306 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 306 Things to Do in Australia See All 306 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

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Post	Replies	Views	Activity
Melbourne Recs (especially kid friendly!)	2 April 29, 2019	858	April 29, 2019
Big Poo	4 July 15, 2019	2449	July 15, 2019
Spacecraft Cemetery	1 July 24, 2019	1407	July 24, 2019
Symonds Street Cemetery	3 September 3, 2019	981	September 3, 2019
Baldwin Street	1 September 2, 2019	1130	September 2, 2019

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Stories
About Australia

The Aperture Array Verification System of the MRO resembles a stand of metal trees.

Probing the Secrets of the Universe From Deep in the Australian Outback

Extreme heat, ants, and stray cell phones are big concerns.

by Isaac Schultz

November 13, 2019

In the late 19th century, "ghost hoaxers" wore costumes to terrify unsuspecting victims.

The Mischievous 'Ghost Hoaxers' of 19th-Century Australia

To stave off boredom, some people donned sheets and menaced the public.

by Joseph Hayes

October 29, 2019

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

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

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