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.

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.

Mena Creek, Australia

Paronella Park

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

Ball's Pyramid

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

See All 315 Things to Do in Australia See All 315 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.

Stinging Nettles

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

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

Community Forums / Australia & New Zealand / Australia

Top Discussions in the Australia Travel Forum

Post	Replies	Views	Activity
Melbourne Recs (especially kid friendly!)	2 April 29, 2019	1353	April 29, 2019
Spacecraft Cemetery	1 July 24, 2019	2496	July 24, 2019
Symonds Street Cemetery	3 September 3, 2019	1631	September 3, 2019
Dark Sky Project	1 September 5, 2019	751	September 5, 2019
Hobbiton	1 February 22, 2020	679	February 22, 2020

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Stories
About Australia

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

Hail struck Parliament House in Canberra on January 20, 2020.

Australia Needs Slow and Steady Rain—Not Golf Ball-Sized Hail

The fire-scorched landscape needs water. But not the kind that recently fell on Canberra.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

January 24, 2020

Platypuses face an uncertain future.

Australia’s Platypuses Are Invisible Victims of the Bushfires

After years of drought and habitat loss, “It’s one more nail in their coffin.”

by Sabrina Imbler

January 24, 2020

Mitsuaki Tanabe hoped to draw attention to the glories of wild rice with this massive work.

A Japanese Sculptor's Tribute to Wild Rice Covers an Australian Floodplain

Mitsuaki Tanabe's untimely death spurred his son to finish his last work.

January 22, 2020

Hungry?

Air-Dropped Carrots Might Be a Temporary Answer to a Threatened Wallaby's Prayers

After devastating Australian bushfires, root vegetables could help the brush-tailed rock-wallaby hang on.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

January 16, 2020

You might want to hold your nose.

Some Space Rocks Are Notorious for Being Stinky

What they actually smell like seems to be in the nose of the beholder.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

January 16, 2020

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