Fun Facts About Australia: A Snippet Of Information About Australia

Australians have their fair share of fun facts. From having quirky structures at the side of the road to having a not so presentable history, Australia exhibits a range of idiosyncrasies that can baffle the mind. One of the strangest facts about Australia is its vast area yet with very little population.

Some Fun Facts About Australia

Australia is definitely one of the largest countries in the world. UK fits around 33 times in Australia! Around 90% of Australians live in the cities. Something that explains this large amount of urban concentration is the vastly arid landscape Australia has. Nevertheless the Australian Outback is also quite famous as a tourist destination as there are many attractions ranging from the large herds of sheep to horse riding and so on. Moreover, the natural landscapes of Australia are also quite breathtaking. So you can say that Australia has the best of both worlds -- modern skyscrapers in the cities and the rustic feel in the outback.

The Europeans were not the first people to settle in Australia. In fact there were people who used to live in Australia before the Europeans came. These were native Australians and they are called Aborigines.

The world's longest mail run is the flying postman's route. The Mail runs around 1450 km from Cairns to Cape York. The whole journey takes around 9 hours and has ten stops.

Australia has one of the longest beaches in the world. It is famous for its white sand and blue water beaches. In fact Hyams beach in Jervis Bay, New South Wales has the whitest sand in the world according to the Guinness Book of World records.

The deepest natural harbor in the world is the one at Sydney. It has around 50,400 mega litres of water.

Australians drive on the left side of the road.

Some demographic facts:

The average number of people in Australia per household was 3.31 in 1971. However as the trend towards smaller families continued, this number declined to 2.6 in 2006.

• The average family has around 1.6 children.
• 22% of Australian adults will never have children and 16% of Australian adults will have only one child.
• 34% of Australian men will never marry and 32% percent of Australian females will never marry.
• Australians tend to marry quite late in their lives. The median age for Australian brides is around 29 years while the median age of Australian grooms is 31 years.

The Australia flag as it is in its current form was not always popular. In fact its use was not widespread until 1920 when the federation flag was used. So I guess that is it for now. There are so many fun facts about Australia.

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Fun Fact About Australia That You May Like

Thinking about taking a vacation to Australia? Here are a few fun facts about Australia that will help you make your decision. The length of this article will only allow for a few facts, however if you search on the web, you can find a lot more. Australians have their own unique culture and landscape. Hence it is not unusual that many of its fun facts are associated with its culture as well as its geography. Moreover, Australians also have a unique history; hence you will find many facts associated with their history as well.

Some fun facts about Australia:

Australia is also known for its extremely large cattle stations. The largest cattle ranch stands at around 30,000 square kilometers, almost being the size of Belgium.

Australia is known for its large size, but an extremely small population of people. Australia is one of the biggest countries in the world but it has only around 20 million people. Hence the population density in Australia is quite low. In fact it is so low that the density is not measured in people per square kilometer, but instead it is measured in square kilometers per people! A single person in Australia has around 380 square kilometers for him. Australia has a vastly arid landscape which explains its low population density. Moreover, around 90% of the population of the people lives in cities.

The Australian language has its fair share of slang. Just look at how they refer to their people from the various regions and you will find out. People from Queensland are called "banana benders" and those from Western Australia are called "sand gropers."

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most important tourist destinations in Australia and is in fact quite famous all around the world for its rich coral habitat. However this is not the fun fact. The fun fact is that it has got a post office where when can send out a post card with the only Great Barrier Reef stamp. Talking about the Barrier Reef, the coral that the barrier reef houses is the largest organic construction in the world.

Western Australia is known for its vast size. In fact it is the largest state in Australia. It is so big that it is comparable to Western Europe, which has countries that are quite big in their own right such as France and Germany.

Australia has a reputation for building large structures that catch anyone's attention. These structures can be found along the road in the various regions of Australia.

The Australia flag was first flown on 3rd September 1901 in Melbourne at the Royal Exhibition buildings and In fact has a mini Flag of Great Britain occupying the top left quarter of the flag as a part of its colonial heritage.

While the flag was being raised, all schools were asked through the radio to also raise their Australia flag at the same time. We hope you liked and also enjoyed our version of fun facts about Australia.

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Fun Facts About Australia To Get You Started

Australia is a country with contrasting characteristics. It has a vast area, yet its population is only scanty in comparison. Moreover, it is a modern country with skyscrapers and a comparatively advanced work force, yet it was once a colony of convicts. Moreover, the country is weird in many other ways. Some fun facts about Australia are presented in this article.

