Aussie Tug of War
During Easter, Wooli hosts the Australian Goanna Pulling Championships. Participants engage in a cranial tug-of-war while squatting on all fours, fastening leather harnesses to their heads—completely avoiding ripping apart the namesake creature. This sport enjoyed immense popularity in the 19th century but eventually lost its appeal to activities like sheep worrying and dunny dodging.
Note: If “goanna” or “dunny” are terms unfamiliar to you, you’ve yet to truly experience life in Oz.
Patents
Among the remarkable inventions from Australia are the half-car-half-truck utility vehicle, affectionately called a ‘ute’ (every ‘bloke’ ought to have one), the bionic ear, the black box flight recorder, the notepad, and my personal favorite, the wine cask (may The Almighty forever bless this genius).
Food
Australia’s love for meat pies is nothing short of legendary; a staggering 260 million meat pies are consumed annually, averaging about 13 for every citizen.
The Cane Toad
Several nicknames exist for Queenslanders, but one of the most peculiar is ‘cane toad’, named after the amphibians that were brought to Australia in 1935 in an effort to manage the native cane beetle population.
These toads are not particularly attractive and have proven to be entirely ineffective, as they ignored the target cane grub and instead concentrated on breeding.
From an initial count of merely 101 toads, the population has exploded to over 200 million of these long-legged beings hopping around Australia—an invasion that has negatively impacted native snake and goanna lizard populations.
The situation has escalated to such a degree that a millionaire pub owner initiated a bounty offering beer for bags of toads, receiving backing even from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
However, not everyone has disdain for them; Queensland’s representative rugby league team has adopted the cane toad as their unofficial mascot, and they have even been recognized by the National Trust of Queensland as an iconic state symbol, warts and all.
The Zoo
Even if zoos aren’t your usual pastime, a visit to Australia Zoo is a must.
This isn’t your average zoo experience—animals roam freely in semi-natural habitats spread across vast acres, many of which visitors can walk through directly.
The late Steve Irwin dedicated his life’s work and great passion to this zoo.
Proceeds from the zoo contribute to endangered species conservation and support an on-site wildlife hospital.
Just be cautious as you stroll through the crocodile enclosure…
