30 Random facts about Australia

Australia has 35,877 km (22,292 mi) of coastline (slightly less than the equator!) and over 10,000 beaches. Tweet This

The hottest recorded temperature in Australia was 50.7 Celsius (Oodnadatta, South Australia) and the lowest – minus 23 Celsius (Charlotte Pass, New South Wales). Tweet This

Australians often refer to Australia as Oz and themselves as Aussies. They love to truncate words and put an “ie” or “o” on the end: smoko (smoke break), barbie (barbeque), Paulie (Paul), Nicko (Nick), etc. Tweet This

There has only been one armed rebellion, known as the Eureka Stockade, in 1854. Tweet This

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Australia has a total of 8,222 islands in its maritime borders. Tweet This

Australia has a “flying doctors” service, providing emergency medical services to people who live in remote areas. Tweet This

There are four types of boomerang. Only one of them will return when thrown correctly. Tweet This

Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay, NSW has the whitest sand worldwide according the Guinness Book of Records. Tweet This

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There are almost 100,000 more women than men in Australia. Tweet This

If Australia were a city, it would still only be the world’s seventh largest. Tweet This

Only 1 in 10 Australians goes to work by public transport. Tweet This

The average Australian stays with their employer just 3.5 years. Tweet This

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The most widely said Australianism is “no worries”. Tweet This

Sixty per cent of all weddings take place on a Saturday. Tweet This

Australians read more newspapers per capita than any other nation. Tweet This

Crocodile Dundee is the highest grossing Australian film so far. Tweet This

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In April 1933, 68% of West Australians voted in favour of seceding from the Commonwealth of Australia. They eventually remained part of it. Tweet This

Australia was the 3rd country, after the USA and the USSR, to launch a satellite into orbit. Tweet This

In 1977, Alan Jones won a surprise victory in the Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix. As local officials didn’t have the Australian anthem, a local drunk played “Happy Birthday to You” on a trumpet. Tweet This

Convicts were not sent to Australia for serious crimes. Tweet This

Don Bradman averaged 99.94 during his cricket career. The next highest average in the entire history of the game is around 60. Tweet This

Dawn Fraser is the only athlete to ever win gold in the same event at three consecutive Olympics. Tweet This

The Western Australian section of the Eyre Highway is the longest straight stretch of road in the world – 146.6 km (91.1 mi) without turning. Tweet This

Rum was the main currency in the early days of settlement, used to pay military officers and prisoners. Tweet This

Lake Hillier on Middle Island is pink. Tweet This

These places are all palindromes: Glenelg, Adelaide; Tumut, NSW and Parap, Darwin. Tweet This

Australia has notoriously slow internet download speeds. Tweet This

Debate continues today on the calls to change the Australian flag because of the prominence of the British Union Jack. Tweet This

It has 16 world heritage listed sites including historic townships, cities and landscapes. Tweet This

1988 was named a ‘Year of Mourning’ for Aboriginals. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd offered a national apology to indigenous people in 2007. Tweet This