Plexus® is headed Down Under!

Plexus® is headed Down Under!

Break out the Vegemite and fire up the barbie! (Skip the shrimp, though; grab the prawns instead, aye?)

This launch has been a long time coming, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to bring our lineup of health and happiness products to our Aussie mates.

We’re celebrating today by sharing some fun facts about Australia, including some that demonstrate exactly why Australia and Plexus are a match made in heaven (or, you know, the Outback).

The History of Australia

From the “OG” civilization to busting that “penal colony” stereotype, Australia has a rich and exciting history. It would take 50,000 years (literally) to go over it all, so we’ll just stick to the highlights.

• The Aboriginal people of Australia are thought to have arrived on the continent about 50,000 years ago, and they are the oldest continuous civilization on Earth.1
• Captain James Cook claimed the east coast of the continent for Britain in 1770, naming it New South Wales.1 2
• Australia was considered to have some political and economic significance for Britain, considering its location and resources. It was also seen as a potential solution to crowded prisons, and was, to some extent, used as a penal colony. Over time, about 160,000 British convicts were sent to Australia.2 3
• The Commonwealth of Australia was established on January 1, 1901, but the official national day of Australia—Australia Day—is celebrated on January 26.

Health and Happiness in Australia

Fresh air, plenty of sunlight, a temperate climate, and endless opportunities for outdoor activities. Sounds like a recipe for health and happiness, wouldn’t you say? Plexus is all about health and happiness, so these facts about Australian life caught our attention.

• The most recent edition of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index ranked Australia as the 7th healthiest nation in the world.4
• Vegemite, the ever-popular Australian spread, is actually quite nutritious. It’s a good source of vitamins B1, B9, B2, and B3, and the reduced-salt variety provides a good dose of vitamins B6 and B12.5 Plexus loves our B vitamins too, with strong showings in our Lean products! Not all of us at Plexus can claim to be fans of Vegemite (yet), but we’re ready to try it!
• Australia’s life expectancy is higher than the global average. In 2015, the World Health Organization listed Australia as having the 4th highest life expectancy in the world.6

Direct Sales in Australia7

We’re big believers in the power and opportunity of direct sales, and so, apparently, are Aussies! These facts about direct sales in Australia make us even more excited to bring Plexus’ one-of-a-kind product lineup to the land Down Under.

• More than 575,000 Australians are involved in direct sales.
• Direct sales transactions in Australia add up to about 5.5 million dollars per year (that’s 9 sales every minute!).
• Australia is number 24 in the world in direct sales.
• Direct sales have totaled over $1B in its time in Australia (that’s a big pie!).

The market is there. The opportunity is there. And with Plexus, the right products will be there (not to mention one of the top 40 direct sales companies in the world). Get ready, Australia—this is gonna be big.

Just for Fun Australia Facts

Australia is one of the most diverse, unique, and fascinating countries in the world. Don’t believe us? Here are some of our favorite “just for fun” facts about Australia.

• Australian Football (or “footy”) is the most popular spectator sport in the country. In fact, it is one of the most watched sports in the world. In the state of Victoria, the Friday before the grand final is actually a public holiday (we fully support this).
• Australians observe Harmony Day each year to celebrate the cultural diversity and inclusivity in the country.
• The population of Australia is right around 25 million, and just over 90% of the population lives in urban areas.8 To compare, the state of Texas has a population of about 28 million, and Australia is about 11 times bigger than Texas.
• Ever had a Tim Tam? These popular cookies (sorry, biscuits) are an Australian staple. The classic Tim Tam is two chocolate biscuits with a layer of chocolate cream filling between them, all coated in chocolate. (Hey, Plexus loves chocolate, too! Try your next Tim Tam Slam with some Plexus Lean™.)
• Australia goes big. Really big. A number of “big things” can be found throughout the country, including the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, the Big Lamb in Guyra, the Big Mango in Bowen, and Ploddy the Dinosaur in Somersby.
  
• The technology that would become Google Maps was invented in Australia. As was WiFi!9
• Australia is the smallest continent in the world, but the 6th largest country.
• The country is known for its variety of wildlife, and some of it is extremely dangerous (10 of the 15 most venomous snakes in the world, anyone?).
• Love the beach? Then you’ll love Australia. With over 10,000 beaches (10,685, to be exact10) along 50,000 kilometers of coastline, you could visit a new beach every day for 27 years. Twenty. Seven. Years.
• Australia is home to the world’s longest golf course, longest fence, and longest stretch of straight railroad track.11

Australia has made its mark on the world with its beauty, culture, and warm, inviting people. Now Plexus is ready to make our mark on Australia! We can’t wait to share our health and happiness products with you.

We’ll see you Down Under. Ta!

REFERENCES/SOURCES:

1. https://www.australia.com/en/facts-and-planning/history.html
2. https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia/History
3. https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/Australia-history.htm
4. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-24/spain-tops-italy-as-world-s-healthiest-nation-while-u-s-slips
5. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegemite#nutrition
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy#List_by_the_World_Health_Organization_(2015)
7. https://directselling.org.au/statistics-research/
8. http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/australia-population/
9. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/5-inventions-you-didnt-know-came-from-australia?slide=2
10. http://sydney.edu.au/sup/books/marine/
11. https://landlopers.com/2014/03/09/australia-facts