315 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Australia - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Australia

Lake Hillier

An Australian lake whose pink hue defies scientific explanation.

Helensburgh, Australia

Glowworm Tunnel

An abandoned railroad tunnel is now filled with bioluminescent bugs.

Raymond Island, Australia

Gippsland Lakes Bioluminescence

Australian Lake set aglow by Noctiluca Scintillans.

Mena Creek, Australia

Paronella Park

A castle hand built by a Spanish dreamer in the Australian tropical jungle.

Putty, Australia

Newnes Glow Worm Tunnel

Once the path of a railway tunnel, now home to thousands of glowing insects.

Wentworth Point, Australia

SS Ayrfield

Nature is leading a successful mutiny on this century-old freighter.

Mount Dandenong, Australia

William Ricketts Sanctuary

A collection of outdoor mystical statues paying homage to indigenous Australians and ecological stewardship.

Ball's Pyramid

This barren sea spire is home to the world's rarest insect and is part of the lost continent of Zealandia.

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Unique Food & Drink in Australia

Hala Fruit

It looks like an exploding planet and tastes like sugarcane.

Finger Lime

Slice one open for some citrus caviar.

Fujisan Bread

Worlds collide in this braided bread that tastes like brioche and is meant to look like Mount Fuji.

Stinging Nettles

Boil away this plant's poisonous hairs, and you're left with a tasty, spinach-like leaf.

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Stories About Australia

Once the lights go on, colors emerge. Most of this bed of hard coral belongs to the genus <em>Leptoseris</em>, a group abundant in the deeper waters of Hawaiʻi, but observed here for the first time in the Coral Sea. The pink and reddish hues belong to photosynthetic algae pulling energy from the dim light.

Turning On the Lights in the Ocean's Twilight Zone

The surprising colors of Australia's Coral Sea Marine Park.

It's huge, with a great sense of humor.

This Gigantic Laughing Kookaburra Is Out to Brighten Your Day

A sculptor hitched the cackling bird to a trailer and is taking it on the road.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

The “Ocean Siren” changes color in real time—from dark blue to dark red—as the water temperature fluctuates.

This Sculpture Is a Mood Ring for the Great Barrier Reef

An artist talks about his environmentally responsive artwork—the first installation in an underwater museum at the intersection of coral and culture.

by Katie Dundas

These four 98-foot-tall silos in Thallon, Queensland, took Brisbane artists Joel Fergie (aka The Zookeeper) and Travis Vinson (aka Drap) three weeks to paint.

Painted Silos Are Turning the Outback Into an Alfresco Art Gallery

Can these unlikely bursts of beauty refresh Australia’s parched rural towns too?

by Natasha Bazika

A bird in the hand: Part of the "Bayshore Drive Lighthouse" sculpture takes wing.

The Charmed Second Life of Australia's Cursed 'Disco Dong'

The sculpture was loathed as a public-art installation. Now its 4,000 aluminum birds are treasured in private collections.

by Vivienne Pearson

Gunditjmara people started building this elaborate aquaculture system before the construction of Egypt's oldest pyramids.

Australian Wildfires Uncovered Hidden Sections of a Huge, Ancient Aquaculture System

The Gunditjmara have been building an eel-farming system at the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape for more than 6,000 years.

by Reina Gattuso

February 6, 2020

The Tasmanian devil, a talisman of Australian wildlife, was catalogued and illustrated by John and Elizabeth Gould in the mid-19th century, then rendered as a lithograph by H.C. Richter.

See Australian Fauna in These Audubon-esque Illustrations

The 19th-century lithographs document a unique biodiversity that’s slipping away.

by Isaac Schultz

February 6, 2020

The sizable slugs are bright, but good at hiding.

An Ancient Australian Volcano Is a Haven for Giant Pink Slugs

Just because they're huge and garish doesn't mean they're easy to find.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

January 31, 2020

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