American reacts to Why 95% of Australia is Empty 

To answer your question : 'What if you break down?' This is why we take road trips very seriously. You make sure your car is running well, spare tires, fuel, water and food. First aide kit, map etc. You never take a road trip unprepared especially not if you are going bush.

I found this interesting and I live in Australia. Learnt more watching this then all my years in geography class 😅

I live in Darwin and I’d say a major reason why we are the smallest capital city in Australia is the heat. Yes, we get a lot of rain during the wet season, but it is also the hottest part of the year. The rain doesn’t always cool the temp down either. Oftentimes, after a large storm, the air becomes extremely muggy and uncomfortable. It’s not uncommon to sweat after having a cold shower. Just this past week alone, we had a large storm that flooded part of the school I work at, followed by a day of non-stop rain, then to round it all off we have had a heatwave with no rain this weekend. Not exactly the most pleasant place to live weather-wise! The cost of living is also ridiculous. But nothing beats a Darwin sunset or some of the stunning views of our national parks!

Those "chimneys" are common all over AUS, and they are called trig points or trigonometry points. Usually on hills or mountains or other landmarks they were used and still are by navigators and explorers. When marked on a map the ability to sight from one trig point to another becomes simple. 3 make a triangle and then trigonometry is used to "triangulate" people. Before sat nav and grids we had trig.

This is amazing this video has blown my mind... I am a young aboriginal Australian and I have learnt so much about this from the culture, the agriculture and weather etc. Water is a big deal for us I remember when the darling River was dry after months almost a year they released water and it was truly a celebration of life hundreds stood at the riverbanks to watch and thousands of people streamed it was a very important moment for culture, community and land. A lot of towns still dont have clean water. I love your videos I enjoying learning about this country even tho I live here I mainly got taught about the culture side

You"re not wrong about Tasmania being a paradise. It is incredible to drive. There's a postcard scene at every turn in the road. So atunning.

That "White Bit" is the region of Australia's 4 large salt lakes (Lake Eyre to the North, then to the south of that is Lake Gairdner to the West, Lake Torrens in the middle and Lake Frome to the East) Most of these lakes are dry year round, except in periods of heavy rainfall in Queensland, when Lake Eyre and Lake Torrens fill up for several months (until the water evaporates). BTW Java and Sumatra are the two large islands of Indonesia to the south west, and right between them WAS the volcano of Krakatau (aka Krakatoa) that exploded in 1883

Lmao lake Eyre! Pronounced as lake Air. Not Airy. It’s the largest salt lake in the country. However when flooded becomes an inland sea with many bird and fish species living in its waters. It truely is an amazing phenomenon.

This is why the Australia community has such a strong bond When we get hit by al these crazy natural disaster we help each other out and lots of good things come out of a lot of theses thing like great friendships and residents more resilient and we figure out how to live with it

My great great grandfather came from Plymouth England in mid 1800s. It took 6 months. He was ship's carpenter. He wanted find if Australia was suitable for his family because several of his children died in England from damp cold conditions. When the ship reached Sydney, he abscounded from the ship with the ship's tools. He went up about 300 miles north where he became a 'timber getter', where no white man had gone. He sent for his wife. 6 months for letter to arrive. It took 6 months for her and his 6 year old daughter to come to Australia and find he'd gone up to the 'Big River.' His wife joined there by catching a boat and found his tent. They with others who were timber getters, went further up north (200miles further on bullock teams) where he built a ship yard and built ocean going ship's with big sails on the banks of the Richmond River at Coraki. He sold them to the government and he'd sail them out to the ocean and down to Sydney town ( 500 miles). They were ships that would sail to England. This was just as steam ships were coming in. His ships looked like large Pirate galleons. I forget the name of them but they are in history books. He set up a small township and gave employment to young men who were trying to set up a new life in Australia. He had 9 more children. He lived there, working on ships at his dock and slip yard on the Richmond River. One day when he was 70yrs old, he fell into the river and drowned. He worked on boats all his life but didn't know how to swim! His name was William Yabsley.

