Australia and New Zealand are in a unique part of the world. They are both fairly isolated, and the nearest countries to them tend to be much worse off socioeconomically (Papua New Guinea, for example. Many factors have contributed to their uniqueness over the years.
Firstly, due to their isolation, they both have very unique biodiversity. Australia, in particular, is known for its marsupials, such as the Kangaroo, the Tasmanian Devil, the (extinct) Tasmanian Tiger, Wallabies, etc. New Zealand is also famous for its unique animals, most famously the now-extinct Dodo bird. It is also of note that early humans ...