• David Warren invented the black box in Australia. He was an aeronautical research scientist.

• Australia has been a pioneer in surfing. Its vast open beaches are instrumental in promoting the sport. The first national surfing championships were held in Australia in 1964 in Sidney.

• The oldest newspaper in Australia is the Sydney Morning Herald. It was first published in 1831.

• Mining is one of the chief industries in Australia. Many minerals and fossil fuels are mined in the country and Australia is a leader in many of them. Major exports include coal and iron ore. Mining in Australia constitutes around 15% of the GDP. Yet its only comprises 0.02% of the region's area. More area is taken up by pubs.

• Platypus is an animal unique to Australia. It is an unusual animal in that despite being a mammal, it lays eggs. It is a native of Australia. In fact, a famous story says that when the first platypus specimen was sent to England from Australia for studying, it was thought that the Australians had played a joke by sticking a duck's bill to the body of a rather large rat! Other animals found in the country include kangaroos and koala bears.

• Eucalyptus is an important tree having many medicinal properties. However it was first used by the aborigines in Australia to treat cough flue and other ailments.

• Australia is also a pioneer as afar as the rights of gays and lesbians go. The first homosexual radio station opened in Australia in Melbourne in 1993. Its name was joy radio.

• Australia has one of the most arid landscapes in the world which explains why so many of its inhabitants live in cities. In fact around 90 percent of the people in Australia live in cities. The reason why Australia is so dry is that it received very little rainfall. The continent is the driest in the world with South Australia being the driest province amongst all the provinces.

• The Australia flag was created as a part of a competition in which eventually four entries were chosen as winners as they had similar designs.

This is our round up of fun facts about Australia. Don't be surprised if you were amused to read how 5 people could come up with the same idea for the Australia flag. We were too when we found out about it the first time.

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Fun Facts About Australia To Increase Your Knowledge!

Every country is strange in its own particular way. Some countries may have exceptionally tall people (like the Netherlands); some countries may cover the largest proportion of the earth's area while holding only a fraction of its populations, (like Canada). Some may be as vast and arid as a desert yet be one of the richest countries of the world (like Saudi Arabia). In fact one may find thousands of strange facts about a country that may inspire amusement and awe. Here, I have gathered some fun facts about Australia, the country that lay to South East End the world.

Some fun facts about Australia:

England has been known as the chief influence for Australia. Australia was a colony of the British Empire and a large part of its History and culture are associated with England. Even the language the Australians speak is English. However, it was the Dutch who landed first in Australia before Captain Cook and named the region New Holland.

Convicts have had a large influence on Australian culture and history. In fact, the first inhabitants of the regions were convicts. The convicts were not all bad. In fact the first police force that was created in Australia was comprised of 12 of their best behaved convicts.

Australia has had some great movie stars that have made great forays into Hollywood. Geoffrey Rush, Heath Ledger and Cate Blanchet are all from Australia and have been Oscar winners. Older stars like Errol Flynn are also noticeable.

Australia is known for its vast arid landscape and its large deserts. However there is another side to Australia too. Australia also has snow covered mountains! These mountains are present in the northern side of Australia and according to some estimates; these mountains receive more snow than those in Switzerland!

Tasmania, an island off Australia, has one of the cleanest airs in the world. The rain water Tasmania receives is so pure that 5.5 tons of it was sent to Australian Athletes in Seoul in order to quench their thirst! Talking about Tasmania, the Island was a part of Australia until the last ice age when the melting ice bridge between Tasmania and Australia melted away.

One of the five people credited with designing the Australia flag was a Victorian Schoolboy. The won as his entry was very similar to the four others that also shared the prize for designing the flag.

So if you ever think that the Australia flag is complex, you might be baffled to know that it was actually designed by a schoolboy! We hope you liked our version of fun facts about Australia.

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5 Myths About the Inca Trail Uncovered

Trekking the Inca Trail is on the bucket list for many adventure travellers and quite rightly so, as it is a breath-taking trek following ancient Incan footpaths to the magical Machu Picchu ruins. There are many myths and untruths written about the trek, this article seeks to dispel these and provide some realistic advice for those planning their Inca Trail Holiday.

1) The Inca Trail is over-crowded and you can't move for other travellers

I have read this statement so many times, in various guide books and blogs, so by the time I came to do the trek myself, I expected to be fighting for space on the paths. I trekked in June, which is right in the middle of the peak season and there were times during the 2nd and 3rd days, when I barely saw another trekker. Spaces on the trail are now limited to 500 people per day, which includes about 300 porters, who all set off early each morning, so actually it is quite possible to find peace and quiet whilst trekking.

The campsites on the trail are, admittedly, busier, especially on the final night when everyone camps as close to Machu Picchu as possible. But by this time your focus will be on reaching the Sun Gate the next morning (and nursing your sore legs) so the lines of tents shouldn't bother you too much.

2) The altitude makes trekking only possible for the super fit

It is true that the hardest part of trekking the Inca Trail is the altitude. Many people fly in to the city of Cusco to start the trek and at an altitude of 3,500m, it can take a few days to acclimatise. Most people suffer from altitude sickness to some extent, with the most common symptoms including headaches, nausea, breathlessness, dizziness and loss of appetite. These tend to settle down after 36 hours. The best advice is to drink plenty of fluids, rest and don't exert yourself for the first day or two.

Once out trekking, the key to making it to Machu Picchu in one piece is to take the hiking at your own pace, rest lots and drink plenty of water. The second day, when you climb to 4,300m, is the toughest and most people make it, they just have to walk slowly and rest regularly.

3) It's cheaper to do the Inca Trail independently

It used to be possible to trek the Inca Trail independently and this is how many people visited Machu Picchu in years gone by. Since 2002, the trail has been regulated by the Peruvian authorities who issue permits through licensed agents. The terms and conditions of the permits mean that you have to trek with a guide and porters. There are strict checks along the way to ensure that all trekkers have permits.

4) It's cheaper to buy your permits online

Whilst it is possible to purchase your Inca Trail trek or holiday online, permits can only be obtained by authorised agents located in Peru. To be able to do this, they need to take your passport details and a deposit. The local government agency issues 500 permits each day and you can check availability of these on the official government website.

5) Porters are all poorly treated

Whilst historically, porters were badly treated and under-paid, there is much more awareness amongst traveller about responsible travel, ensuring that porters' well-being has moved into many trekkers' consciousness. That said, price competition has meant that all aspects of service on the trails continue to be squeezed, including wages. You can help to support porter welfare by making sure you only book your trek through a reputable operator who provides porters with correct footwear and proper food. You can also supplement wages by tipping them at the end of the trek.

The article about The Inca Trail was written by Anna Colclough, an expert on travel to Peru and South America.

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What You Need To Know About Luxury Rail Tours

These days there are many options for travelling and transportation that are readily available to people. It is now possible for almost anyone to buy a plane ticket and take a trip around the world. However, it was not the case around a decade ago. These days however, there are not many people who prefer the rail car as a means of transportation. This is because most people believe this mode of traveling is actually very tiring and also extremely cumbersome. This is because most people are not aware of options and packages.

There are many modes that a person can choose between, based on their destination and budget. In days gone by, the most popular and cost effective way of getting around was by trains. However, considering the fact that all rail cars were built more or less the same, one could easily anticipate the quality and level of service and comfort during a long journey.

The railway industry has come a long way now, with newly developed trains that put quality service, comfort and relaxation before everything else. The services offered include spacious and comfortable seat and bed options, made from good quality fabrics to ensure a smooth ride.

The bunkers of new rail cars are far from the traditional box shaped area, with a hard wooden chair and a flat plank bed. New design cabins and bunkers of some elite rail cars resemble suites from seven-star hotels. These come fitted with over-sized lounge chairs, a television and a fold-out bed as well.

When it comes to meals on board new age rail cars, the traditional one serving a meal of fried eggs and greasy toast has been completely transformed and now, people have the option to choose from a large assortment of dishes. Fast food, continental as well as some exotic dishes are also available on demand from some railway companies. Foods related to the country through which the railway is travelling.

When it comes to price and costs, luxury train travel can cost a little more than traditional railway journeys. The journey by railways is also known to take longer, as compared to taking a flight to destinations that are far away. However, in comparison to airfare this means of travelling is much cheaper, so if you do not have to reach your destination urgently and want to save some money on travelling, then you should definitely try taking a trip by rail car.

Today, travelers with a sense of adventure can enjoy luxury train travel in many places on the planet. The train often is a recreation of elaborate railway cars of past years.

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