Australia Imported Cane Toads to Solve a Pest Problem and Created a Bigger One
AnimalsIn 1935, 102 cane toads were deliberately released in Queensland to control the cane beetle devastating sugar crops. The toads ignored the beetles and instead…
Australia Has More Wild Camels Than Saudi Arabia
AnimalsThe Australian Outback is home to approximately 300,000 feral dromedary camels, the largest population of wild one-humped camels in the world. They are…
Eucalyptus Trees Are So Oily They Can Explode During Bushfires
ScienceEucalyptus trees are packed with highly flammable volatile oils that evaporate in hot weather, forming a blue haze around the treetops and occasionally…
An Entire Town in South Australia Lives Underground to Escape the Heat
GeographyCoober Pedy in South Australia is the opal mining capital of the world, and the majority of its residents live in homes carved into the hillsides, called…
The Dingo Is Not Actually Native to Australia
AnimalsDespite being considered an iconic Australian animal, the dingo arrived on the continent only around 3,500 to 4,000 years ago, brought by seafarers from…
Melbourne Was Almost Named Batmania After Its Founding Settler
HistoryWhen John Batman arrived at Port Phillip Bay in 1835 and signed a dubious land deal with local Aboriginal people, the fledgling settlement was briefly and…
Exporting Merino Sheep from Spain Was Once Punishable by Death
HistoryFor several centuries, Spain maintained a royal monopoly on Merino sheep, the breed that would go on to underpin Australia wool industry. Exporting live Merino…
