These other-worldly limestone structures can be found near the town of Cervantes in Western Australia. Their formation came about either a) as a result of rain cementing the lower levels of a sand dune b) effectively, by being the casts of long-departed trees or c) casts of long-departed plant roots.
Whichever mechanism shaped these marvellous formations, they’re very photogenic in all sorts of light conditions, and the area in which they lie is part of the well-visited Nambung National Park. The best time to visit is August-October to avoid the hottest months.
Morpeth Weird & Wonderful Novelty Teapot Exhibition
The twenty-second annual teapot exhibition will be held in August this year in the small town of Morpeth. It was originally dreamed up as a way to market this once major port on the Hunter River and now exhibits teapots from around the world: last year 3,847 teapots were sent to the town from all over.
A colourful offshoot of the main teapot exhibition is the Morpeth Tea Cosy Challenge. Entrants into the competition submit their entries for one of five categories: Tea Time, Food Makes Me Happy, Animal Kingdom, In The Garden and Under the Ocean.
The Big Thing Trail
Australia loves its big roadside things, and to experience some of the best, take the Big Thing Trail. Heading north from Sydney you’ll see a Big Chook, Big Banana, Big Prawn and a Big Mosquito. Head south-west and you’ll drive past a Big Playable Guitar, Big Trout and Big Cherries.
And the great thing is, these are only examples. There are around 150 of the giant things all over Australia – even Tasmania has a Big Penguin.
Australian Standing Stones
Glen Innes is the self-styled Celtic Country, reason being the first settlers in this area of New South Wales were Scots. And boy, does Glen Innes like to celebrate its celtic heritage! These Australian standing stones are dedicated to celts everywhere and were inspired by the Ring of Brodgar in the Orkney islands. They were erected in 1992.
They’re no pale imitation of a stone circle, either: they’re real stone, each weighing on average 17 stone and having a height of around 5 metres. They’ve become part of the annual Australian Celtic Festival held in May and coming complete with Irish music, Scottish kilts and diddly dee music.
Remarkable Rocks
Flinders Chase National Park is situated on Kangaroo Island, off the coast of south Australia, and is the place to visit the very unusual volcanic rock formations known as “Remarkable Rocks”.
Like something from a Dali painting, they’re very curved and arched and some are very precariously perched. Many are covered with an orange lichen that contributes towards a striking photograph at particular times of the day. The rocks were shaped very simply by wind, rain and sea spray.
Kakadu National Park is Australia’s largest national park and is about a 3-4 hours drive from Darwin. It’s “Crocodile” Dundee country, where much of the 1986 film was shot. It’s owned by indigenous people and is situated right in the park itself, making it a great base to explore the area. Above is a crocodile shaped hotel – yes really.
Coober Pedy
Coober Pedy in South Australia is the opal capital of the world. It’s also very hot, and because of this, underground living is a common feature of the area. Even the name derives from the aboriginal “kupa-piti” which means “white man’s hole”. Have a drink in an underground bar, take a Desert Cave tour or go opal hunting in one of the mines open to the public where you can dig for your own stone.
The Big Camera Photographic Museum
Shaped like an SLR camera, the quirky Big Camera Photographic Museum is situated about 135km east of Perth, in a town called Meckering. As well as exhibiting examples of the first photographs, it displays projectors, magic lanterns, zoetropes, phantascopes, kaleidoscopes and magic mirrors. And examples of old cameras, of course.
If planning a visit, beware, it’s closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Manly Quarantine Station
With the history behind this complex of buildings just 30 minutes outside Sydney it’s not surprising that stories of ghosts have arisen. It was used to house immigrants to the country for 140 years and must have seen many deaths and dramas in its time. These days quite a range of ghost tours can be taken: adult, extreme, family, spirit investigator and even a ghostly sleepover.
For those not particularly gripped by stories of malevolent spirits, nature and history day tours can be taken instead.
Tully Golden Gumboot
Tully is a town in Queensland that, as a result of receiving an annual rainfall of 4490mm, is a regular recipient of the rubber boot, awarded to Australia’s wettest town. In recognition of this, in 2003 a 7.9 metre high fibreglass golden gumboot was erected by the townspeople. It has a staircase inside leading up to a viewing platform, and there’s a frog inexplicably climbing up the outside.
This gumboot is surely the only gumboot in the world to have a festival named after it: the Tully Golden Gumboot Festival, featuring bands, choirs, athletics, and of course, gumboot tossing.
Top photo credit: Pinnacles Desert, Nambung National Park (Wikipedia)
Born in Belfast and now living in London, Julie McNamee is involved in internet marketing as a day job and blogging as a hobby. She’s interested in all things quirky and Fortean, as well as art, photography and theatre. Her blog Quirky Travel, specializes in London and Paris top tips and off the beaten path information with subjects such as London film locations and unusual Paris museums.
