The UK is the type of place where every last square inch of land has been claimed and defended several times over. Australia likely has plenty of land that no one is in a hurry to claim.
It may be important to note that while Australia has a huge amount of land, most people live in the cities. Australia's urban population is 90%, versus the UK's 80% and the US's 82%. There are only a couple of large countries higher than Australia in this regard.
We have fooled not only the world into thinking we're all outback-dwellers, but also ourselves. What we like is tarmac and suburban strips.
The property market underwent a huge decade plus long boom in Australia, with land prices rising astronomically. There are all sorts of rules for land development in place, and limited availability for development in the major cities. It's not quite as bad as the UK, but it's not like we have huge chunks of land to spare.
I assume it's either a result of property law differences, or the sheer length of time land has been available to own in the UK. Would love to know more about it.
