Australia is hiding some incredible stories in plain sight. 🇦🇺 In this video, we uncover 8 fascinating Australia facts, strange pieces of Australian history and geography facts that most people never hear about — from lost land beneath the ocean to atomic testing, an erased town, ancient engineering and a huge Australian territory most maps leave off.

If you enjoy interesting facts about Australia, Australia geography, the history of Australia, unusual Australian stories and things you never knew about Australia, this video is packed with discoveries that sound made up — but are real.

We start with ancient Australia. Thousands of years ago, mainland Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea were connected as part of the larger landmass known as Sahul. Researchers have reconstructed a vast landscape off Australia’s north-west coast that is now underwater, and archaeologists have even found ancient Aboriginal stone tools on the seabed.

Then we head to Western Australia, where scientists discovered that what looked like separate patches of seagrass were actually one enormous genetic individual. The plant stretches for at least 180 kilometres and is believed to be at least 4,500 years old — making it the largest known plant on Earth.

We also look at one of the darkest chapters in Australian history: Britain’s nuclear testing program. Between 1952 and 1957, 12 major atomic devices were detonated on Australian soil and islands, including seven at Maralinga.

Underneath huge parts of inland Australia sits another hidden giant — the Great Artesian Basin. It stretches beneath almost 1.7 million square kilometres and holds an estimated 65 million gigalitres of groundwater, enough to fill Sydney Harbour around 130,000 times.

And then there is Wittenoom.

Once a real mining town in Western Australia, Wittenoom became so contaminated by blue asbestos that the government eventually abolished its townsite status, removed its name from official maps and road signs, and closed the area. The final resident left in 2022.

We also explore Budj Bim in Victoria — an Aboriginal aquaculture and engineering system created and managed by the Gunditjmara people for at least 6,600 years. Its channels, weirs, dams and holding ponds were used to manage and harvest short-finned eels, and the landscape is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

And finally, we reveal the enormous part of Australia that most everyday maps leave off.

Australia claims the Australian Antarctic Territory — almost 5.9 million square kilometres, around 42% of Antarctica and nearly 80% the size of mainland Australia. Australia maintains the claim under the Antarctic Treaty system, although Antarctic territorial claims are not universally recognised.

🇦🇺 IN THIS VIDEO:

• Australia facts that sound unbelievable
• Interesting facts about Australia
• Australia geography and hidden landscapes
• Ancient Australia and Sahul
• The largest known plant on Earth
• British atomic testing in Australia
• Maralinga nuclear tests
• Great Artesian Basin
• Wittenoom asbestos ghost town
• Budj Bim ancient Aboriginal engineering
• Australian Antarctic Territory
• Hidden Australian history
• Geography facts about Australia

Some of Australia’s biggest stories are not in the places most tourists see. They are underwater, underground, hidden in remote parts of the country, buried in history — or missing from the maps we normally look at.

So which Australian fact surprised you the most?

And if you know another strange, forgotten or unbelievable Australia fact we should investigate, leave it in the comments. It may end up in a future video.

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