Facts about Australia:

* It is the world's smallest continent and 6th largest country
* Although it has been inhabited for at least 42000 years by its indegenous peoples (Australian Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders), Australia is the most recently discovered inhabited continent (at least, by Europeans), sighted first by Wilhelm Jansz in 1606 and officially colonised by the British in 1788.
* We are a constitutional monarchy, meaning we are ruled by the British Royal Family through governers, but we have our own, separate judicial system. The Governer General is the Queen's representative and can fire the Prime Minister (as proven in 1973) but the Prime Minister is the person who approves the appointment of the GG so the situation is confusing.
* Australia is roughly 7,686,850 km square, slightly smaller than mainland US (not including Alaska).
* We house the world's largest coral reef, the world's oldest cremated human remains, living stromatolites (the world's earliest form of life), the world's largest monolih, desert, rainforest, swampland, riverinas, mountains, woodlands, mangroves, grasslands, and snow that covers more area than all of Switzerland.
* Until the 1970s the immigration policy was known as White Australia and was designed to keep people of non-caucasian race out of the country. This was eradicated by the Whitlam government and is now used as an example of our past xenophobia, a status which the country is trying hard to erase.
* The coastline is 25,760 km long
* If you go to the beach in summer you might notice 2 flags, red and yellow, about a hundred metres apart. These areas are patrolled by lifeguards, big men and women in little hats who stop you drowning.

An Aboriginal rock painting found at Kakadu National Park

It's True, Bluey: Some Unique Aussie Beliefs

* Beer should be served so cold it makes your ears hurt
* Your best friend is "a total bastard" while your worst enemy is "a bit of a bastard"
* A hamburger must contain beetroot
* Our national character is such that we cry during the first verse of the national anthem, but can't remember the words to the rest of it
* People with red hair should always be nicknamed Blue
* Every surname, brand name and car spare part should be shortened to the point of incomprehension: "If I hadn't stuffed the diff I'd've taken Blacky to Maccas"
* It's not summer until barefoot kids dance a wild corroboree every time they cross the street
* All parties, in however grand and well-prepared a house, will always be held, cramped and noisy, in the kitchen
* In beach cricket, the person who hits the ball into the water will score runs, but also cop social disapproval
* A gumleaf, crushed in the hand, is the best smell ever
* There's no event that can't be improved by the addition of a sausage sizzle
* Two weeks after a trip to the beach, grains of sand will suddenly and inexplicably appear in the bed
* We invented everything in the world worth inventing, but then sold the patents to the Yanks
* Spreading toast with a black, salty spread, with the appearance of axle grease, is widely viewed as a good way to start the day
* It's only money
* Kids, upon burying their father in the sand, will always give him breasts bigger than their mother's
* On the beach, thieves will be fooled by the impenetrable fortress that is your shoe
* When you are seven years old and want to fly, the Hills Hoist is wasted on washing
* We become more Australian the further we are from home

Aussie Slang Dictionary

Aussie Recipes