Australians considered one of the most competitive people in the world. Many types of sports are practiced in Australia, and most of them are outdoor sports due to favorable climate.
Rugby is one of the most popular sports in Australia, existing 3 divisions: Rugby Union, Australian Rules and Rugby League. Actually despite they look alike, each one has many different rules. The great majority of the Australians calls Rugby of "Footy", that means, all of them are Footy. Rugby has the same importance for an Australian than the Soccer has for a Brazilian.
Cricket is maybe the second most popular practiced sport, with long and endless departures being transmitted by television on the weekends. The Australian youths in the school practice it in the breaks, and it is also very common to see whole families playing at parks and beaches.
Golf is the third sport more practiced, and the number of fields of Golf in each Australian city is of crooking the stick. They are several clubs to be associated with, and they also accept paying players. Those clubs are true companies, with inside stores offering all gear and materials for players, besides specific areas for training or game. Golf in Australia is practiced by people of all social classes.
Soccer it is a secondary sport in Australia, maybe for the fact of never to have earnings championships it to elevate the sport to a category of larger popularity, as it is the case of Rugby. However, several clubs as Italian Club, Spanish Club, and many others, he/she came on Saturdays trainings with promising young players creating conditions for a larger popularity of the sport. Several technicians (with Australian license) teach in those Clubs. The Socceroos, as the selection of Australia is called, has been presenting better results in international tournaments, and the television channel SBS shows exclusive programming for international Soccer. Those factors together, with certainty will increase the popularity of Soccer in Australia.
Rowing is very popular and is practiced involving different types of modern fiber of carbon boats with different styles and sizes. On the Gold Coast canals and in some other Australian cities with this kind of canals, is possible to see rowing been practiced in all age groups and gender.
Sailing is a sport little practiced being compared with other nautical sports. The financial situation allows most of the population to practice that sport, but motor boats have absolute popular preference. Even so, there are some cities that sailing is quite significant such as it is the case of Sydney, Melbourne and in the Whitsunday's Islands.
Cycling is another sport that captures the attention of the Australians and it is practiced in any city. The amount of people practicing is quite big, and it is difficult one morning that doesn't see the cyclists, individually or in groups of up to 200 at the same time. It is practiced in the streets and for both sexes and ages. There are so many Bike stores only losing in quantity for Surfing and Fishing shops.
Martial Arts are quite practiced and there are several academies with all styles of fights including the Capoeira of Brazil. The popularity of those academies has increased lately in response of the search for professionals able to perform personal defense in day by day work such as in government departments, Immigration, police, and private security of commercial establishments. However, it is not very published nor in TV nor in the newspapers, and to say the truth, I never saw a calendar of competitions. One of the most affordable courses for international students is exactly one of martial arts called Wing Chun.
Bowls is a game whose objective is to position a ball as close as possible of a white smaller ball from some meters of distance. Bowling is practiced by an enormous amount of people in dispersed clubs for all and any city size. This game is one of the favorite pastimes of the retired people, and everyday they are in the clubs in the period of the morning for practicing.
Volley Ball and Basket Ball, are other games very a little practiced by the Australians and in the schools they prefer to practice Netball( specially the girls). In Sydney, there are volleyball nets on the Beaches of Bondi & Manly; even so the game doesn't attract a lot of attention, except during international championships.
Swimming in compensation is largely practiced and very popular. It is generally organizes and in Clubs (life saving and sports clubs), and the main important fact of increasing popularity is in the last years, is the world championships which Australians have beating and maintained several world records. City halls of several cities still maintain public swimming pools for the practice of the sport, and the swimming pools of colder cities in the winter, like Melbourne and Sydney, are heated.
Spear Fishing, many people doesn't consider as a sport, and in Australia it is also practiced for few people. Mainly by the fact that where the climate is hot and favorable (as it is the case of Queensland), most of the coast is protected by shark nets. Even with many other favorable places, it is not very popular among the Australians.