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.
Tully
Northern NSW scenery |
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
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.
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