Strange Australian Towns

St Helena Island

St Helena Island is Queensland’s most historic island. This National Park is located four kilometres from the mouth of the Brisbane River in Moreton Bay. St Helena Island was once a quarantine station which then became home to colonial Queensland’s foremost maximum security prison for men, where severe punishment - the lash, the dreaded dark underground cells, the gag, and energy-sapping shot drill once took place. The toughest years on St Helena were undoubtedly the early ones, and the ruins on the island testify to the hard work that the prisoners had to do. While on St Helena Island, why not take a ghost tour by night?

Moreton Bay, Brisbane                                                                                                   

White Cliffs

Situated in the north-west area of New South Wales, White Cliffs, like Coober Pedy, is an underground town, due to the searing temperatures reaching around 47 degrees in summer. During an opal mining boom, White Cliffs had a population of 4,500, which has now depleted to a mere 150. Upon your visit to this underground town you can fossick on the old mine dumps by day, or visit the town’s main focal point, the Dugout Underground Motel.

Nimbin

Nimbin is a village in New South Wales, near Lismore. This small town is known as the ‘Rainbow Region’, and has been described by many as ‘the alternative capital of Australia’ and a ‘social experiment’. Nimbin has a high tolerance for alternative lifestyle. Here you will find an abundance of hippies, living alternate lifestyles, particularly in communes. Nimbin celebrates their unique culture annually with the Mardi Grass Festival.  

Northern NSW scenery

Tully

The town of Tully, situated midway between Townsville and Cairns in Queensland, is known as the wettest town in Australia, but also holds the title of Australia’s most popular UFO hotspot. This small town is ranked number 1 in Australia and Asia as a UFO hotspot, with a number of ‘close encounters’. Many Tully residents have confessed to seeing extraterrestrial activity for sometime, dating back to the early 1960’s. The world’s original crop circle, the so-called ‘Tully Saucer Nest’ was discovered here in 1966.

Zeehan

Zeehan is a small town on the west coast of Tasmania, near Queenstown. Once known as the thriving ‘Silver City’ at the turn of the century, the once silver rich mining town had a population of 10,000 (with 27 pubs) but has since declined to 800 due to a depletion of silver. Left remaining is an array of historic buildings still used regularly by townsfolk.

Zeehan, Tasmania

Tantanoola

Tantanoola is a small town situated near Mount Gambier in South Australia. Many areas of Australia have their stories about panthers and tigers roaming in the bush but this one is a bit different in that there is some basis in fact. In the 1890’s a man named Tom Donovan shot the mysterious predator, which turned out to be a Eurasian wolf - equally out of place in the Australian environment. The creature now resides in a glass case in the Tantanoola Hotel.

Principality of Hutt River

The Principality of Hutt River is located north of Perth, near Geraldton. In 1970, after ongoing disputes with the Australian Government over wheat quotas, Leonard George Casley, one of the residents of this town succeeded from Australia and created a separate country, declaring himself ‘King Leonard’. Thousands flock to this historically strange place each year, but there are only 30 permanent residents. This ‘micronation’ is not officially recognised by Australia or any other country. 

10 Big Things you’ve never heard of

1. The Big Barramundi

Found in Normanton, Queensland The Big Barramundi offers fresh saltwater fish available for lunch al fresco in the barbeque gardens.

2. The Big Beer Can

Cobar in country NSW now has a place in the Guiness Book of Records thanks to The Big Beer Can. If filled the 5 metre tall structure would fit 10,000 schooners of beer. That’s more glasses of beer than people in the town!

3. The Big Mosquito

Living ominously above the Hexham Bowling Club north of Newcastle, The Big Mosquito draws tourists off the Pacific Highway for a photo and cool drink.

4. The Big Tennis Racquet

Found in Barellan, in the Riverina region of NSW, the 13.8m wooden Dunlop tennis racquet was built in honour of Evonne Goolagong, 14 times Grand Slam winning Australian Aboriginal tennis player.

5. The Big Penguin

Found in the appropriately named town of Penguin on Tasmania’s north west coast this statue represents the friendly visitors to the town each night at dusk. The town has a gorgeous ocean side drive past manicured gardens, sandy beaches and rugged .   

6. The Golden Gumboot

Tully, south of Cairns is the Australia’s wettest town, holding the record for 7.9 metres of rain in 1950. To celebrate this in true Aussie humour The Golden Gumboot was built at exactly 7.9 metres high in 2003.

7. The Big Ned

The famous bushranger Ned Kelly’s legendary story has put Glenrowan in the history books. To ensure we don’t forget this infamous period of history a giant statute of Ned was erected in 1992.

8. The Big Ant

This structure was designed by artist Pro Hart then donated to Broken Hill in 1990, where it can be found sitting proudly beside the Tourist Information Centre. To enjoy the outback scenery why not journey to Broken Hill on the Indian Pacific train from either Adelaide or Sydney.

9. The Big Sundial

The World’s Biggest Sundial is found in Singleton, NSW almost 200km north west of Sydney. Lemington Mine presented it as a gift to the town for Australia’s Bicentennial in 1988. Singleton is close to several Hunter Valley vineyards.

10. The Big Poo

Found in Kiama, NSW The Big Poo was built by local residents as a protest against Sydney Water’s decision not to reuse waste water in the area. The structure, unveiled in 2003, is built out of foam.

Broken Hill