The video mentions Esperance in Western Australia. In summer the heat can be climbing to 40c and the bitumen on the roads will be melting but when you go into the sea to cool off you can freeze your arse off. The currents bring that Antarctic cool through with a vengeance. Beautiful beaches with white sand that squeaks under your feet as you walk (just watch out for the sharks when you want to swim)

Your son trying to do pushups at 2 months bro? What a legend. Litterally about to physically eclipse half the modern population

As an Australian whose highschool (years 7-10 in my territory) only had around 200-300 people by my guess, it is insane to think about having a school with 10,000 kids!!

I’m an American expat from MD that now lives in NSW in the Blue Mountains. It is stunning here. You should come over to see the places you watched on here. The exchange rate is in your favour now. It’s been habituated fir eons. It’s all what you’re used to. It’s very very hot in the north and comfortable in the south. The coffee is top notch. Food is really good too.

The biggest problem with the el nino/la nina situation is that rain in a drought isn't necessarily a good thing, you need a constant, steady flow of water for it to penetrate the dirt and actually help. Otherwise, your in drought, then you;re suddenly flooded. Like filling a pot of dry dirt with too much water at once. That's whats happening rn in australia during the La Nina.

Yes you're spot on Ryan a Diamond in the Rough that's why the country is so good in so many ways and away from most of the crap going on in the world and we love it

As a Canadian born in a remote subarctic settlement, I felt perfectly at home in Australia (except for those damn snakes!). Canucks and Aussies share not only similar attitudes and institutions, but we share a love of Elbow Room. I remember hitchiking across the U.S. and saying to myself: "yeah, this is nice. Nice people. Love those chili dogs! But it's so CROWDED. Even Nevada seems kind of cluttered up with stuff, and Texas is just teensy weensy." But I was right at home in Australia. Both our countries love our Empty Nothingness.

I face palmed at the mispronunciation of Pilbara 😂 Really interesting video - learning lots about my own native country, thanks Ryan 🙂

Yes im so thankful we aren't too populated. It's one of the things I love about living here.

As an Australian I don’t find you ignorant. You are choosing to be curious and learn. That’s endearing

Hi There! A note...at the 22 minute mark it showed an American Opossum and not an Australian Possum...We are heading into the third consecutive La Niña which means a lot of east coast rain eg:- Sydney has just recorded its' highest ever annual rainfall with still 2 months + to go Cheers!

Java is an island in Indonesia. It's the heartland of one of the world's major cultures. You ought to read about it on Wikipedia or something. The video was talking about the population of the New York metropolitan area, which New York City (i.e the Five Boroughs) is only the central part of. It seems to me that the the video puts a lot of effort into explaining _why_ there is a desert in the middle of Australia, rather than suggesting any additional reason why we don't live in outback.

This is a verse from a famous Australian poem which just abut sums up the video I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of drought and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror - The wide brown land for me!

Did anyone notice that it said Australia has 5 major cities but Australia actually has 8 major cities. Because there is 6 states and 3 territories, each one having its own major city.

The Top End (those two peninsulas) isn't completely uninhabited. It has a pretty large population of saltwater crocodiles

As a 70 yo Aussie, I did know this. I found it one of the best docos on Australia and hope you feel you gained more knowledge

Tasmania is a paradise, temperate rain forests, they generate all their electricity from hydro and sell extra to the mainland.

The middle of this country is the most beautiful and special place to visit. I live rural but the dead heart is not dead. It's beautiful

They think of metropolitan regions, not cities. New York metropolitan region contains cities like New Ark, New Jersey. Java is an island in Indonesia.

