Fantome Island was home to a close knit community of indigenous 'lepers' who made the most of their existence as people living on the fringes of the marginalised. Fantome Island is one of the islands in the Great Palm Island group. It is neighboured by Great Palm Island and is 65 km (40 mi)...
If you have come across those claims that it is an offence in South Australia to obstruct or disturb a wedding, a funeral, or any religious service, you may be surprised to learn that this is fact. According to South Australia's Summary Offences Act of 1953 section 7A, any person who...
The pie floater is an Australian dish particularly common in Adelaide and, to a lesser degree, Sydney. The Pie Floater (or, as some experts call it - 'Floater') is a meal available in Australia, which commonly consists of a traditional Australian-style meat pie, usually sitting, but sometimes...
The koala is a small bear-like, tree-dwelling, herbivorous marsupial which carries it's young in a pouch. We often hear these adorable Aussies called ‘koala bears’, but they are actually not bears at all. Koalas are marsupials, so they carry their young in a pouch, unlike bears which carry their...
The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. One of the most well-known highlights of the Great Ocean Road is The Twelve Apostles. The massive limestone structures that tower 45 metres...
Most murders aren’t that difficult to solve. Usually the husband, or wife, did it. Sometimes it may have been the boyfriend or ex-lover. The crimes fit a pattern, the motives are generally clear. Of course, there are always a few cases that don’t fit the template. Cases where the killer is a...
In the very first days of colonial Australia, rum was the great circulating medium The first few decades of Australian settlement were an interesting time. The landscape was not what was expected and the officers, settlers and convicts found Australia to be a harsh and unforgiving environment. ...
One of Australia's seemingly unfair laws relates to being penalised for offering a reward for stolen goods with a 'No Questions Asked' statement. But is it actually true? Yep — this is actually an offence in South Australia and Tasmania. In these jurisdictions, if a person publicly advertises...
By her own admission, Dame Edna Everage is probably the most popular and gifted woman in the world! Her Facebook page explains that she is a housewife, investigative journalist, social anthropologist, talk show host, swami, children’s book illustrator, spin doctor, Megastar, and Icon. Along...
With an adult size of roughly a cubic centimetre (.06 cubic inch), Irukandji are both one of the smallest and most venomous jellyfish in the world. Tiny, venomous and virtually invisible to the human eye, Irukandji jellyfish inflict a sting so painful that if you don’t die you may wish you...
Twisties are the quintessential Australian snack. You aren’t eating them right if you don't lick your fingers 100 percent clean afterwards. Twisties are arguably Australia's most popular snack. This cheese flavoured corn and rice snack has appealed to Aussies of all ages for over 60 years. Its...
The Pinnacles are limestone formations within Nambung National Park, near the town of Cervantes, Western Australia. Hidden away among the lonely dunes and windswept heathland of Western Australia’s Turquoise Coast there is a barren, otherworldly desert of stone pillars rising up out of the...
CRIKEY! is a word made famous by one man - Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006), nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist and television personality. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television...
Austalia's Inland Taipan has the most toxic venom of any land snake in the world. The maximum yield recorded for one bite is 110mg, enough to kill about 100 humans, or 250,000 mice! The inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), also commonly known as the western taipan, the small-scaled snake,...
Queensland is home to many of Australia’s Big Things but one you may have not yet visited is the Golden Gumboot in the town of Tully in Far North Queensland. Why is there a golden gumboot in town? Because of Tully’s incredibly high rainfall figures — it claims to be one of Australia’s wettest...
“Rack Man” is the nickname given to a John Doe whose body was found strapped to a makeshift metal cross when it was pulled from an Australian river in 1994 On Thursday, 11 August 1994, Mark Peterson’s workday began like any other. He’d cruised up the Hawkesbury River, north of Sydney, until his...
Tim Tam is a brand of Australian chocolate biscuit made by Arnott's. It consists of two malted biscuits separated by a light chocolate cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate. Go anywhere in Australia and you’ll feel it. That deep, raw, unbridled passion Aussies have for...
Ball’s Pyramid is the remnant of an ancient shield volcano that formed over a magma hotspot, and its seamount rises 562m (1844 ft) above sea level. Ball's Pyramid is an erosional remnant of a shield volcano and caldera. It lies 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Lord Howe Island in the Pacific...
Every weekend, at just about every Bunnings Warehouse location around Australia, you'll find the iconic Sausage Sizzle If you're an Aussie then you've probably bought a banga sanga (sausage sandwich) from a stall outside the entrance of a Bunnings Hardware store. Bunnings Sausage Sizzle ...
Massive, neon-pink slugs can only be found atop of Mount Kaputar, an extinct volcano in northern New South Wales. The small alpine forest at the peak of Mount Kaputar, in northern NSW, is home to a fascinating ecosystem, but nothing seems as amazing as its most famous residents — neon-pink slugs...
Les Hiddins aka "The Bush Tucker Man" is a retired Australian Army soldier and war veteran, who is best known for his love and knowledge of the Australian bush. Major Leslie James (Les) Hiddins AM was born 13 August 1946 in Brisbane, Queensland. Hiddins is recognised by his distinctively...
The Principality of Hutt River is a 75 square kilometre, privately-owned wheat property north of Geraldton, Western Australia, that claims to have seceded from Australia in 1970 after a row over low wheat production quotas The Principality of Hutt River is a micronation in Australia. The...
The Patanela vanished without a trace while approaching Sydney Harbour in calm seas in November 1988, leaving behind only a barnacle-encrusted lifebuoy and a message in a bottle. The Patanela was a 19 metre (62 foot) steel schooner that was known to be incredibly sturdy -- having undertaken a...
During the late 80’s and early 90’s, a sadistic murderer dubbed 'Mr Cruel' stalked the streets of suburban Melbourne. To this day, he remains at large. Nowhere was safe for young girls. Not even their homes. A generation of women will remember the fear, that they would be the next to be plucked...
The Short-Beaked Echidna is one of only two species of monotremes in Australia. The other being the Duck-billed Platypus The Echidna is named after Echidna, a creature from Greek mythology who was half-woman, half-snake, as the animal was perceived to have qualities of both mammals and...
Cleft Island, also known as Skull Rock, is a small, rugged, granite island in the Anser group of islands to the south-west of Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, Australia. It looks like something from a movie script; a large, stone, skull shaped rock rising halfway up from a deeply blue sea off an...
Maslin Beach was declared Australia's first nudist beach In Australia on the 14th Of February 1974 Maslin Beach in Adelaide, South Australia, is home of the event formerly known as the Nude Olympics. Rather than let the International Olympic Committee sue the pants off them (no point, really)...
Most Australians would argue that their ubiquitous Aussie Hamburger just wouldn't be the same without a couple of slices of beetroot. Even though fast-food franchises sell 'burgers' they are very rarely the type that Aussie connoisseurs enjoy. The traditional Australian hamburgers are usually...
The black box flight recorder has helped make commercial air travel the world's safest form of travel. The Black Box flight recorder was invented by Australian scientist Dr David Warren, who lost his own father to an aircraft tragedy in 1934 when the Miss Hobart crashed into the Bass Strait. ...
Public indecency, stalking and fleeing from police - Queensland koalas have some serious questions to answer after several incidents were reported by police and members of the public Pole Dancing without a Permit The most serious allegations came on September 10, when police in the Townsville...
Coober Pedy is a town in northern South Australia, 846 km (526 mi) north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. For thousands of years Aboriginal people walked across the Coober Pedy area. Because of the desert environment, these people were nomadic hunters and gatherers who travelled constantly in...
The Emirates Melbourne Cup is Australia's most prestigious annual Thoroughbred horse race and the richest in the world. The Melbourne Cup is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of...
Australia is home to its fair share of adorable and fascinating animals, but did you know the Wombat is one of them? Wombats are Australian marsupials found in forested, mountainous and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. They have very short muscular legs and are the...
The slogan on the website of Girl Guides Australia makes the claim that they ... "... empower girls and young women to grow into confident, self-respecting, responsible community members." So, when you think of the Girl Guides, you don’t exactly associate them with criminal conspiracies...
In the small town of Mayanup, located in the south west of Western Australia during the 1950s, a series of mysterious incidents intrigued the nation. Gilbert Smith and his family who lived and worked for Bill Hack at Mayanup had become the talk of Australia back in 1955 after stones and other...
Australian football has the highest spectator attendance and television viewership of all sports in Australia, while the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's only fully professional competition, is the nation's wealthiest sporting body. The Australian Rules football annual grand...
The Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacine) - sometimes called the Tasmanian Wolf - is one of the most fabled animals in the world. Yet, despite its fame, it is one of the least understood of Tasmania's native animals. Unfortunately, European settlers were puzzled by the Tasmanian Tiger. They feared it and...
Fraser Island is a World Heritage listing and ranks with Australia's Uluru, Kakadu and the Great Barrier Reef. Fraser Island is a precious part of Australia's natural and cultural heritage, it is protected for all to appreciate and enjoy.. Fraser Island, off Australia’s eastern Queensland coast,...
The Lamington is often referred to as the "National Cake of Australia." The National Trust of Queensland even named the cake as one of Australia's favorite icons. A lamington is an Australian cake, made from cubes of sponge cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate (or sometimes raspberry)...
Contrary to the song 'Old Man Emu' by John Williamson, the flightless Emu can't run the pants off a kangaroo. But they can sure give one a run for their money! John Robert Williamson AM (born 1 November 1945 in Kerang, Victoria) is an Australian country music and folk music singer-songwriter....
The modern day tank is described as a tracked fighting vehicle and was originally proposed in 1912 by Australian engineer Lancelot E de Mole. The earliest practical design of the tank was designed by Lancelot E de Mole and was proposed to the British War Office however the idea was rejected....
No doubt you've heard of Mick "Crocodile" Dundee but what about Australia's real-life "Kangaroo Dundee" - Chris 'Brolga' Barns? It's early morning and a human call travels across the red, scrubby earth of central Australia. Little heads begin to pop up all over the landscape. Soon, a mob of red...
Ernest Lalor "Ern" Malley was a fictitious poet and the central figure in Australia's most famous literary hoax. THE greatest literary hoax of the twentieth century was concocted by a couple of Australian soldiers at their desks in the offices of the Victoria Barracks in Melbourne, land...
The world's deadliest spider is a notorious Australian land-dwelling animal called the Sydney funnel-web spider. It's venom can kill a human in just 15 minutes. There are 35 species of funnel web, a number of which are found from New South Wales to Queensland along Australia’s eastern coast –...
The world's largest gold nugget - named the "Welcome Stranger" was found just a couple of inches below the ground near Dunolly, Victoria, Australia on 5 February 1869. On a hot day in 1869, in the bush at Moliagul, Victoria, John Deason made the discovery of his lifetime and of the goldrush era...
Australia's Highway One is the world's longest national highway. The length runs 14,500 kilometers (9,010 miles) and covers the whole country. Australia's Highway One is a network of highways that circumnavigate the country, joining all mainland state capitals. At a total length of approximately...
The Devils Marbles are huge granite boulders scattered across a wide, shallow valley, 100 kilometres south of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. Among the most famous of Australian rocks, right up there with Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the Olgas, the Devils Marbles are made of granite, and...
Australia has some weird and wacky laws but Western Australia's Potato Law takes the cake. Basically. the law states that it's illegal to possess 50 kg's (110 lb) of potatoes in Western Australia. The Potato Marketing Corporation (PMC), an organization responsible for managing the supply of...
Around 100kms south of Longreach in central Queensland lays an inconspicuous small waterhole name Wilga. By this waterhole is said to lurk a ghost which screeches such a sound that the most hardened of bushmen scurry off in terror at the first sound of it. A small hut was built by a swagman...
The stonefish, which reaches an average length of 30 to 40 centimetres and up to 2 kg / 5 lbs in weight, is the most venomous fish in the world having venomous sacs on each one of its 13 spines Two species of stonefishes have been recorded in Australia, the Reef Stonefish and the Estuary...
From a distance, Lake Hillier of Australia’s Recherche Archipelago looks like a swath of solid bubble-gum pink. Draw closer, and the color takes on a more watery, translucent quality, but remains unmistakably pink. Lake Hillier is about 600 metres (2,000 ft) in length by about 250 m (820 ft) in...
Each year on Christmas Island, over 100 million red crabs scurry at once from the forest to the sea to breed and spawn. Each year, up to about 120 million red crabs (Gecarcoidea natalis) scuttle to the sea from the forest across Christmas Island in an effort to mate. It is a commute which...
The Ettamogah Pub is a cartoon pub that was featured in the now defunct Australasian Post magazine. The cartoonist Ken Maynard, loving empty spaces and having nothing around him, enjoyed an area just outside Albury at Table Top, named Ettamogah, thus christening the name of his now famous pub...
"Fair suck of the sav" is an Australian slang phrase that basically means "You've got to be kidding!" Being a multi-purpose phrase is can convey an attitude of unbelief , awe, wonder or even exasperation or frustration. The phrase 'fair suck of the sav' is like 'fair suck of the sausage', 'fair...
Slim Dusty was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer, who was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars. He’s known universally as Australia’s King of Country, and it’s a title to which Slim Dusty can still lay an unchallenged claim,...
Soothe aches and pains in the crystal clear warm waters of the natural Mataranka Thermal pool under the dappled light of the paperbark and palm forest. Located in Australia’s Northern Territory, the Mataranka hot springs provide the perfect place for visitors to unwind and soak up the...
An Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit, popular in Australia and New Zealand. Super easy to make, healthy, long lasting, and taste GREAT! Today's post is on how to make great tasting Anzac biscuits. But first here's a little bit of history. Anzac biscuits were traditionally made using rolled...
Jack Donahue (1804 – 1 September 1830) was a bushranger in Australia between 1825 and 1830. Known as "Bold Jack Donahue", he became part of the notorious "Wild Colonial Boys". "Bold Jack Donahue", became part of the notorious "Wild Colonial Boys". Jack Donahue, sometimes spelled Donohue...
The introduction of 'Bodyline' in the 1932–33 Ashes series is the most controversial event in the history of Australian-English Test cricket. Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia,...
Forget crocodiles and snakes, the real animal threat in Australia is wild pigs. At least if you’re camping. Campers were told to lock up food and drink after feral pig goes on bender in Western Australia and ends up in altercation with cow. At the popular campground in Western Australia, a...
The Horizontal Falls or Horizontal Waterfalls (nicknamed the "Horriez") is the name given to a natural phenomenon on the coast of the Kimberley region in Western Australia. The only place in the world where water falls sideways, the Horizontal Falls of the Buccaneer Archipelago is an amazing...
Shirtless and shoeless, James and Kane singlehandedly prevented the alleged robbery of a shop, despite having just suffered a "busted plugga"... Last year, two Australian men were drunk and barely clothed coming back from a party on the Gold Coast when they stopped briefly at a service station...
On a 25km stretch of coastline in Western Australia, there lies a prehistoric treasure trove. Scientists have published details of the world's biggest dinosaur footprints, found in Western Australia, with the sauropod prints measuring a whopping 1.7 metres (5.6 feet). The footprints top a...
The Three Sisters is an unusual rock formation representing three sisters who according to Aboriginal legend were turned to stone. The Three Sisters are unusual rock formation in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, on the north escarpment of the Jamison Valley. They are close to...
A furphy is Australian slang for an erroneous or improbable story that is claimed to be factual. Furphies are supposedly 'heard' from reputable sources, sometimes secondhand or thirdhand, and widely believed until discounted. You've might have heard someone say telling furphies or that was a bit...
The Quokka has been described by many as the friendliest and cutest animal on earth. This post comes as a request from Sara Taylor, a good friend from Michigan in the USA. Well, here ya go Sara... The quokka, a teddy bear-sized marsupial found only in southwestern Australia, is struggling on...
Clumpy or comfortable, hideous or heaven-sent, few shoe styles have proved as divisive as Ugg Boots The boots - originating from Australia - have outlasted all forecasts of their demise, and rocketed to ubiquity as one of the footwear industry's biggest success stories of the past decade. The...
Clumpy or comfortable, hideous or heaven-sent, few shoe styles have proved as divisive as Ugg Boots The boots - originating from Australia - have outlasted all forecasts of their demise, and rocketed to ubiquity as one of the footwear industry's biggest success stories of the past decade. The...
No single item characterises Australia’s suburbia like the iconic Hills Hoist clothes line A Hills Hoist is a height-adjustable rotary clothes line, designed to permit the compact hanging of wet clothes so that their maximum area can be exposed for wind drying by rotation. The Hills Hoist...
The freedom and benefits of swimming are enjoyed by Australians of all ages. In the summer, millions of people flock to the beaches along the country's coast to swim. But it wasn't always this way. From 1838 until 1902 one of Australians more interesting laws was prohibited swimming in the...
The witchetty grub also spelled witchety grub or witjuti grub is a term used in Australia for the large, white, wood-eating larvae of several moths. Before European settlers arrived in Australia, there was a thriving food culture, one that happily sustained the Aboriginal people for tens of...
The Tasmanian Devil is a carnivorous marsupial that was once native to mainland Australia but now is only found in the wild on the island state of Tasmania. The Tasmanian devil cannot be mistaken for any other marsupial. Its spine-chilling screeches, black colour, and reputed bad-temper, led...
One of the world’s most venomous plants, the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree can cause months of excruciating pain for unsuspecting travellers or bush-walkers If you are walking through the rainforest and experience an intense, painful stinging sensation, then you have probably brushed against a...
On the edge of the Great Sandy Desert and the extensive spinifex grasslands of the East Kimberley lies the Wolfe Creek Crater The crater is the second largest crater in the world from which fragments of a meteorite have actually been collected. In 1968 the crater site was made a national park...
Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, was once called ‘Batmania’! Now, I'm sure glad the name didn't stick - it just wouldn't sound right to say, "let's head into Batman for the weekend"! And how about this for an advertising pitch, "the Australian Open Tennis...
"Where the bloody hell are you?" has gone the way of the "shrimp on the barbie" - into the dustbin of advertising history. And all because the prude pundits and bleeding hearts are so worried about our delicate sensibilities that they deemed a harmless ad as offensive! And this was in 2006 NOT...
With millions of fans around the world, Gary is Australia's most famous goat. But it was a long and winding track that brought him and his owner together. Gary the Goat and Jimbo Bazoobi are an Australian comedy duo who perform in Australian towns and have become very popular since beginning...
There have been many cases of people, horses and even herds of cattle disappearing within the many crevices, caverns, caves and rock formations of Black Mountain (Kalkajaka), never to be seen again. A few kilometres inland from the gorgeous beaches of Far North Queensland is a mountain. It’s not...
The ubiquitous wine cask, sometimes called a "goon bag" is a perennial favourite for non-connoisseur type wine drinkers in Australia. THE humble cask wine may have caused countless hangovers, but it holds a proud place in our nation’s history and is now over 50 years old. Over 50 years...
What has 8 legs, 3 hearts and enough venom to kill 26 scuba divers? The blue-ringed octopus, one of Australia's many deadly animal attractions! The blue-ringed octopus is recognized as one of the world's most venomous marine animals. Despite their small size—12 to 20 cm (5 to 8 in)—and...
Ticks are desperately needed in Australia and there’s money in it for sharp-eyed hunters. Paralysis ticks, also called dog, shell-back or scrub ticks are a serious parasite occurring on the East Coast of Australia. They inject a toxin causing paralysis that can be fatal in domestic animals, both...
The Australian meat pie is a hand-sized pie containing diced or minced meat and gravy, sometimes with onion, mushrooms, or cheese and often consumed as a takeaway food snack. The meat pie is considered iconic in Australia and New Zealand. It was described by former New South Wales Premier Bob...
Wave Rock – near Hyden, Westerm Australia, a four-hour drive from Perth – is an unusual rock formation that is 15m high and stretches 110m. Wave Rock is a natural rock formation that is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. The "wave" is about 14 m (46 ft) high and around 110 m (360 ft) long....
In May 1999 eight victims were found encased in barrels inside a disused bank vault in the South Australian town of Snowtown. They had been de-fleshed and dismembered. The Snowtown murders (also known as the bodies-in-barrels murders) were a series of murders committed by John Bunting, Robert...
It's hard not to think of Australia when you hear the unique and somewhat mournful sound produced by a didgeridoo. The didgeridoo (also known as a didjeridu) is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia potentially within the last 1,500 years and still in...
The Gosford Hieroglyphs, or “Gosford Glyphs” for short, are a series of strange, deep-cut markings on a rock in Hunter Valley, New South Wales. The “Gosford Glyphs” are located near Kariong, about 60 km north of Sydney, Australia and since their discovery in the 1970s, this set of arguably...
No place in Australia can capture the imagination like The Nullarbor. An epic adventure across two states, renowned for desert solitude and the wild Southern Ocean Bunda Cliffs. In a country where we just don't do small, The Nullarbor Plain—also known as the Nullarbor Desert—manages to take it a...
The Platypus is one of Australia's, and the world's, most unique animals. It has webbed feet like a frog, a bill like a duck, venom like a snake, a tail like a beaver, fur like an otter and lays eggs like a bird. It is a uniquely Australian species. The combination of the duck bill, the flat...
'Yabbie' is the term for freshwater crustaceans found in dams in many places around Australia. Many young kids grew up catching them with a piece of string and some meat. In a few places they even race them. Read on to find out more... My favourite way of catchin' them when I was a kid was...
We all live on a street somewhere in Australia (except for the odd few) but do we really know what goes on in the 100 or so households around us? Aussies who live in a neighborhood of approximately 100 houses can expect the following; someone gets married every 9 months, there's 1 death...
The Staircase to the Moon is a natural spectacle that can be observed in Broome between March and October each year. This natural phenomenon is best seen from Roebuck Bay in Broome, when the full moon rises over the exposed mudflats at extremely low tide and creates a beautiful optical illusion...
The Port Arthur historic site, a former convict settlement, is one of Australia's most significant heritage areas and Tasmania's top tourist attraction. The World Heritage-listed Port Arthur Historic Site on the Tasman Peninsula is Australia's most intact and evocative convict site, and an...
Birdsville is a small town and locality in the Shire of Diamantina, Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, it had a population of 115. The town is located on land traditionally owned by the Wangkanguru People, in the Channel Country of Central West Queensland, Australia. It is 1,590...
Think of Australia and a boomerang may well come to mind as one of the country's most unique and distinctive emblems. In the shorthand of our memories the boomerang is as Australian as the kangaroo, koala or Vegemite. As such, no-one was surprised to see Australia's 2000 Olympics logo featuring...
The Umpherston Sinkhole (or the Sunken Garden) is one of the most spectacular gardens located in the Mount Gambier region. Thousands of years ago, Umpherston Sinkhole, also known as The Sunken Garden was a cave. Water eventually dissolved enough of the limestone to cause the ceiling of the cave...
Australia cannot lay claim to any great empires or epic conquests, but we do have one distinction that no other nation on Earth can boast: we are the only country in history to lose a war to birds - Emus to be specific! Australia's Emu War, also known as the Great Emu War, was a nuisance...
Oh yeah! if you were at school in the 60's then you'd know all about Choo Choo bars! Remember when, as a kid, you'd see other kids with a blue tongue, black teeth, and lips like they'd just passed A-grade in Goth school? If'n you do then you'd remember fangin' on a Choo Choo bar! The...
Crocodile Harry's Underground Nest is not listed on the tourism business council and is slightly difficult to get to because it’s so remote BUT… ... if you miss it, you’ll be kicking yourself! And here's why... In an entire town where the homes, businesses, and all other structures are dug...
With sharp teeth, long reaching hands and the desire to grab anybody foolish enough to visit the waters edge alone, the Bunyip is one of the few Aboriginal spirit creatures that has become part of everyday Australian Culture. Non-Aboriginal Australians have made various attempts to understand...
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is widely credited with the invention of wi-fi - albeit by accident! The Australian radio-astronomer Dr John O'Sullivan with his colleagues Terence Percival, Graham Daniels, Diet Ostry, John Deane developed a key patent...
Australia is known for it's amazing ocean wave surfers, but what about our sky surfers taking on the Morning Glory clouds. The Morning Glory cloud is a rare meteorological phenomenon consisting of a low-level atmospheric solitary wave and associated cloud, occasionally observed in different...
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world Viewing The Great Barrier Reef from a greater distance, you can understand why. It is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living thing on earth visible from space. One of Australia’s most remarkable natural...
The Devil’s Pool is a natural pool at the foot of three streams that run through the Babinda Boulders in Queensland. While it’s a beautiful destination for a hike, and swimming pools in the area are clear and inviting, swimming in the Devil’s Pool itself is a recipe for disaster — 17 people have...
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world Viewing The Great Barrier Reef from a greater distance, you can understand why. It is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living thing on earth visible from space. One of Australia’s most remarkable natural...
Droll and Witty Aussie Humour About 'Phoning Heaven' Jay, an American, was commissioned to write a book about famous churches around the world. Firstly, Jay bought a plane ticket and took a trip to Columbus, Ohio, USA, thinking that he would start by working his way across the USA from East to...
"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's best-known bush ballad, and has been described as the country's "unofficial national anthem" Waltzing Matilda is literally about a swagman who is discovered by some troopers with a stolen jumbuck (sheep), and who commits suicide by jumping into a billabong...
A common Australian Colloquialism (or is it British) is 'Don't get your knickers in a knot' But what does it mean? The freedictionary.com says this: to become very upset about something, usually something that is not important. Example: 'Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, let me...
Budgie Smugglers is an Australian slang term for men's tight-fitting Speedo-style swimmers. The 'lump in the front' apparently resembles a budgie when it is stuffed down the front of someone's shorts. Aussie men have been strutting the beaches in Speedos since Scottish migrant Alexander MacRae...
Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread, historically prepared by swagmen, drovers, stockmen and other travellers. It consists of a wheat flour based bread, baked in the coals of a campfire. Damper is one of Australia’s most iconic symbols of bush life. It was made famous by drovers,...
In 1998, a huge engraving of a Aboriginal warrior appeared in the Australian outback. It was 4km long, held a throwing stick, was bearded and had a penis which was estimated to be 200m in length. The markings appeared to have been made by a tractor pulling some sort of plough which created...
Australia is famous for its wildlife - kangaroos, koalas and numerous species of snakes and spiders - but it is also home to the world's largest herd of camels. It is now estimated that there are over a million camels roaming wild in the outback and they cause a host of problems. Australia is...
It would take 27 years to visit one new Aussie beach every day. Most of Australia's population lives close to the coastline, in fact 85% of Australia's population live no more than 50km (31 miles) from the ocean. As such, the beach has long occupied a special place in the Australian identity....
The Min Min lights are one of Australia’s greatest supernatural mysteries. A sign on the way into Boulia, Queensland reads: For the next 120km towards Winton you are in the land of the Min Min Light. This unsolved modern mystery is a light that at times follows travellers for long distances –...
Was the infamous bushranger Ned Kelly an outlaw or a hero? Edward "Ned" Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police murderer. Recognised as the last and most famous of the bushrangers, he is best-known for wearing a self-made...
Australia is renowned for it's snake population. But the slithery creatures don't seem to mind where they make their home. Imagine waking up during the night to go for that all important tinkle, and just before you sit down (or stand guys) you find there's no room in the loo because a serpent...
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, Australia. It is one of the 20th century's most famous and distinctive buildings. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the building was formally opened on 20 October 1973 after a gestation beginning with Utzon's 1957...
Vegemite is arguably THE one single iconic word that epitomizes Australian culture. Vegemite was invented in Melbourne in 1922 when Australian food manufacturer Fred Walker asked chemist CP Callister to create a product similar to British Marmite. Made from brewer’s yeast, Vegemite was...
Australia has over 20% of the worlds gaming machines, including poker machines. In Australia "poker machines" or "pokies" are officially termed Gaming Machines. Australian-style gaming machines frequently use video displays to simulate physical reels, usually five. These machines have additional...
Australian homeowners nickname a GIANT Huntsman arachnid Aragog after the giant spider from Harry Potter. A MASSIVE spider is on the loose in an Australian property after freaking out a couple and leaving them too scared to leave their home. The couple called the arachnid Aragog after the...
There could hardly be a more Southern Hemisphere expression than 'fair dinkum'. The phrase, which is hardly used outside Australia, conjures up images of horny-handed farm hands with corks on their hats. A 'fair-dinkum Aussie' is indeed what the locals call someone who embodies the nation's...
After their boat sinks, two Aussies are left floating around in their lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. All of a sudden one of them spots a funny looking bottle bobbing in the water and pulls it out. He sees something written on the bottle but can't quite read it so he gives it a bit of a...
Australia is known as 'the land Down Under' for its position in the southern hemisphere. The discovery of Australia began when European explorers searched for a land under the continent of Asia. Before Australia was discovered, it was known as Terra Australis Incognita the unknown southern land....
Hoopsnakes are dangerous snakes found in Australia. Commonly found in bushland and the outback, Hoopsnakes are NOT lethal, but are still dangerous when confronted. Although usually quite timid animals, Hoopsnakes have been known to chase down and attack animals and humans during their breeding...
This is just fresh in from one of my subscribers... Drop Bear Attack Survivor groups are up in arms over a local zoo's adoption of an orphaned Drop Bear cub. Drop Bear Attack Survivor groups are up in arms over a local zoo’s adoption of an orphaned Drop Bear cub. The razor-sharp-fanged,...
A man is swept out to to sea while fishing for crayfish off the rocks along the rugged, and extremely treacherous, west coast of Tasmania. Despite a number of searches by experienced locals, the man’s body is never recovered. Just over 12 months later, two fishermen make a startling discovery...
One of the most controversial cases in Australian history centred around a claim that a baby was taken by a dingo. While on vacation in the Australian outback, Seventh Day Adventist priest Michael Chamberlain and his wife, Lindy, discovered that their baby, Azaria, is missing from the tent where...
Rising out of the surrounding Central Australian desert, is one of Australia's most recognisable natural landmarks. The local Anangu, the Pitjantjatjara people, call the landmark Uluṟu. This word has no particular meaning in the Pitjantjatjara dialect, although it is used as a local family name...
Monty Kelly, a rich man who lived near Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia decided that he wanted to throw a party. So he invited his buddies including Darel, who lives in the same neighbourhood. The party was held around the pool in the backyard of Monty's mansion. Everyone was having a good...
A SNAKE eating an unfortunate kangaroo has brought cheer (or fear) to a dinner party in Katherine. Government worker Pravina de Beer was hosting a dinner party at her Uralla Rd home when some arriving guests told her of the live nature program happening on the road outside her home. “They...
How big is Australia? Many people don’t realize that Australia is really large, in-fact its about the same size as continental USA. For example, traveling from Sydney to Perth (East Coast to West Coast) is about the same as traveling from New York to Los Angeles. Its also worth noting that...
Out of the top 25 deadliest snakes in the world, 20 are found in Australia. WHEN IT COMES TO self-defence, Australia's snakes have things pretty well covered. We share our continent with about 170 species of land snakes, some equipped with venom more toxic than any other snakes in the world. ...
Who says Australia isn't multicultural? In a descriptive sense multicultural is simply a term which describes the cultural and ethnic diversity of contemporary Australia. We are, and will remain, a multicultural society. As a public policy multiculturalism encompasses government measures...
OK, this is for all of you that get jealous when us Aussie's talk about eating Kangaroo. So, I've decided to share my super-easy recipe for Peppered Kangaroo Pie. This recipe takes about 25 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes to cook and serves 4 people. Now, I know it'd be a bit hard for you to...
Who gives a crap?!! Chamindu Amarsinghe was cleaning toilets in the Channel Nine studios in Melbourne when he discovered a sanitary bin filled with $50 and $100 notes. "There was too much to count, I thought someone was playing a prank on me," said Mr Amarsinghe, who stumbled upon the loot in...
When I was a kid I loved to play rugby league football. I played it at school, after school, weekends and public holidays. It's a bit of a rough sport and apart from the occasional headband, players don't wear any sort of padding protection. This resulted in me receiving two broken arms, a...
Meet Blokeman!! No doubt most of you have heard the term 'Ocker'. Well an ocker is a kind of Australian equivalent to the American redneck. Wikipedia describes an Ocker as follows : The term "ocker" is used both as a noun and adjective for an Australian who speaks and acts in an uncultured...
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is an iconic Australian landmark. It is a steel ‘through arch’ bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore The bridge is the world’s largest (but not...
An overgrown Australian sheep affectionately named Chris has set a new unofficial world record following a hair cut from five shearers. Welfare crews warned it risked death because it was so woolly from living in the wild for several years. More than 40kg (88lb) of wool was removed in what...
Does your country have a Yowie? Well it seems most do! Whether its known as a Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti, or Abominable Snowman it seems that just about every continent has their own version of a giant, human-like, hairy, stinky creature. Yowie, - a common term derived from the Australian...
OK, so whaddatheymean when someone says "Don't come the raw prawn with me, mate"? Well, basically it means something like this: Don't try and put one over on me, mate! or Don't take me for a fool, mate or Don't bullshit me, mate! or Don't take the piss, mate or ...
A lot of people ask about our Kangaroos and whether or not they are dangerous. Well, this is an interesting question and open to all sorts of conjecture. The Australian government goes to great lengths in covering up incidents that even remotely look like a Kangaroo attack. Anyway, here's the...
Australia's first police force was a band of 12 of the most well behaved Convicts. The First Fleet arrived in New South Wales in January 1788, with a contingent of naval officers and men as well as their cargo of convicts. At first, the Marines of the Royal Navy were responsible for keeping law...
OK, today we're gonna have a little humour... Randy, a Texan rancher comes to Australia for a vacation. There he meets Glen, an Aussie farmer and the two get talking. The Aussie shows off his big wheat field and the Texan says, 'Well son, In the USA we have wheat fields that are at least twice...
Australia’s marine environment is home to many interesting animals, including some harmful jellyfish collectively known as marine stingers. These marine stingers are easy to avoid but can cause discomfort if you are stung, and some of the tropical species, such as the Irukandji and the Box...
Cassius, an Australian saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), is the largest crocodile in captivity at 5.48 m (17 ft 11.75 in). Cassius is a male saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's largest crocodile in captivity in 2011. The animal...
Australia's most famous drinking record was set by the legendary Australian Prime Minister Robert (Bob) Hawke in 1955. He drank 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds at University College, Oxford. Hawke recalls the incident as follows in The Hawke Memoirs (1994): "In more down-to-earth fashion I...
Australia's Kangaroo and Emu are rarely, if ever, seen to walk backwards. This is why they're on our Coat of Arms. Always forward - never backward - never give up!! The Australian Coat of Arms is the official symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia. King Edward VII granted the initial...
Kangaroo meat can be purchased from the supermarket, butcher and available on restaurant menus as a leaner and healthier alternative to beef or lamb with a 1-2 percent fat content. When it comes to good nutrition, kangaroo meat certainly gets the ‘thumbs up’. It’s a terrific source of...
The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence is a long fence that stretches from Jimbour on the Darling Downs near Dalby through thousands of kilometers of arid land ending west of Eyre peninsula on cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain. The fence was built in the early 1900's to keep dingoes or wild dogs out of the...
The largest cattle station in the world is Anna Creek Station in South Australia. The station (ranch) is almost 24,000 square kilometres in size. Anna Creek Station has an area of roughly 6,000,000 acres (24,000 km2; 9,400 sq mi) which is slightly larger than Israel. It is 1,977,000 acres (8,000...
OK, it seems I am pressured to give more information on the notorious Australian DropBear. Now, I don't purport to be an expert on Dropbears so you need to take the following information at face value. All I can say is that if you are going to visit the Australian Outback then 'Due Diligence'...