military coup later known as the Rum Rebellion.

The city's boozy past can be soaked up via a four-hour walking tour of the historic Rocks area with Sydney Urban Adventures ($137 per person).

8. Only 20 of its snakes will kill you

The Australia eastern brown snake has enough venom to kill 20 adults with a single bite. WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images

Most Aussies are proud of their killer wildlife.

The country has 140 snake species and more of the venomous variety than any other continent.

In fact, 20 of the world's 25 deadliest snakes are found slithering here, including the entire top 10.

They're not all nasty. Snakes are naturally shy and would rather not come across humans.

Just north of Sydney, the Australian Reptile Park has a milking program for its 200 venomous snakes.

It alsohosts hands-on wildlife shows.

9. Coast-to-coast takes four days by rail

Everyone knows Australia is a big place, but its size truly hits home on a trip from one side to the other.

In 1912, work began on the Trans-Australian Railway to link Perth on the west coast with the eastern states.

The first section built across the treeless Nullarbor Plain includes the longest stretch (478 kilometers/297 miles) of straight track in the world.

Today, two iconic passenger trains use the line: the Indian Pacific trundles the 4,352 kilometers from Sydney and Perth in four days, while the Ghan takes three days to travel 2,979 kilometers from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south.

10. Burgers come with beets

In Australia, beets on a burger are a given.

There are fancy burgers with goat