could double in a decade if left unchecked. This has prompted the government to adopt a controversial culling program.

One place camels are welcome is the Northern Territory town of Alice Springs. Every July, the unpredictable beasts take center stage at the self-dubbed "temperamental, terribly unpredictable, very entertaining" Lasseters Camel Cup

3. Aussies love to gamble

Melbourne Cup day is a public holiday in Victoria. cameron spencer/getty image

Australians are one of the world's biggest gamblers per capita, spending $1,314 each in 2012, according to H2 Gambling Capital.

Slot machines -- "pokies" in the local vernacular -- are the nation's favorite bet, especially in New South Wales.

The state has 100,000 slots in pubs and clubs, while Sydney is set to become the gambling capital when a second casino opens in 2019.

But it's Victoriathat pulls in the punters. Each November, the Melbourne Cup horse race stops the nation. It's so big it's a public holiday in the southern state.

4. They invented Wi-Fi

Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, claims to have invented the wireless LAN technology that's the basis of Wi-Fi.

Not everyone agrees, but it's got a patent to prove it.

The agency has sued companies using the technology without a license -- its 20-year patent expires next month.

It's not the first time the CSIRO has claimed a place in history.

In July 1969, its 64-meter (209-foot) radio telescope in Parkes received television signals that allowed 600 million people to watch Neil Armstrong's moonwalk live.

The observatory, affectionately known as "The Dish," is open to visitors in the NSW country town that's also home to an