WINE CHATS: Fun facts about Australia you didn’t know

Did you know that Australia has snowy Alps and that we have the world’s longest golf course? Yeah, no, we totally knew that too…

This week on the Nightly edition of Wine Chats, we’re celebrating the Olympics by cracking open a tiny bottle of Eight at the Gate Sparkling Shiraz, giving you some fun facts about Australia and embarrassing ourselves with how little we actually know about the place we call home.

Snowy Alps and the cleanest air

Billi: All right, Linny, tell us some interesting facts about Australia.

Lyndsey: I don’t know if they’re going to be interesting, but they’re facts about Australia. Okay?

Billi: Okay. Sell it to us in an interesting way. Let’s go.

Lyndsey: Okay. Number one, the Australian Alps get more snow than the Swiss Alps. That is interesting.

Billi: That’s a lie.

Lyndsey: Oh, is it?

Billi: I don’t know. That sounds really wrong. Like, A, does Australia have the Alps? And B, are the Alps just big mountains?

Lyndsey: I literally just spat, I don’t know if that is the bubble wine or your stupidity.

Billi: And they have more snow? Where? I want to see the Alps. Because in Queensland it’s very hot and very steamy.

Next fact, 90 per cent of Australians live on the coast. Well, yeah, that’s fair.

Lyndsey: We’re an island.

Billi: It’s also hot inside the island. Is that what the Alps are? In the middle somewhere?

Lyndsey: No. Oh my God.

Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.

Billi: That is interesting. And I would love to go to Tasmania. It just sounds like the most beautiful place. Have you been to Tasmania?

Lyndsey: Yes, I have.

Billi: I just would love to go. I hear they have great wine, great food, great air. Just breathe deep. And I like breathing, you know.

Lyndsey: Billi, can you just read…

Billi: The Great Barrier Reef is the largest ecosystem in the world. It is made up of nearly 3000 individual reefs and can be seen from space. How do you see a reef from space? Like, what would you see?

An ocean with bits and bobs in it? I have so many questions today. Lyndsey is not getting tired of me at all.

Lyndsey: Australia has over 60 separate wine regions. Oh my God.

Billi: Cheers to that! But that doesn’t surprise me. We do seem to like our wine and we do seem to produce a lot of it. Okay. Fraser Island in Queensland, Hey Queensland!

Lyndsey: K’gari.

Billi: Yes, very good. K’gari, is the largest sand island in the world.

Lyndsey: Everybody knew that.

Billi: I didn’t know that! That’s amazing. So many world firsts.

Lyndsey: Oh God, help this girl. How long have you lived in Australia?

Billi: 24 years. And nobody’s told me once that K’gari is the largest sand island or that we have Alps or that Tasmania has really fresh air.

I’m learning so much. Go on.

Lyndsey: The Indian Pacific train... I’ve never heard of this train. So there, I’m in your boat. Has the longest straight section of train track in the world. Huh.

Billi: Okay, the Great Ocean Road, which we also assume is somewhere in Australia, is the world’s largest war memorial.

Lyndsey: I know the Great Ocean Road, but why is it a war memorial? We’re very intelligent people outside of this list.

Billi: I know, it just proves how dumb we are, no offence to us.

Lyndsey: Hush now with your harsh words.

Billi: Go on, blonde one.

Lyndsey: 80 per cent of Australian animals are unique to Australia.

Billi: That’s pretty cool. Koalas, kangaroos, spiders, lots of spiders, so many spiders, a bunch of snakes.

Australia has the world’s longest golf course. Measuring more than 1,350 kilometres long. I can’t even picture that. It’s like a city. It’s like a small city.

Venomous animals and thousands of beaches

Lyndsey: Okay, Australia is home to 21 of the world’s 25 most venomous…? Snakes or spiders, what do you think it is?

Billi: Snakes.

Lyndsey: Snakes.

Billi: Uh, okay. It would take around 29 years to visit one new Aussie beach every day because there are over 10,000 of them or 10,685 to be exact.

Lyndsey: I mean, again, we’re an island, right?

Billi: I went to Perth just recently and it’s all a beach. It’s just one giant beach. So like, does that count as one beach or does that count as 30,000 different beaches? Do you know what I’m saying?

Please come back next week. If this is your first time watching us, there are occasions we sound kind of smart. Today’s not one of them.

Lyndsey: Australia is the sixth largest country in the world.

Billi: Yeah. Makes sense. Because we’re huge, I’ll take that. And 91 per cent of our country is covered by native vegetation.

That’s because, again, there’s nothing in the middle. There’s, I mean, there’s stuff in the middle, but it’s very hot and it’s probably just lots of vegetation in there.

Lyndsey: 33 per cent of Australians were born in another country.

Billi: Both of us. 100 per cent in here, right?

Lyndsey: That doesn’t surprise me. That would make some people very angry, to be honest. We’re not going to get into that topic.

Billi: No. And especially with the Olympics, we’re welcoming all and wishing them all the best during their…

Lyndsey: What does that have to do with that?

Billi: I don’t know, I just feel the Olympics is such a special time. It’s a time when the world comes together. So all Australians should unite.

Anyway, Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano.

Lyndsey: Wow. I’ve never even thought about that. No, we don’t have any volcanoes do we?

Billi: New Zealand has some. They’re our cousins. Does that count?

Lyndsey: I don’t think so.

Billi: Okay, well then we have none.

The Australian dollar is considered to be the most advanced currency in the world. It’s waterproof, made of polymer and notoriously hard to counterfeit. I love that our money is plastic because how many times do you put money through the wash?

Lyndsey: Seriously. Not very often, but like when it happens, it’s great. You can’t ruin it.

Australia is the only continent covered by a single country.

Billi: I’ve thought about that before, that Australia is a continent and a country. Just a thought.

Okay, the world’s oldest fossil was discovered in Australia, 3.4 billion years old.

Lyndsey: I cannot comprehend that. It’s actually just too long.

Okay. Last one. Speaking of too long, Australia is home to more than 1,500 species of spiders.

Billi: Oh, that’s messed up.

Lyndsey: They had to be on the list.

Billi: Spiders and snakes. Koalas and kangaroos. And Alps.

That’s a wrap

We’ve learned so much today and we hope that this has been as educational for you as it has been for us. We’re slightly embarrassed at our lack of Australian knowledge but we sure hope you find your way back to us so we can learn more new things together.

Have a wonderful weekend and catch you back here next Friday, here at our home on The Nightly.