I really enjoyed re-watching this clip and it was especially great to see your reactions as a citizen of outside Australia. You should come visit one day, even consider moving here with your family! It is a wonderful country to live in and has been do good to me and my family. My parents emigrated here from India in the late 1960’s, brining along two young kids and instantly, we all became Australians in our hearts and minds. A very common theme here.

Loving the series Ryan, keep this up and we’ll have to adopt you soon as a token Aussie..

When it rains it is too flat to retain the water in dams. When it doesn't rain ( common) we try to conserve the water as best we can and that is usually where the people live, near the water storages. It isn't just you Ryan, most Americans have no idea about the rest of the world. Right now we are experiencing flooding in the Murray Darling basin.

Climate change isn't the problem with the Murray Darling rivers, it's the siphoning off of water for mega farm's, a lot that are owned by the Chinese, and for drinking water that is sold overseas. And I personally wouldn't like to see our population grow more than it is.

My school when I was 10 years old, was just one room, in it, there was 1st grade, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, plus there were 3 students in high school doing studies via Correspondence, which I did for 2 years when I was 12 and 13 years old, there was like 30-40 students at the school in total.

Fun fact about the vergulde, chances are the survivors integrated with an indigenous tribe, as there was a tribe in WA that when the brittish found them had fairer skin and blonde hair.

Ryan, Don't worry about it, we are in the middle of a huge rain dump at the moment, our local rivers are way overflowing lol

Theres a verse in a poem My Country (Dorothy McKellar 1904) which beautifully describes Australia: "I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror- the wide brown land for me!" It is scary at times living in Australia and we are taught at a young age how to behave around snakes and spiders, plus what to do during fires and floods. Theres a term which gets used to describe an Aussie "True Blue". To be true blue you display the real aussie character - help each other in good and bad times, and work damn hard for anything you can. You never know if a drought or flood is around the corner, so do all you can know and enjoy yourself, but be ready and pitch in when times are tough. Thats how we survive. Thoughts go out to the many affected by floods along our east coast atm. Plus a good quality coffee each day helps too😉

some cities are called "Queen Cities" but Adelaide S.A. has Balls

I live on the Murray River in SA and currently we're in the biggest flood event since 1956! It's insane standing up on the sand cliffs and seeing all the water stretched out over the flood plains

I’m Australian. And that was so educational. Thank you so much ❤️

I remember my old dad (R.I.P) saying to me; when he was a kid, there was 4 million people in Australia, it’s was said back in the 1940’s that soon Australia will have a population of 10 million people & me old dad was like: “Where are they all gonna live”. Because he thought Australia was pretty full back then.

Love how they completely leave Tasmania out of it, there is people living down here to you know

Enjoy your videos… but I would like to point out that we do not ever say, ‘happy arvo’. We might say, ‘see you tomorrow arvo, or see you in the arvo. But it’s not a greeting. Ever.

The white bit on the map is the Munga-Thirri National Park (Used to be called the Simpson Desert). Munga-Thirri is the Aboriginal name for Big Sandhill, which is a very apt name!

I'm Aussie, the mountain thing is true they're so short here, I went to South America and holy moly just seeing the Andes mountains from afar blew my mind

I love the look on your face when you make a realisation

Interesting that you watch this when today there is flooding in Victoria - we are currently in a La nina weather that brings floods

Ryan to answer your question about why people don't live up the top of Australia green belt I suggest you watch ABC TV ,Bush tucker man ,les Higgins army tucker/food guide for the Australian army.we eat dog nuts ! Don't believe watch bush tucker man

I live in Adelaide, South Australia and I only had 400 people at the public high school I went to, couldn't imagine having 10,000. I knew almost everyone in the same year as me. Also, most Aussies don't have big backyards, and most who do have developed them or plan to.

Really great I learned so much. Thank you 🎉 My grandma lived in a street that I called: “The street with no husbands” They fought in ww1 and didn’t come back.

