland and South Australia. Work on the structure of the fence started back in the 1880s and was finally finished in 1885 and resulted in the world’s longest fence ever.
1. It Is The Only Continent Without Active Volcanoes
Volcanoes are one of the forces of nature, in fact, they’re so powerful that a volcano eruption back in 2010 near Iceland shut down all air traffic in Europe and spread the ash hundreds of miles away. Usually, there are two types of volcanoes, an active volcano and a dormant volcano.
The ones that show the signs of an eruption or that may have erupted over the past few decades are active volcanoes but those that have not shown any signs of eruption are known to be the dormant volcanoes. Australia is the only continent in the world that does not have any active volcanoes. The only known active volcano is the Big Ben, which is located on Heard Island, in the external territories.
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