15. Twenty-four rabbits released in Victoria in 1859 grew to a population of 10 billion in less than 70 years
csiro.au
16. Built to keep Australia’s native dog away from sheep, the 5,500-kilometre Dingo Fence is the longest fence on Earth.
Roman Dzioba / Via tgjc.blogspot.com.au
17. In World War II, a kelpie dog named Gunner had hearing so acute he could warn air force personnel of incoming Japanese planes 20 minutes before they arrived.
awm.gov.au
18. Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming in 1967 and was never found. Australia named a swimming pool after him.
The Australian / Via trove.nla.gov.au
19. In 1970 a dispute between a farming family and the government led to the family declaring independence and creating the Principality of Hutt River.
hutt-river-province.com
20. When Burger King arrived in Australia in 1971 it was forced to change its name to Hungry Jack’sbecause a takeaway joint in Adelaide had already trademarked the name.
hungryjacks.com.au
Source: Where’s the Beef? Why Burger King Is Hungry Jack’s in Australia and Other Complications in Building a Global Franchise Brand”, Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business, 2008
21. When the Skylab space station crashed near Esperance, Western Australia, in 1979, the town’s council issued NASA a $400 fine for littering, which was never paid.
Science & Society Picture / Getty Images
22. In 1979 police battled 4,000 rioters in Newcastleangry at the closure of the city’s Star Hotel pub.
Lion
Newcastle Morning Herald
23. Weird Al Yankovic’s “Eat It” hit the top of Australia’s charts in 1984, while Michael Jackson’s original “Beat It” only reached No. 3.
“Weird Al” Yankovic / Scotti Brothers Records
24. In 1992 media tycoon Kerry Packer cancelled new show Australia’s Naughtiest Home Videos half an hour into its first episode, demanding, “Get this shit off my station!”
Nine Network
Nine Network
25. Issued as Australian legal tender, the most valuable coin in the world is a $1 million coin made by Perth Mint, which weights one tonne and is 99.99% pure gold. It is actually worth almost $52 million ($40.8 million USD).
perthmint.com.au
26. The last 24 members of a species of giant stick insect were found under a bush on Ball’s Pyramid off Lord Howe Island in 2001, 80 years after the last sighting.
Facebook: johnwhite.com.au
27. The size of a human hand, the bugs are known as “tree lobsters” because of their hard exoskeleton.
Rod Morris / Via npr.org
28. In 2012 an episode of Peppa Pig was deemed unsuitable for broadcast in Australia because it said that spiders were not to be feared.
Peppa Pig / ABC
29. While Australia has the world’s most venomous spiders, there have been actually been zero spider bite-related fatalities since 1979.
Michael Doe / Flickr: mickdoe
30. Australia’s yellow-bellied three-toed skink is currently evolving from egg laying to live births.
Rebecca A. Pyles / Via news.nationalgeographic.com
31. Australia has an owl so large it hunts and eats possums, and is called the powerful owl.
Duncan Fraser / Via Twitter: @katharinetace
32. Australia’s second most dangerous creature is the European honey bee, which 1–2% of the population is allergic to. It kills more people than sharks on average.
Graham Wise / Creative Commons / Flickr: 108308648@N03
33. There is a place in Western Australia where space is closer than the nearest town.