Tasmania is a Paradise ...I lived in Launceston...TASMANIA IS A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT...please talk about Tassie sometimes...it's so underrated

7:35 facts, it's empty out there. My family and I drove across the red centre years ago from Brisbane to Busselton on the southern end of Western Australia, it took over a week to do the drive and there was a period where we didn't see humans or artificial lights for over a full day and night of travel

@4:52 Ha ha ha. I used to live in Newman. It is a town that services the iron ore mining sector. There is a huge BHP iron ore mine just outside of the town. Sometimes I used to bike to work at the mine. It would take me only 15 mins because it was downhill. It took a lot longer riding home.

‘Why does no one live up the top?’ Short answer: because it’s bloody hot up there, there’s more crocodiles than people and cyclones are super common...

There is no very mountain high in Australia these days, true...however the Petermann Ranges that run 320 km (200 mi) across the border between Western Australia and the southwest corner of the Northern Territory once were a lot taller than their current highest point 1,158 metres (3,799 ft). Back some 550 million years ago, geological research has broadly determined that the Petermann Ranges were equivalent in height to the Himalayas.

I’m Aussie and I love watching these

the aboriginal peoples have cave paintings 60k old... there is an argument that people also started here, and migrated upwards... My father was an exploration geologist, (he mapped a lot of inland Oz in the 50s and 60s) Dad found a bed of fossilised sea vegetation, one plant (like a plate with a bulb under it) had a fish on it, (maybe Cambrian period) this in the interior of Oz, in the desert. Dad wouldn't tell anyone where it was for fear of it being destroyed. WW1 one in five enlisted. WW2 losses great too, hence cheap fares to come live here. THANK GOD! Coz they brought cappuchinos, pizzas, etc and great talent across all the arts. The immigration took Oz into multiculturalism.

And as for the sea level, the Pacific ocean level is much higher than the Atlantic ocean. If the Pacific ocean was of similar height as the Atlantic Ocean, Tasmania would probably be joined to the mainland again and the top would be joined to Papua New Guinea, which would be joined to Asica. You'd be able to drive from China to the bottom of Tasmania

You probably won’t read this but most of Australia’s original freight was delivered along railway lines. Now most of it is delivered by big trucks along the highways with some still going by train to major ports for export.

The white areas in inland Australia are an area where rain water flows into the interior from the Great Dividing Range, mainly comprising what most of the time are dry salt lakes - hence the white colouration. When rainwater does flow it turns the area into a wonder of flora. Lake Eyre then becomes a mecca for water birds, animals and even fish.

Java is the island name... like Bali... and taken over by Indonesia... like they took over Western Papua...and now Papua ... hmm

This is interesting since how much heavy rain we've had this year

That animal walking in the creek was not even an Australian animal ,It was an American Opossum

Hi there, and thanks for a most interesting channel! We love to watch your reactions to those things we tend take for granted - helps us to reevaluate and appreciate our country and culture. My husband is fourth generation aussy with English and Indian ancestry, while I immigrated from Iceland in my late teens. This is an amazing place to live! Now, just a tiny comment (hope you don’t mind…) ‘Arvo’ is pronounced ‘awo’ - remember our ‘economic’ ways with the language - we skip the ‘r’! 😂 Congrats on your little fella! ❤

I would love for you to do a video in some spooky Australian stuff, like the min min lights and the monte cristo homestead👽👻

Why the hell was an opossum in there when they were talking about the animals??? We don't have opossums... we have POSSUMS!

I live in a regional town in Queensland along the coastline called Bundaberg and the population is around 100,000 people, Brisbane is 372 kilometers or a 4 hour drive from here.

Now that the borders are reopening, you and your family should come visit :) I recommend November, as it's neither too hot or too cold (and yes, it does get cold here). The south west of Western Australia is beautiful in spring, and Tasmania is picture perfect. The Blue Mountains in New South Wales are also stunning.

Great podcast!!! I was born here, parents immigrated out from Scotland in the early 60’s. I visit family in the UK, but I am glad they chose to move here. Growing up with the beach a few km’s from home, the weather is awesome.

Ryan I love that you look up things or towns, learning on the job - well done

Most of those outback towns are just an iron ore mine, a pub , a servo and a cop shop.

I was born in Darwin it is beautiful. Australia and the people are just amazing. You come to Australia and don't want to leave.

If you do venture to Austraya, why not in December - A warm Christmas. When I was in Italy in 1983 an American Lady asked me why Austraya celebrates Christmas in Summer and not winter "like everybody else?". Could not be bothered to explain.

My Goodness! As far as human population density sounds like Australia is my idea of paradise. I'm in Los Angeles/Orange county area of California. So many people, so much madness. I think that the streets here are very much more dangerous than the Outback. God bless Australia!

The remote bits can be the best bits. You can go sit on a hill in central Australia, the air is pure, you can see for miles (kilometres) and the total silence is almost spiritual.

Don't worry Ryan I think a good number of us where there at the end of your video, and yes that was true about the droughts but now we have floods, rivers bursting their banks, towns floating away and dams having to open flood gates to cope with the water, so situation normal.

My parents and my 2 older brothers migrated to Australia from Germany in 1962 on a supported migration program and came via ship, took 6 weeks. My father was a plumber so he had a skill that was needed however he actually chose Australia because he was sick of freezing winters and chose Australia for the warm climate. One of my teenagers loves watching your videos with me and I told them about your merchandise and they suggested you should do a Happy Arvo t-shirt. We love how you say that at start of every video, maybe we could get that trending over here with some t-shirts.

Mate, you are a bloody great bloke. If you ever come to Australia you have a lot of mates here to guide and help. The white part is a salt lake Lake Eyre, its 18 meters under sea level.

My Grandparents migrated from the Netherlands in 1966. It was a very difficult decision for them. I greatly appreciate it :)

Happy arvo Ryan. You are quickly becoming one of my favourite American reactors to Australian content. As an Aussie I have learned so much about my own country from American reactors lol

Ryan: what if you break down? Australians: don't brake down

The town of Newman is the main town associated with BHP's Mt Whaleback mine, one of the largest iron ore mines in the world.

See Australia has a lot of towns spaced out so there's a lot of servos, but the only part that is difficult to avoid is the reception in you're stuck in the middle anywhere. Also, in my town is near the border of QLD and NSW, we have about a population of 1,566. Since in the bush we don't get much rain, we get 6 months' worth of fires each year. And yes, us Aussies do like being lowkey, well I think I'm speaking for all Aussies. Btw just discovered your channel and I'm enjoying this Australia vids, it's nice to hear more about my home country. Keep up the amazing work.❤❤❤

I worked as a station hand in South Australia in 2022. It was north of the Anna Creek station mentioned in the video but 'only' about half the size. We were only about 7 people living there, but it was a pretty nice experience. Around Christmas time, we were invited to different parties taking place at the neighbouring stations. Met a dude there, who was working at Anna Creek cattle station in the past. About the meat thing: They don't slaughter the cattle themselves. They get picked up by trucks, going all the way down to a market in or near Adelaide.

The colours of that map are generally true to life for a satellite photo of Australia. The white areas you noticed are probably from the light coloured sand of the desert there plus some of the salt lakes prevalent in that region. The green areas are where there is actually growing vegetation, and the red areas are where the deserts and semi-deserts are. You will always know when you are in an Australian desert as the ground is generally not white or yellow like most other deserts but a natural deep rich red colour, not the artificially coloured deserts of Hollywood's westerns. One can almost always tell if someone has been living in the Australian Outback, their white or light coloured clothing now has a distinctive pink or reddish hue to it, and it is impossible to remove it by any amount of washing or other means. If you didn't want other people to know that you recently spent time in the Outback then burn all your present clothes and buy a whole new wardrobe.

Ironically while normally dry, we've had 3 years of la nina. So the entire Murray darling basin to west of the dividing range is flooding. Plus those white bits that are normally dry salt lakes are now full of water.

I’m still here lol. Watched the whole vid. Yes we are all aliens living here 😂 lol. I’m a born and bred Aussie. I’ve never felt isolated. I know other countries are a very long way out there. Travel for us isn’t as much a problem as for people coming here. My daughter’s work took her to about 10 or 15 states in the USA, Asia, Canada, Ireland over a few years of many trips. Travel never bothered her, she loved it. I’d never leave Aus - like any country, home is where your heart is, and mines here 💞

This some kind of strange propaganda m8 Australia is chocka block full of ppl.We just dont go to every area at the same time : )) I honestly wish Americans never ever say Australian cities or towns names.... your just BAD at it...just dont do it m8 ok. imo what you guys really need to do is NOT listen to another American telling you what Australia is all about.Go see videos where real Auzzies are traveling around & or through Australia & see for yourself from their views. Auzzie population now 26,473,055 ppl in 2023

Right now we're experiencing flooding all along the East coast of Australia, thanks to a third El Nina year in a row.

Just followed this vid with the Gangajang Sounds of Then video - highly recommend watching Midnight Oil's song "Blue Sky Mine" about the town of Wittenoom which is FINALLY being fully abandoned and sealed off from visitors after many decades of Asbestos contamination. Very significant in our country's history. Plus it's fun to laugh at Peter Garrett's dancing style - and the fact that he tried to make a go of it in politics!

i live in south australia and our river murray is currently going through a record breaking flood, one of plenty of floods in the last century, so droughts happen so far inland and don’t last long

OK, look, I did environmental science (Botany and ecology mainly). This narrator enormously understates the impact of Australia not being iced over during the ice ages. The lack of phosphorous impacts EVERYTHING, including the oceans creating a biological paucity incomparable with any other continent. Still, at least he mentioned it. Most don't.

My family emigrated to Aus in 1970 fromSouth Africa.3years before the white Australia policy was abolished. We are not “white” however it was and still is the best choice our parents could ever have made. Proud to call Australia home ❤️

It's not that it's cold over in the West, it's that the cold air from the Antarctic stops rain clouds from forming on any kind of regular basis. And basically, El Nino = drought, La Nina = floods. We're going through our third La Nina right now along the East.

My Chinese parents came over from Hong Kong with me when I was a toddler back in 1969. My Dad's family (parents and siblings) were all in Australia already. The family has grown in number. I have so many relatives now, many of them mixed, including my children. I love big families. Family includes people who have married into the family and also close family friends. We don't just differentiate by blood.

I spent 3 years living in the Shire of Laverton in Western Australia, in the township of Laverton. Laverton has an average population of around 800-900 people. To get to the closest chain supermarkets (Coles & Woolies) you need to drive 4 hours to Kalgoorlie. I loved living there. Laverton has a fantastic community and wonderful people. And yes, I stayed until the end Ryan 😅

Don't hate on our septic tank rivers and lakes! 🤣🤣🤣 I'm in Michigan, not far from Lake Erie. That's where me & the kids go as often as we can during the summer... LOL! But yeah, my 9 year old likes to ask why it's brown.

About the NYC population. It depends how you measure the city's population. There are multiple ways, and the way used in the video was metropolitan area. Using this method, NYC has 20.1 million people, not just 8 million.

As an Aussie I learnt so much, this would not be taught in school

Really good video Ryan, thanks for sharing it. Two things though: 1. The interior of Australia is BEAUTIFUL, deep iron red, with a haunting atmosphere. There is a growing appreciation here of the Indigenous Australians, recently referred to as First Nation's People, and there ancient culture spread across the continent. 2. Tasmania is AWESOME, and seems to generally be ignored in discussion of Australia. In many ways it's flora is more like NZ., it is mountainous and more ancient in vegetation.