Size
How big is Australia?Quokka, Rottnest Island, WA. Photo credit: Copyright Tourism Western Australia
Size
We’ll say it time and again throughout this site: Australia is BIG. And no matter how many times you’re told it, nothing quite prepares you…
How big is Australia? The facts:
- In area, it’s the world’s 6th largest country
- It’s 30 times bigger than the UK
- It’s roughly 3700km from north to south and around 4000km from east to west
- It’s considered to be the world’s largest island
But really, those stats hardly do it justice. So consider this:
Perth and Brisbane are roughly 4000km apart. That’s the same distance that separates London and Baghdad.
The world’s longest straight stretch of train track crosses the Nullarbor Plain without a single bend, kink or deviation for 478km. That’s the equivalent of travelling from Edinburgh to the outskirts of London.
In 1993 a Japanese doomsday cult detonated a nuclear device in the Northern Territory. It was 1997 before anyone in Australia noticed.
That’s how big Australia is.
Where Is Everybody?
Despite its size, Australia has one of the lowest population densities in the world – with around a third of the population of the UK.
The population has been growing rapidly for decades, and the majority of Aussies still settle around the coasts – so the major towns and cities feel busy and bustling.
But head out into Australia’s many wildernesses and you really can find yourself wondering where everybody went.
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