Natalia Babinska
Warsaw School of Economics, Poland
Living in Australia you learn something new every single day. You meet new people from different parts of the world, you get to know about their lives and culture. While interacting with Aussies, though, you face some surprising habits and facts. Here are my favourites.
Australians love gambling. An average Aussie spends more money on gambling than any other person of different nationality. Ironically enough, there is more gambling machines in Australia than in Las Vegas and during national holiday, on Anzac Day, it’s even legal to gamble on the street. Gambling is also popular among the Youth, my Aussie cousin’s favourite game is called “the odds”. What you do is to bet on the activity you don’t really want to do. If you lose, there is no way back.
Emus and kangaroos can’t walk backwards. It’s not a coincidence that those idolised animals are present on the Australian coat of arms – they symbolise a country that will not take a backward step. What’s more Australians are the only people to eat the animals on their coat of arms.
There are 3.3 times more sheep than people. Lamb is way more popular to eat than in Europe. A very typical Australian dish is a lamb roast for Sunday dinner.
If you’re planning to come to Australia you have to brace yourself for constant company of cockroaches. At first I was terrified of them, but now they are my best friends.
Once, an Australian election TV debate was rescheduled so it didn't conflict with the finale of the reality cooking show MasterChef – Aussies just love MasterChef!
A kangaroo is only 1 cm long when it is born
An Australian man once tried to sell New Zealand on eBay
There have been no deaths in Australia from a spider bite since 1979
70 tourists overstay their visas each week, which I can completely understand as the country is beautiful and people are friendly and kind. They are always ready for a chat. I still cannot believe that I’m surfing while it’s snowing in my home country of Poland.
Do you know any more facts about Australia? Let us know in the comments below!