Australia Facts

"Australia's longest, largest, deepest, highest, deadliest..."

General Australia Facts

• Australia consists of 6 states and 2 territories. The states being Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The territories are the Northern Territory in the top end and the Australian Capital Territory.
• Canberra is Australia’s capital city located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) on the eastern side of the mainland.
• Australia is the world’s sixth largest country and is officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia.
• The Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans and the Coral, Timor and Tasman Seas border this southern landmass of approximately 7.69 million square kilometres in size.
• Australia’s population in 2012 is more than 22 million people.
• The official symbol, or emblem, for Australia is the "Australian Coat of Arms", represented by a shield held by two of our native fauna, the kangaroo and the emu and surrounded by our native flora emblem, the golden wattle.
  

Australia Facts about longest things

• The Murray River is Australia’s longest river at 2520km in length and travelling through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
• Lacepede Bay in South Australia is the country’s longest beach at 175 kilometres long.
• The Great Barrier Reef is Australia’s and the world’s longest coral reef measuring 2013 kilometres long.
• Australia’s longest desert track is the Canning Stock Route, located in Western Australia, spanning 1820 kilometres between Halls Creek and Wiluna.
• The longest and straightest road is along the Eyre Highway on the Nullarbor Plain which stretches 146km.

Australia Facts about largest things

• Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland, is the largest sand island in the world and easily accessible by vehicular ferry.
• Uluru (Ayers Rock), in the Northern Territory, is the world’s largest rock monolith, consisting of a single rock, covering 3.3 square kilometers and with a base circumference of 9.4 kilometres.
• Mt Augustus, in Western Australia, is two and a half times the size of Uluru and is classified as a monocline rock, formed by a geological linear, strata dip in one direction between horizontal layers on each side. Mt Augustus covers an area of some 4800 hectares and is the world’s largest monocline.
• Lake Argyle is Australia’s largest man-made lake in Western Australia covering an area of more than 900 square kilometres at full supply level and up to 2000 square kilometres when in flood.
• Lake Eyre, in South Australia, is Australia’s largest lake at 9500 square metres in size however rarely fills with water.
• Australia’s largest desert is the Great Victoria Desert in Western and South Australia at 424,400 square kilometers.

• Australia’s largest meteorite crater is the Wolfe Creek Crater in Western Australia. The centre of the crater descends about 50 metres deep and the rim walls are about 30 metres high.

• Australia’s largest gold nugget was found around Victoria’s gold rush era in Moliagul in 1869 and weighed an impressive 71 kilograms.

• Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal, sending about 200 million tonnes of it overseas each year. Each of the Australian states mine coal and send approximately three quarters of it to other countries. We use the remainder to supply a large percentage of the country’s electricity.

• Australia and the world’s largest (not longest) steel arch bridge is the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This iconic Australian structure measures 49 metres wide, 1.15km in total length and weighs 39,000 tonnes. There are 8 vehicle lanes, 2 train lines, footpath, cycle path and of course the famous bridge climb.

• Australia’s largest engineering scheme is the Snowy Mountains Scheme in New South Wales, providing renewable energy in the form of water generated electricity. The complex project and infrastructure is an engineering genius.

Australia Facts about highest locations

• Australia’s highest waterfall is Wallaman Falls in Queensland at 305 metres.

• Cabramurra is the highest town in Australia at an elevation of 1488 metres.

• Australia’s highest point on the mainland is Mount Kosciuszko, in the Snowy Mountains, at 2229 metres.

Australia Facts about lowest locations

• Australia’s lowest point on the mainland is at Lake Eyre which is 16 metres below sea level.

Australia Facts about deepest locations

• Lake St Clair is Australia’s deepest lake, located in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania with a maximum depth of approximately 200 metres.

• Australia’s deepest gorge with walls of 270 metres is Kings Canyon in the Watarrka National Park in The Red Centre, Northern Territory.

Australia Facts about oldest things

• Australia’s and the world’s oldest living thing is Tasmania’s Huon Pine Tree at over 4000 years old.

Australia Facts about hottest and driest locations

• Marble Bar in Western Australia is Australia’s hottest town, however, Cloncurry in Queensland holds the record for the hottest temperature of 53.1 degrees Celsius.
• Australia’s hottest city and state are Darwin and the Northern Territory.
• Australia’s driest town is Oodnadatta in South Australia.
• Australia’s driest location is Lake Eyre in South Australia.
• Australia’s driest state is South Australia.
• Australia is the driest continent in the world.

