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- Jan 29, 2010
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so I was reading the news this morning and came across an interesting story about little known Aussie Facts, I reporduce them here for the benifit of my international friends, I have taken the liberty of providing some clarifications/comments as I saw fit 
1. There are around 75.5 million sheep and 60 million kangaroos in Australia. Thats 3.3 times as many sheep as there are people (no jokes, that is New Zealanders you are thinking of).
2. The largest property in Australia is bigger than Israel. Anna Creek Station in South Australia covers almost 24,000 square kilometres, making it the largest cattle station in the world
.
3. Australians eat 270 million pies per year (the jury is generally out as to what the meat in the pies is).
4. From 1828 to 1902 it was illegal to swim at a beach during daylight hours until a swimmer at Manly Beach defied the law paving the way for our favourite national pastime (I think it is still illegal for me to wear my Budgie Smugglers there though).
5. We have 20 per cent of the worlds poker machines (slot machines for you folks more acquainted with Vegas) but only 0.33 per cent of the worlds population.
6. In the 1880s Melbourne was one of the richest cities in the world due to its commercial production of gold. It was also the centre for the rich mining and agricultural colonies.
7. The AFL (aerial ping pong as those of us from states who dont follow this code refer to it) was originally started as a way to keep cricketers fit in the off-season and has now developed into our biggest national footy (in the great Australian tradition of shortening and adding y to the end of everything this means football) code.
8. Australias feral camel problem has been given a helping hand by Saudi Arabia who now import our camels for meat and milk production (so many things I could say, ship of the desert and all that but I will stop now).
9. There are more than 10,000 beaches in Australia. Visiting a new one every day would take you around 27 years (I think there are one or two where I may be allowed to wear my Budgie Smugglers but they are out of the way).
10. The biggest electorate in Australia is Durack in Western Australia. Stretching 2,905 kilometres and covering almost 1.6 million square kilometres its like driving from London to Istanbul (tehre are only five or six people who live here though).
11. The kangaroo and emu were chosen for our coat of arms as neither of them can walk backwards, symbolising a nation that moves forward. We are also one of the few countries to actually eat their coat of arms (what .??? I should not have roasted that Bald Eagle ??).
12. The 2010 Australian election television debate between Gillard (Prime Minister at the time) and Abbott (really really really wanted to be Prime Minister) had to be rescheduled so that it didnt conflict with the finale of hugely popular reality cooking show Masterchef.
1. There are around 75.5 million sheep and 60 million kangaroos in Australia. Thats 3.3 times as many sheep as there are people (no jokes, that is New Zealanders you are thinking of).
2. The largest property in Australia is bigger than Israel. Anna Creek Station in South Australia covers almost 24,000 square kilometres, making it the largest cattle station in the world
.
3. Australians eat 270 million pies per year (the jury is generally out as to what the meat in the pies is).
4. From 1828 to 1902 it was illegal to swim at a beach during daylight hours until a swimmer at Manly Beach defied the law paving the way for our favourite national pastime (I think it is still illegal for me to wear my Budgie Smugglers there though).
5. We have 20 per cent of the worlds poker machines (slot machines for you folks more acquainted with Vegas) but only 0.33 per cent of the worlds population.
6. In the 1880s Melbourne was one of the richest cities in the world due to its commercial production of gold. It was also the centre for the rich mining and agricultural colonies.
7. The AFL (aerial ping pong as those of us from states who dont follow this code refer to it) was originally started as a way to keep cricketers fit in the off-season and has now developed into our biggest national footy (in the great Australian tradition of shortening and adding y to the end of everything this means football) code.
8. Australias feral camel problem has been given a helping hand by Saudi Arabia who now import our camels for meat and milk production (so many things I could say, ship of the desert and all that but I will stop now).
9. There are more than 10,000 beaches in Australia. Visiting a new one every day would take you around 27 years (I think there are one or two where I may be allowed to wear my Budgie Smugglers but they are out of the way).
10. The biggest electorate in Australia is Durack in Western Australia. Stretching 2,905 kilometres and covering almost 1.6 million square kilometres its like driving from London to Istanbul (tehre are only five or six people who live here though).
11. The kangaroo and emu were chosen for our coat of arms as neither of them can walk backwards, symbolising a nation that moves forward. We are also one of the few countries to actually eat their coat of arms (what .??? I should not have roasted that Bald Eagle ??).
12. The 2010 Australian election television debate between Gillard (Prime Minister at the time) and Abbott (really really really wanted to be Prime Minister) had to be rescheduled so that it didnt conflict with the finale of hugely popular reality cooking show Masterchef.
....However you failed to mention anything about your BEERS...I'm kinda old skool so I would vote VB (Victoria Bitters)!!!
That was the funniest thing I have read in awhile!!! Thanks Rob!
