297 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.

Raymond Island, Australia

Gippsland Lakes Bioluminescence

Australian Lake set aglow by Noctiluca Scintillans.

Helensburgh, Australia

Glowworm Tunnel

An abandoned railroad tunnel is now filled with bioluminescent bugs.

Putty, Australia

Newnes Glow Worm Tunnel

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

Sydney, 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.

Mena Creek, Australia

Paronella Park

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

See All 297 Things to Do in Australia See All 297 Places

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.

Frog Cakes

The adorable amphibian treats are South Australian icons.

See all 25 things to eat in Australia See all 25 things to eat in Australia

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Top Discussions in the Australia Travel Forum

Post	Replies	Views	Activity
Melbourne Recs (especially kid friendly!)	2 April 29, 2019	744	April 29, 2019
Big Poo	4 July 15, 2019	2161	July 15, 2019
Symonds Street Cemetery	3 September 3, 2019	846	September 3, 2019
Spacecraft Cemetery	1 July 24, 2019	1143	July 24, 2019
Baldwin Street	1 September 2, 2019	954	September 2, 2019

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Stories
About Australia

A group of convicts "bush'd" in Tasmania.

Australia's First Published Dictionary Was Dedicated to 'Convict Slang'

The "flash" language reflected the makeup of the British penal colony at the time.

by Matthew Taub

October 7, 2019

This mountain pygmy-possum's name is—wait for it—Beryl.

Australian Pygmy-Possums Are Starving Because Billions of Bogong Moths Are Missing

Without the moths, the possums (cute) may starve (not cute).

by Sabrina Imbler

September 23, 2019

Part of the Victoria Fossil Cave network, where the prehistoric marsupials were found.

Ice Age Australia Had Giant, Clawed, Swole Marsupials in Its Trees

Something like a koala, except the size of a rhino.

by Isaac Schultz

September 18, 2019

A woolly mammoth on display at the Natural History Museum, Vienna.

Paleontologists Are Trying to Understand Why the Fossil Record Is Mostly Males

One theory is that reckless young bison and mammoths got into more trouble.

by Sabrina Imbler

September 13, 2019

A Nicholls' toadlet, barely an inch long.

Biologists Relocated 30,000 Animals to Make Room for a Natural Gas Plant

It took seven years to evacuate all the goannas, echidnas, and venomous snakes.

by Sabrina Imbler

August 15, 2019

The fatbergs, or "junkbergs," are often strewn with little bits of trash.

Fed Up With Fatbergs, an Australian Water Company Recorded a Jazzy Jingle About the Sewer

Only flush the “three Ps,” please.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

No chlamydia here!

Found: The Only Wild Koala Population in Australia That Is STI-Free

Chlamydia is a threat to the marsupials, so an island without it is a good sign.

by Sabrina Imbler

Big Kev, large and in charge.

Big Kev the Australian Dinosaur Isn't Extinct, Just Hibernating

He may soon be replaced by another Big Thing, or a small swing.

by Sabrina Imbler

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