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10 facts you didn't know about Australia!

Australia is gearing up to be the hottest gap year destination this year so we thought we'd check out some weird and wonderful facts about Oz. For example, did you know that Australia’s dingo fence is almost double the length of China’s Great Wall?

1. 20 million people. 150 million sheep. Fact.

2. Chilling out with a coffee is an easy must-do in Perth – after all it has more cafés per capita than any other city in the world.

3. The most famous Australian inventions include the ultrasound, Vegemite, the tank, football, the refrigerator AND the pre-paid postage.

4. It may be sunnier Down Under than in the UK but the Australian Alps get more snow than Switzerland.

5. Bob Hawke set a world record in 1954 for downing 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. 29 years later he became the Prime Minister of Australia.

6. Australians love other nationalities - almost a quarter of their residents were born abroad.

7. Feeling stressed out? Play a didgeridoo! They apparently relieve stress, reduce snoring and improve circulation. It is sometimes even played as background music in doctors’ surgeries.

8. Did you know that the Great Barrier Reef has a mailbox? If you’re willing to take a ferry out there, you can send a postcard to your family and get the exclusive stamp!

9. The Aussie vs Kiwi rivalry is affectionate, but real. In 2006, an Australian man tried to sell New Zealand on eBay. Bids got to $3,000 before eBay took it down.

10. Because Melbourne and Sydney could not agree on which city should be the capital of Australia, it was decided that neither of them should be, and so a new capital called Canberra would be built in the middle. Decided over a beer. Probably.

Want to see it for yourself? Check out Work Australia, our ultimate working holiday support package for your gap year and give us a shout if you have any questions.

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