18 Facts About Australia That You Can Take To Your Aussie Day BBQ

Ah Australia...  How we love you!

From some of the world's most beautiful beaches, to some of the most liveable cities in the world.  We really are lucky to live in such an amazing country.

And what better way to show our love this Australia Day than with some facts that you may or may not know.

If anything, these are the perfect accompaniment to your sangas and beers.

Happy Straya Day!

1. Australia's first police force was a band of 12 of the most well behaved convicts.

2. The 'dingo fence' in Australia is the longest fence in the world (5,530km) – about twice as long as the Great Wall of China.

3. 0.02% of the Australian land mass is used by mines. More land is occupied by pubs.

4. In 1954, Bob Hawke was immortalised by the Guinness Book of Records for drinking 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Bob later became the Prime Minister of Australia.

5. The Australian Coat Of Arms has a kangaroo and an emu on it. The reason being, kangaroos and emus can’t go backwards, they can only walk/hop forward.

6. Australians eat the animals on their Coat of Arms – maybe because they can’t run backwards – as do 20 other nations.

7. The world’s longest mail run is from Cairns to Cape York. In one day, Postman Barry flies 1,450km in nine hours with 10 stops.

8. Australia is the only continent on Earth occupied by one nation.

9. The country’s largest cattle ranch is 34,000 square km. Bigger than Belgium and almost as big as Taiwan.

10. Australia’s first ever political party meeting was held under a gum tree.

11. Koalas sleep for 18 hours meaning that over an average ten year lifespan, they are only awake for 2 ½ years.

12. When the English first saw a platypus they thought Australians were playing a joke on them by sewing a duck bill on a rat.

13. Amongst Australia’s most prolific inventions are the half-car-half-truck utility vehicle, (known as a ‘ute’), bionic ear, black box flight recorder, clothes line, notepad and stubby holder (used to keep beer cold).

14. Australians eat 260 million meat pies every year, around 12 per head.

15. Australian town and suburb names include Humpybong, Woolloomooloo, No Where Else, End Of The World, Mount Buggery and Ozenkadnook, which means ‘very fat kangaroo” in the local Aboriginal dialect.

16. Australia’s Snowy Mountains receive more snow than Switzerland.

17. There are four types of boomerang – the "hook", the "hunter", "the club", "the V". Only The Hunter will come back when thrown.

18. In 1838 it was declared illegal to swim at public beaches during the day. This law was enforced until 1902.

We'll be sounding like an Aussie Genius busting these out at our Australia One Dayer

Triple M and our mates John Boston are putting on the biggest Australia Day Party around. BBQ. Bands... and a floating cricket pitch in the middle of Sydney Harbour. Click here for details