# Fun facts about Australia **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 6, 2011, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252 "2011-12-06T09:57:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GovernmentMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GovernmentMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GovernmentMan)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/1 "2011-12-06T09:57:29Z")
Australia holds an estimated 40% of the world’s uranium The world’s longest earthworm, stretching up to 4 metres, is found in Gippsland in Victoria The average Australian will consume 3,165,000 eggs in his or her lifetime. 1/5 of Australia is desert Australia was the first country to elect an African-American president In 1954 Bob Hawke made it into the Guinness Record Book: he sculled 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Bob Hawke went on to become the Prime Minister of Australia. Uluru is the world’s biggest rock. However it is completely empty on the inside. There is a mailbox located on the Great Barrier Reef One town in Australia, Coober Pedy, produces 95 per cent of the world’s opals post some fun facts about your own country ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/2 "2011-12-06T10:02:51Z")
My country is the US. While there’s got to be a boatload of fun facts, I don’t have any to hand. Actually, what I’d really like to do is react to yours. To whit: Huh. Ick. Well, then. Oh, okay. No kidding. Impressive. Empty? Really? Wow. I didn’t know that. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/3 "2011-12-06T10:05:28Z")
Most of those are at least credible, but: > [@GovernmentMan](#): > > The average Australian will consume 3,165,000 eggs in his or her lifetime. If an average life is 80 years, that 40,000 eggs per year, or 100 eggs per day. That’s not credible. > [@GovernmentMan](#): > > Australia was the first country to elect an African-American president (1) Australia doesn’t have a president. (2) If it did have one, an African American – or indeed any American – would not be eligible to be elected. (3) I don’t think there have been any prominent politicians in Australia of African descent. > [@GovernmentMan](#): > > Uluru is the world’s biggest rock. However it is completely empty on the inside. If a rock of that size were empty on the inside, it would collapse, creating lots of middle-sized rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/4 "2011-12-06T10:16:52Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > (2) If it did have one, an African American – or indeed any American – would not be eligible to be elected. Says who? Just because the US President has to be a natural born citizen does not mean the hypothetical Australian Presidency would have the same requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/5 "2011-12-06T10:31:04Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Says who? Just because the US President has to be a natural born citizen does not mean the hypothetical Australian Presidency would have the same requirement. No, you don’t need to be a natural born citizen. The current Prime Minister was born in Wales, and so was not born an Australian citizen. At some time she would have been naturalised, and before she became a member of parliament she would have had to renounce her UK citizenship. I’m assuming that an Australian President would have similar requirements to those for an Australian federal member of parliament. (So, if Barack Obama decided to migrate to Australia, and became naturalised and renounced his US citizenship, he could be elected as Prime Minister. However, he would no longer be an African American.) ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/6 "2011-12-06T11:39:58Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > (So, if Barack Obama decided to migrate to Australia, and became naturalised and renounced his US citizenship, he could be elected as Prime Minister. However, he would no longer be an African American.) Y’all can have him! ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/7 "2011-12-06T11:51:57Z")
A list of the non-dangerous Australian animals: 1. Some of the Koalas\* - = see Dropbear ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/8 "2011-12-06T12:39:57Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > If an average life is 80 years, that 40,000 eggs per year, or 100 eggs per day. That’s not credible. It doesn’t specify what types of eggs… ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/9 "2011-12-06T17:27:50Z")
More fun facts: In Australia, boomerangs return to you in a clockwise direction, rather than the counter-clockwise direction they travel in the Northern Hemisphere. The Australian bureau of commerce has decreed that a cutting implement shorter than 14 cm is not a knife; sharp edged tools must be longer than 14 cm in order for their packaging to label them as “knives”. All kangaroos are Jewish. This is why Mel Gibson left. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/10 "2011-12-06T17:33:40Z")
> [@GovernmentMan](#): > > 1/5 of Australia is desert But Down Under, a “4” is spelled “1”, so that’s 4/5 to the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/11 "2011-12-06T17:37:08Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > If an average life is 80 years, that 40,000 eggs per year, or 100 eggs per day. That’s not credible. Caviar? ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/12 "2011-12-06T17:55:51Z")
Is it true that every single form of animal life on the continent (and surrounding waters) of Australia can (and wants to) kill you? ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/13 "2011-12-06T21:00:44Z")
> [@Labtrash](#): > > Is it true that every single form of animal life on the continent (and surrounding waters) of Australia can (and wants to) kill you? I went to Australia last month, and you could pet the kangaroos and the wombats and the koalas. And now, I use… - dramatically pulls out hooks for hands \* THESE! ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/14 "2011-12-06T21:12:49Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Caviar? Bug eggs in the vegemite? ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/15 "2011-12-06T21:15:17Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > The Australian bureau of commerce has decreed that a cutting implement shorter than 14 cm is not a knife; sharp edged tools must be longer than 14 cm in order for their packaging to label them as “knives”. And in all seriousness, in Victoria it is illegal to sell knives to anyone under 18 years of age. It was decided that it’s too difficult for the law to specify which knives are ok (butter knives, plastic picnic knives) so the law applies to **all** knives. We received training on this at work when the law came into effect because we sell craft knives (the scalpel type blades with a handle) and the aforementioned plastic picnicware. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/16 "2011-12-06T21:17:34Z")
I was thinking [pinworms](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinworms) maybe, they can lay over 10,000 eggs at a time. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/17 "2011-12-06T21:32:21Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > However, he would no longer be an African American.) What makes you think this? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/18 "2011-12-06T21:39:20Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > What makes you think this? Because implicit in being African American is being a US citizen – just as you must be a US citizen to be Italian American, Chinese American, etc. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/19 "2011-12-06T21:40:29Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > And in all seriousness, in Victoria it is illegal to sell knives to anyone under 18 years of age. It was decided that it’s too difficult for the law to specify which knives are ok (butter knives, plastic picnic knives) so the law applies to **all** knives. We received training on this at work when the law came into effect because we sell craft knives (the scalpel type blades with a handle) and the aforementioned plastic picnicware. So at fast-food restaurants and cafeterias are they allowed to put out plastic knives because they aren’t really selling them or do you have to get by with a spork? ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252/20 "2011-12-06T21:46:38Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > What makes you think this? :smack: Because, while anyone with African descent might always be African-something… once a person becomes a naturalized citizen of another country, they can no longer be African-_American_. If the person was born in Australia but has African heritage, you _do_ understand why you can’t describe that person as an African-American, right? That person is African-_Australian_. I saw on this board once someone suggesting that Charlize Theron is an African-American. No. She’s _African_. There’s no _American_ in there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-facts-about-australia/605252.md?page=2)