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All Australia

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Australia

586 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Australia

Updated July 5, 2024

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Cities

Top Cities
Melbourne
Sydney
The Tenth Drop forming in October 2021
Brisbane
Providing samples of wild boar ham.
Adelaide
"Heads from the North" (Dadang Christiano).
Canberra
Underneath Molle Street
Hobart
All Cities
  1. Acton
  2. Adelaide
  3. Ballandean
  4. Bass
  5. Beechworth
  6. Bicheno
  7. Blinman
  8. Box Hill
  9. Brisbane
  10. Broken Hill
  11. Bundoora
  12. Caiguna
  13. Cairns
  14. Callanna
  15. Canberra
  16. Cervantes
  17. Coffs Harbour
  18. Coober Pedy
  19. Darwin
  20. Davenport
  21. Eaglehawk Neck
  22. Edrom
  23. Fairfield
  24. Fraser Island
  25. Fremantle
  26. Geelong
  27. Ghan
  28. Gumeracha
  29. Hamelin Pool
  30. Hobart
  31. Katoomba
  32. Kiama
  33. Maryborough
  34. Melbourne
  35. Myrtleford
  36. Newcastle
  37. North Coogee
  38. Parkes
  39. Parkville
  40. Perth
  41. Queenscliff
  42. Raymond Island
  43. Sydney
  44. Taroona
  45. Williamstown
  46. Yallabatharra
  47. Young
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Lists

Unusual Attractions in Australia

Paronella Park

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.
Entryway to Sanctuary

Mount Dandenong, Australia

William Ricketts Sanctuary

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

Raymond Island, Australia

Gippsland Lakes Bioluminescence

Australian Lake set aglow by Noctiluca Scintillans.
Aerial view of Lake Hillier

Australia

Lake Hillier

An Australian lake whose pink hue defies scientific explanation.
The SS Ayerfield

Wentworth Point, Australia

SS Ayrfield

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

Hyden, Australia

Wave Rock

This gracefully curving formation looks like a massive wave that was suddenly turned to stone.
Wendy's Secret Garden.

Sydney, Australia

Wendy's Secret Garden

Built over an abandoned train yard, this hidden gem is full of winding paths and offers gorgeous views of Sydney Harbour.
See All 586 Things To Do in Australia

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Australia

Frewville, Australia

The Butterfly Room

Hundreds of tiny dead butterfly eyes gaze down at diners in this Australian eatery.
Providing samples of wild boar ham.

Adelaide, Australia

Something Wild

This store offers tastes of Aboriginal Australia, with some contemporary and global twists.
Specimens at the museum.

Adelaide, Australia

Santos Museum of Economic Botany

A wealth of plants and horticultural curiosities fill this charmingly antique museum.

Melbourne, Australia

Mabu Mabu Big Esso

Featuring Torres Strait Islander cuisine and Australia's first indigenous bar.
See all 10 Places to Eat in Australia
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Australia

History & Culture 69
Statues 62
Animals 57
Nature 53
Museums 50
Monuments 49
Art 46
Geology 40
Architecture 35
Natural Wonders 34
Sculptures 33
Memorials 32
Places To Stay 5
Unique Restaurants & Bars 4

Australia Leaderboard

Places Added

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Places Edited

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Places Visited

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Recent Australia Activity

  • S

    starfyrewolf 06e09dba

    wants to go to Canberra Holodomor Memorial

  • A

    adamaldrich

    has been to Cactus and Succulent Garden

  • Avatar image for FS

    FS

    has been to Murray Bridge Bunyip

  • K

    kermiec2000

    has been to Wycliffe Well

  • M

    MapMoss

    wants to go to Heard and McDonald Islands

Stories About Australia

Standing no taller than a 10-year-old, the Yara ma tha who watches from the forest canopy—always ready to pounce on its next victim.

The Child-Eating Bloodsucker of Aboriginal Australian Nightmares

The Yara ma tha who is more terrifying than any vampire.
by April White
May 1, 2024
A colorful orgy in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is triggered by the moon.

Wild Life: Synchronized Coral Spawning

In a preview of our new book, we watch the world’s largest living structure renews itself in nights of moonlit passion.
by Melissa Scott Sinclair
April 26, 2024
A near-complete fossil skeleton of Protemnodon viator from Lake Callabonna, missing just a few bones from the hand, foot, and tail.

Giant Kangaroos Once Towered Over Humans at 8 Feet Tall

New studies from a boneyard of fossilized skeletons may reveal why the 'roos grew and hopped the way they do.
by Olivia Young
April 17, 2024

Podcast: Law of the Tongue

Back when killer whales used to assist humans.
by The Podcast Team
March 14, 2024
Which nation can claim the pavlova?

This Christmas Dessert Caused a Decades-Long Rivalry Between Two Countries

Two historians are trying to track down pavlova's origins once and for all.
by Leah Hudson Leva
December 22, 2023
Honeypot ants feed on sweet nectar and death.

All Winter, These Ants Make the Ultimate Sweet Sacrifice to Their Colony

Their syrupy death is medicinal for humans, too.
by Shoshi Parks
December 5, 2023

The Batavia's Tale of Mutiny and Murder Gets a New Chapter

Archaeologists have unearthed new details of the 400-year-old bloodshed on a remote Australian island.
by Chris Baraniuk
September 25, 2023
A herd of cattle roam a lush green pasture in Australia, home to several of the world's largest private landholdings.

What Do King Charles III, the Pope, and the Canadian Inuit Have in Common?

Meet the world's largest landowners.
by Frank Jacobs, Big Think
August 11, 2023

Lists Featuring Australia

'Memory Is Creation Without End'
Justice and Police Museum
Mrs. Macquarie's Chair In Sydney Botanic Garden

The 10 Best Places to Visit Near the Sydney Opera House for Curious Travelers

10

Including 'Memory Is Creation Without End', Justice and Police Museum, and Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair

Red Seabeach
The otherworldly landscape of Padar Island.
Black Sand Beach

10 Unique Beaches From Around the World

From bright red grass to stranded shipwrecks, these beaches are anything but ordinary.

10

Including Driftwood Beach, Red Beach , and Padar Island

They were built in 1979.
The Howe Street stair corridor is the longest in Seattle.
Seward Street Slides

When Stairs and Slides Are Hiding in Plain Sight

Play real-life Chutes and Ladders at these obscure thruways.

9

Including Secret Tiled Staircase, Esmeralda Slide Park, and Howe Street Stairs

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