- If all the sails of the Opera House roof were combined, they would create a perfect sphere. The architect was inspired while eating an orange.
- The wine cask (goon sack) is an Australian invention
- In Australia, Burger King is called "Hungry Jack's"
- Ugg boots are an Australian design where a sheepskin has been turned inside out and made into a boot.
- The world's first compulsory seat belt law was put into place in Victoria in 1970.
- Canberra was created in 1908 as a compromise when Sydney and Melbourne both wanted to be the capital city.
- 10% of Britons think Australia is further away than the Moon, a survey found in 2013
- Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable, meaning gum trees may explode if ignited, or in bushfires.
- The wattle was adopted as the national floral emblem in 1912.
- In 1975, Australia had a government shutdown, which ended with the Queen firing everyone and the government starting again.
- Despite sharing the same verbal language, Australian, British and American sign language are all completely different languages.
- It has 16 world heritage listed sites including historic townships, cities and landscapes.
- In 1979, debris from NASA's space station 'Skylab' crashed in & around Esperance, Western Australia. Esperance then fined NASA $400 for littering.
- Chinese explorers travelled to Australia long before Europeans arrived. As early as the 1400s, sailors and fisherman came to Australia for sea-cucumbers and to trade with Indigenous peoples.
- Australians refer to English people as Pome, which is actually the acronym for Prisoners of Mother England
- Australia is the world's sixth-largest country by total area
- Aussie Rules footy was originally designed to help cricketers to keep fit in the off-season.
- Australia is the only Western country in the world to not have a Bill of Rights
- Australia exports camels to Saudi Arabia
- 20 of the world's 25 deadliest snakes are found in Australia, including the entire top 10
- An Iraqi man moved to Australia and used the Welfare System as income. Years later, he became successful and wrote a check to the government for every cent they gave him.
- In July 1969, CSIRO's 64-meter (209-foot) radio telescope in Parkes received television signals that allowed 600 million people to watch Neil Armstrong's moonwalk live
- A 'real' Australian burger comes with pineapple, fried egg, bacon, cheese and onions, and always beetroot (red beet).
- Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, claims to have invented the wireless LAN technology that's the basis of Wi-Fi and they have a patent to prove it.
- Australian koalas are in danger of extinction because over half of them have chlamydia
![Australian Christmas Tree - [nuytsia floribunda]](/about-australia/society-culture/image/s/celebrating-christmas-the-aussie-way.webp)
