- Aug 8, 2012
- 6,291
- 7,430
- 75
- Country
- Australia
- Faith
- Atheist
- Marital Status
- Divorced
Australia – what you probably didn’t know
I’m sure you’ve heard of Australia but what do you really know about it?
Ok – it has tough gun laws, a socialistic universal health care program, a weird accent and dangerous wildlife, But where is it?, what is it? and who are they? What follows is an assortment of bits and pieces of Australiana based on questions I’ve seen in Quora, and CF, along with some common misconceptions. - OB
Most people in the Northern Hemisphere have heard of Australia but (let’s be honest) don’t really know where it is apart from ‘down there' somewhere near New Zealand (wherever that is?).
The Location
So there you are. There is more, like left side driving, toilets, the date, cutlery usage and the relative meanings of ‘thong’ but it’s Christmas so I’ll spare you the rest.
OB
I’m sure you’ve heard of Australia but what do you really know about it?
Ok – it has tough gun laws, a socialistic universal health care program, a weird accent and dangerous wildlife, But where is it?, what is it? and who are they? What follows is an assortment of bits and pieces of Australiana based on questions I’ve seen in Quora, and CF, along with some common misconceptions. - OB
**********************************
Most people in the Northern Hemisphere have heard of Australia but (let’s be honest) don’t really know where it is apart from ‘down there' somewhere near New Zealand (wherever that is?).
The Location
- To the south the nearest neighbour is Antarctica 5000 km away
- To the south-east, New Zealand is 1700 km away or 5 and a half hours by plane
- To the west across the Indian Ocean, Madagascar is 9000 km away, then Africa
- To the east – the Pacific and a scattering of tiny island nations like Vanuatu and Fiji. (many Australians go to Fiji for holidays). Then after 14 hours on the plane - the US
- To the north - here’s where things get a little crowded. Australians can practically touch Papua New Guinea with a long stick and East Timor is a short canoe ride away. The other near northern neighbour is Indonesia, a country of 278 million people; the fourth biggest country in the world (by population) and one of the world’s most underrated countries. Australia and Indonesia have a common maritime boundary. Bali (in Indonesia) is a favourite Australian holiday destination.
- Australia is big. At 7.7 million square km it’s about the same size as the contiguous states of the US, 50% bigger than Europe or 32 times the size of the UK
- Western Australia (WA), Australia’s biggest state, is 4 times the size of Texas.
- Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world (Antarctica is the driest continent); 70% of it is either desert or semi-arid land. Many arid parts are almost treeless. Central Australia is comparable to the Sahara Desert
- Australia has relatively few permanent rivers or lakes. In dry weather many rivers shrink to a series of billabongs (pools) or dry up completely. Lake Eyre, located towards the centre of Australia, is a salt lake surrounded by salt flats
- Apart from the South East corner and parts of the east coast, Australia is pretty much flat due to its extreme geological age - it just got worn down
- The Australian Alps on the South East corner of the continent get more snow than Switzerland. The Australian ski season lasts 4-5 months from June to October
- Australia is a paradise for feral animals imported by European immigrants. Rats, mice, cats, foxes, dogs, rabbits, deer, goats, pigs, horses and buffalo are all non-native invaders often hunted, trapped, poisoned, infected or ignored. At the last count there were an estimated one million camels roaming Australia’s deserts. Camels were imported as pack animals in the early days opening up the interior.
- With one Tasmanian exception Australian trees don’t drop their leaves in Autumn (i.e., there is no ‘Fall’). Native trees shed leaves in a steady trickle all year round.
- The moon in Australia is upside down compared to what you see in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Australia’s indigenous peoples are the oldest continuous culture in the world. Current measurements date Australian indigenous people and culture back 60-70 thousand years.
- Most of Australia has a population density below 0.1 people per sq km
- Australia has about 26 million people living in a country the same size as the US
- Most of the country is effectively uninhabited. 40% of the country is rated uninhabitable. This is largely due to the lack of surface water
- Most Australians live in cities – we’re more urbanised than the US
- 80% of Australians live within 80km of the coast and the bulk of the population is on the East coast
- Australians rarely tip – it’s an egalitarian thing
- Solo Australian travellers normally sit in the front seat of the taxi – it’s an egalitarian thing
- In Australia everyone is normally addressed by their first name or nickname. Courtesy titles (Mr, Mrs, Doctor etc.) are rarely used except in formal circumstances and usually indicate you’re not actually accepted - it’s an egalitarian thing. This would apply even in addressing our Prime Minister in an informal meeting. “Hello Scotty
”
- Australia is a migrant nation. As at 2015, 26%, of Australians were born overseas. This compares with 23% for New Zealand, 22% for Canada and 14% for the US
- According to the 2016 census, after English, the next most common languages spoken in Australian homes were Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, and Vietnamese.
- Nearly a third of Australians (30%) reported in the 2016 Census that they had no religion. Those who identify with a religion rarely go to church
- Apart from cricket, any outward expression of patriotism is rare. It‘s unusual for private individuals to fly the flag. Those who do are regarded with suspicion as potential nationalistic bogans. American patriotism is regarded as strange and a bit creepy
- Most Australian employees get 2 months leave on full pay after 10 years’ service with the same employer. This is on top of 4 weeks paid holiday leave each year and up to 2 weeks paid sick/carers leave
- All voting, whether it’s local, state or federal, is compulsory. Don’t vote and you’ll be fined
- In Australia tobacco products cannot be advertised or on public display in shops. All cigarette brands come in standard plain brown packaging complete with disgusting photos of tobacco related diseases.
- Our banknotes are beautiful and made of a secret polymer capable of surviving Armageddon, or your washing machine, and impossible to duplicate
- Australia’s smallest coin is a 5cent piece but prices are in 1 cent multiples, for example $2.47, $7.52. How we reconcile this problem and pay for stuff is a state secret
- Australia’s national icon, the kangaroo, is also sold in supermarkets as steak, mince, or sausages
- While we have access to electric clothes driers, most Australians dry their washing outdoors on a clothes line- usually using a brilliant Australian invention known as a Hills Hoist. The good bit is it’s free and carbon neutral. On the downside, line dried towels just aren’t as fluffy.
- Australian humour includes the judicious use of insults with an overlay of self-deprecation which is rarely understood by Americans. Put simply we tend to poke fun at each other and laugh at ourselves
**********************************
So there you are. There is more, like left side driving, toilets, the date, cutlery usage and the relative meanings of ‘thong’ but it’s Christmas so I’ll spare you the rest.
OB
Last edited:
