Our Clever Country
Is innovation the hallmark of Australia? Are Australians especially ingenious, inventive and innovative?
Australia is a harsh, isolated continent. We've had to be ingenious to survive and thrive. From woomeras to artificial hearts, we've shown the world how inventive we can be.
Australian innovations
- plastic banknotes
- School of the Air
- food innovations (the esky, lamingtons, Wiltshire staysharp knives and wine casks)
- control of introduced species
- gene shears
- bionic ear
- microsurgery
- Solarscan melanoma detector
- Royal Flying Doctor Service
- VentrAssist heart pump
- black box flight data recorder
- Indigenous inventions including the boomerang and woomera
- Parkes Radio Telescope
- True Blue Loo, a no-flush toilet
- improved solar cells
- CSIRO
- Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch
Other information
- 100 Years of Innovation, an invention timeline
- Innovative People, including our Nobel prize winners
- Clever Links