Among the huge variety of Australian inventions are the boomerang, cochlear implants, polymer banknotes and wi-fi technology.
Australian inventors also created the cochlear implant – or bionic ear, and the Gardasil and Cervarix vaccinations that protect against certain types of cancer-causing HPV. Australian scientist David Warren is best known for inventing the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, also known as "the black box."
1960 – Plastic spectacle lenses – The world's first plastic spectacle lenses, 60 per cent lighter than glass lenses, were designed by Scientific Optical Laboratories in Adelaide.
Starting from gemstones, Tim Tams to wine, Australia has much to offer to its visitors when it comes to shopping. People can purchase things like Opal gemstones, Kangaroo leather products, vegemite, tree tea oil, Australian wine, traditional arts and handicrafts and many more.
Some of Australia's world-changing inventions: plastic money, Google maps, latex gloves and the electric drill.
Australia has plentiful supplies of natural resources, including the second largest accessible reserves of iron ore in the world, the fifth largest reserves of coal and significant gas resources.
Australia is known for many things, including swathes of tropical beaches, marine reserves, Aboriginal culture, cute koalas, rolling wine country, and lush rainforests.
More than 80% of our plants, mammals, reptiles and frogs are unique to Australia and are found nowhere else in the world. Some of our Australian animals are very well known like kangaroos, dingos, wallabies and wombats and of course the koala, platypus and echidna.
Australia is globally famous for its natural wonders, wide-open spaces, beaches, deserts, "The Bush", and "The Outback". Australia is one of the world's most highly urbanised countries; it's well known for its attractive mega cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.
Also referred to as the bionic ear, the cochlear implant was invented at the University of Melbourne by Professor Graeme Clark in the 1970s. One of the earliest Australian inventions in Healthcare is a device that is implanted into the head to aid in hearing by electronically stimulating the auditory nerve.
Aboriginal adults made rattles, dolls, spinning tops, and balls for their children to play with, as well as small-scale, harmless models of tools and weapons. Children made toy propellers out of strips of long leaves, which they launched into the air in throwing competitions.
One of Australia's Finest Inventions
Although the process has been refined, and people no longer use ether as a refrigerant, Harrison's refrigeration system is still the blueprint for today's refrigerators. James Harrison has taken his place amongst the most significant scientific pioneers.
The Big Banana was the first Big Thing, built in 1964 in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, as a promotional sign for a banana stall. Now there are more than 150 Big Things in Australia.
After Dutch navigators charted the northern, western and southern coasts of Australia during the 17th Century this newly found continent became known as 'New Holland'. It was the English explorer Matthew Flinders who made the suggestion of the name we use today.
Chemist CP Callister invented Vegemite in Melbourne in 1923 when Australian food manufacturer Fred Walker asked him to create a spread similar to British Marmite.
Touch Football is one of the only sports that was invented in Australia. It's a sport that's been formally recognised for more than 50 years.
1. Chicken parmigiana. This classic Aussie chicken dish – with roots in Italian-American cooking – is a staple offering at many pub menus in the country. Whether you call it a parmi/parmy or a parma (but never a parmo), there's huge debate about where does the best parmigiana in Australia.
Roast lamb has been declared Australia's national dish in a major poll that shows we're still a country of meat eaters at heart. The poll, held on News Ltd websites across all mainland capitals, attracted more than 24,000 votes.
Among the native fruits, eleven prominent native species have been commercially produced in Australia including bush tomato, Davidson's plum, desert lime, finger lime, Kakadu plum, lemon aspen, muntries, quandong, Tasmanian pepper berry, and Illawarra plum.
Australia has some of the last great wilderness, with three million square kilometers (1.1 million square miles) largely unchanged by industrial civilization, a report for international conservation watchdogs the Pew Environment Group and Nature Conservancy said.
Living in Australia means encountering many opportunities; it is a young, multicultural and open country with an ever-growing economy. Australia's quality of life and unrivalled natural beauty make it the ideal destination for you if you have ever dreamed about improving your future.
Australia performs well in many dimensions of well-being relative to other countries in the Better Life Index. Australia outperforms the average in income, jobs, education, health, environmental quality, social connections, civic engagement and life satisfaction. These assessments are based on available selected data.