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All Australia

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Australia

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

Updated March 22, 2023

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Cities

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  1. Acton
  2. Adelaide
  3. Bass
  4. Beechworth
  5. Bicheno
  6. Blinman
  7. Box Hill
  8. Brisbane
  9. Broken Hill
  10. Bundoora
  11. Callanna
  12. Canberra
  13. Cervantes
  14. Coffs Harbour
  15. Coober Pedy
  16. Darwin
  17. Davenport
  18. Eaglehawk Neck
  19. Fairfield
  20. Fraser Island
  21. Geelong
  22. Ghan
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  24. Hobart
  25. Katoomba
  26. Kiama
  27. Melbourne
  28. Newcastle
  29. North Coogee
  30. Parkes
  31. Parkville
  32. Perth
  33. Port Pirie
  34. Raymond Island
  35. Sydney
  36. Taroona
  37. Williamstown
  38. Yallabatharra
  39. Young
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Lists

Unusual Attractions in Australia

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.

Mount Dandenong, Australia

William Ricketts Sanctuary

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

East Warburton, Australia

Redwood Forest Tree Art

Woven tree art gives this towering Australian woodland a touch of mystical whimsy.

Wentworth Point, Australia

SS Ayrfield

Nature is leading a successful mutiny on this century-old freighter.
See All 531 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.

Sydney, Australia

The Lillipad Cafe

An indigenous ethnobotanist runs this brunch spot celebrating Australia’s native flavors.

Adelaide, Australia

Santos Museum of Economic Botany

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

Adelaide, Australia

Something Wild

This store offers tastes of Aboriginal Australia, with some contemporary and global twists.
See all 10 Places to Eat in Australia
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Explore Australia

Statues 60
History & Culture 58
Animals 56
Nature 49
Monuments 47
Art 42
Geology 37
Natural Wonders 32
Memorials 30
Water 29
Sculptures 29
Museums And Collections 28
Places To Stay 5
Unique Restaurants & Bars 4

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Recent Australia Activity

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    has been to Giant Earthworm Museum

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    has been to Captain Cook's Cottage

Stories About Australia

Podcast: Cactoblastis Memorial Cairn

A moth once saved Australia from a cactus crisis.
by The Podcast Team
February 16, 2023

Studying Australia's Feisty Northern Quolls Requires Beef Chum and Backpacks

Scientists fitted the famously bitey marsupials with tiny accelerometers to learn their secrets.
by Gemma Tarlach
February 8, 2023

The Town Where Santa's Sleigh Is a Surf Boat

In Mooloolaba, Australia, Saint Nick wears sunglasses.
by Tiare Tuuhia
December 9, 2022

Podcast: Buckley’s Cave

Where an escaped prisoner is said to have spent years in hiding.
by The Podcast Team
December 5, 2022

Mapping the Many Monsters of Aboriginal Australian Lore

A "terrifying pantheon" of ogres, sorcerers, and malevolent mermaids reflects a diversity in geography and environment.
by Christine Judith Nicholls
October 10, 2022

Why the Echidna is Australia's Most Delightfully Different Mammal

The evolutionary marvel mates in love trains, can swim in the ocean, and even uses jazz hands as a defensive tactic.
by Jack Ashby
August 4, 2022

How Pearl Meat Became Australia's Newest Luxury Ingredient

Once humble divers' fare, the meat of the pearl oyster now commands up to $200 per kilo.
by Lizzie Pook
June 24, 2022

Native Societies Harvested Billions of Oysters Sustainably

Conservationists should look to Indigenous history to fix the future.
by Diana Hubbell
May 13, 2022

Lists Featuring Australia

Red Seabeach
Padar Island and its crystal-clear turquoise water.
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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