Australia Facts about coldest and wettest locations

• Australia’s coldest town/place is the ski resort at Charlotte Pass in the Snowy Mountains, recording a low of minus 23 degrees Celsius.
• Australia’s coldest city and state are Canberra and Tasmania.
• Australia’s wettest town is Tully in Queensland, with an average annual rainfall of 4490mm.

Australia Facts about furthest points

• Australia’s most northerly point is the tip of Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland and is accessible by four-wheel drive only. The road to the top is the outback enthusiast’s adventure track of a lifetime
• Australia’s most easterly point is Cape Byron at Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, close to the Queensland border.
• The most southerly point in Australia is at “The End of the Road” on Australia’s southern-most street, in South West National Park, Tasmania.
• The most southerly point on the Australian mainland is South Point in Wilsons Promontory at the bottom of Victoria.
• The most westerly point in Australia is Steep Point in Western Australia and is accessible by four-wheel drive only. It is a popular fishing location.

Australia Facts about deadliest creatures

• Australia’s and the world’s deadliest creature is the Box Jellyfish. Cardiac arrest, respiratory failure and death can occur within minutes when stung by these deadly monsters of the sea.

• Australia’s deadliest snake is the Inland Taipan, also known as the Fierce Snake. It has the most potent land snake venom in the world and is found mainly in the southwestern Queensland and northeastern South Australian regions.

• Australia’s deadliest spider is the Funnel Web. These extremely toxic spiders are found in the eastern states of the Australian mainland and Tasmania, in mountainous regions and along the coast. The male spiders are the most venomous.

• Australia’s deadliest reptile is the Saltwater Crocodile. These dangerous creatures with incredibly powerful jaws inhabit the northern waters of Australia and the males grow to 5 metres or more. On average, a fatality is reported annually in Australia.

• Australia’s deadliest shark is the Great White. These marine predators average between 3 – 5 metres in length, can weigh up to 1300kg and have an enormous mouth full of rows and rows of teeth, even up to 3000 at a time. Although encounters with the Great White are classed as rare, several attacks are reported on average each year and roughly 30% of shark attacks are fatal according to marine authorities.

Australia Facts about historic and modern day heroes

• Australia’s legendary folk hero of the 1800’s is Ned Kelly, the well-known historic outlaw who defended his own against the alleged corruption of authorities. The town of Glenrowan, in Victoria, honours his memory as it is the location where he faced “The Last Stand” against police and was eventually sentenced to death.

• Another Aussie hero dating back to the 1800’s is “Banjo Paterson” (Andrew Barton), a highly educated and respected man in love with the Australian bush. He wrote the ballad “Waltzing Matilda” which has touched the hearts of every Australian to this present day.

• Modern day Australian of the Year 2005 and Aussie hero is Doctor Fiona Wood, a highly respected and idolized Plastic Surgeon in Western Australia. She invented spray on skin to help burns patients and led a team of medical professionals in the fight to save 28 victims severely burnt in the tragic Bali bombings. Her surgical skills and accomplishments are admired by all.

Australia Facts about favourite things

• Australia’s favourite spread is Vegemite, a dark brown concentrated yeast extract which is actually a byproduct of beer manufacturing. It is rich in vitamin B, salty in taste and we produce about 22 million jars annually.

• An Aussie favourite food is the good old meat pie, crusty pastry filled with delicious sloppy meat and gravy. Top it with tomato or barbecue sauce and you’ve got yourself a winner. According to Mrs Mac’s pie company Australian’s eat over 500 million pies each year.

• Beer is Australia’s favourite alcoholic drink. There is nothing like a cold beer in this country. The famous Darwin Stubby of the Northern Territory (NT Draught) tops the lot at 2 litres! The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show on average, per capita, each person consumes over 100 litres of beer annually.

• Aussie favourite footwear is undoubtedly a casual pair of thongs or “flip-flops” as we often refer to them.

• Australia’s favourite sport would have to be a close tie or toss-up between Aussie Rules Football (AFL – Australian Football League) and Cricket. Many of us love them both passionately.

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