Celebrating Australia Day

Whether you’ve lived there, been there on a holiday or simply seen its beauty on the television, Australia is an amazing country. So much so, that every year on the 26^th January, a national public holiday is held in the country; known as Australia Day. It’s a day for all Australians to reflect on being Australian and also to celebrate Australia and its history.

We know we’re not in Australia, but if you want to get in the Australian spirit of things, we’ve pulled together some fascinating facts and some popular Aussie slang to prepare you for some Australian themed events in Birmingham!

Facts about Australia

• Australia is the only continent covered by a single country.
• Australia has one of the world’s lowest population densities – it’s size is only a bit smaller than the USA, yet the population is only around 23 million, as opposed to 313 million in the United States.
• The Great Barrier Reef is regarded as the world’s largest living organism and is often listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.
• Canberra was built specifically to be Australia’s capital city as both Sydney and Melbourne had reasons for being denied.
• Sydney is Australia’s largest city.
• The Box Jellyfish – which is found in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef – is responsible for more deaths than snakes, sharks and saltwater crocodiles combined.

Popular Aussie words & the meanings

• G’day – good morning or hello
• Arvo – afternoon
• Mate – friend
• Cheers – thank you
• She’ll be right – it will be OK
• Barbie – barbecue
• Mozzie – mosquito
• Thongs – flip flops
• Ta – thanks

So, now you know the facts and the lingo, it’s time to celebrate. And if you’re in Birmingham, there are a number of places you can go to celebrate Australia Day. From scouting out the Australian drinks in the Post Office Vault, to sausage sizzle and the Australian Open Tennis at ozzie-themed bar, Walkabout. Find out more about what’s on here.