Have you ever wondered where to go to see the weirdest sights around the world, where to find the most unusual natural features or the craziest manmade attractions? Are you planning on visiting a new place and want to get off the beaten track and see something unique and interesting? Or do you simply want to know about the amazing and extraordinary secret attractions hidden right here on your own doorstep? Well, look no further!
Atlas Obscura brings you all of the worldโs most unique and interesting places, and weโve found the best ones closest to Brisbane for you to check out!
About Atlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura is an online resource in which a global community of explorers has brought together a comprehensive database of the worldโs most extraordinary places. You can explore Gastro Obscura, featuring the most unusual culinary fare from around the world, upcoming astonishing events, great feature stories on all of the most interesting oddities, and of course, the worldโs most extraordinary sights.
With over 14,000 places featured on Atlas Obscura, you can be sure to find some of the most curious and fascinating sights from around the world. This is unlike any other travel guide you have ever seen. You can find a temple where rats not only roam freely but are worshipped, a boabob tree so large that it has a pub within the trunk, a hole of fire known as the Gates of Hell, and much, much more. This is your portal to discover the amazing hidden gems in this awesome world!
You can search by things like attractions, food and drink, top countries or top cities. Or best still, explore the whole world using the interactive world map, showing all the places in the atlas! You can find the map at atlasobscura.com.
Australia on Atlas Obscura
Here in Australia, we have over 200 amazing and unusual places to visit and sights to see. Plus the list is growing all the time. Did you know thereโs a pyramid here in Australia? It can be found at Ballandean in Queensland. Want to see a whole colony of giant pink slugs? Well, head to Mount Kaputar in New South Wales. Thereโs the quirky Museum of Human Disease in Sydney. Why not visit the amazing natural wonder of the crazy, bright pink waters of Lake Hillier in Western Australia? Or check out the ancient astronomy in the form of rock engravings by indigenous Australians at Mount Colah in New South Wales. Whatever ignites your curiosity or inspires your wonder in the world, you can be sure to find it here!
Unusual and Amazing Places Around Brisbane
The Pitch Drop Experiment
Did you know that right here in Brisbane, we have the Guinness World Recordsโ longest ever running lab experiment? This experiment began in 1927, has continued beyond the life of its creator, and will probably still be going long after weโve all gone!
Located at the University of Queensland, the pitch drop experiment [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pitch-drop-experiment] measures the viscosity of pitch as it drips through a funnel. Often thought of being a solid, the experiment shows that pitch is in fact a liquid โ albeit a very viscous one. In the more than eighty years the experiment has been running, the pitch has dripped only eight times! You can see this crazy experiment in a display cabinet at the university.
Southport Cable Hut
This unassuming brick structure is often overlooked by passersby, yet has a fascinating history. Located in Cable Park at Main Beach on the Gold Coast, the Southport Cable Hut is actually a heritage listed building. Dating back to the early 1900s, the hut was home to the terminal of the Pacific Cable โ an immense telegraph cable which ran along the ocean floor all the way from Australia to North America. The cable line was a vital means of communication connecting Australia with the wider world.
Streets Beach
Streets Beach at South Bank may not be a secret venue to local residents, but how many of us stop to take in how truly remarkable this awesome man-made lagoon and beach is? Located right in the city centre, this is a beautiful tropical oasis surrounded by high rises! The lagoon holds as much water as five Olympic swimming pools, there are 4,000 cubic metres of sand, which is topped up every year to keep it pristine, and there is even a surf club! All this, and you donโt even have to go to the coast!
Dularcha Rail Tunnel
This long disused rail tunnel hidden in the depths of the Dularcha National Park on the Sunshine Coast, is a creepy, historical structure dating back to 1891. Although no trains have passed through the tunnel since 1932, it is still regularly visited. A hiking path leads through the tunnel, making it a fun place for keen walkers to explore. Look out though, there are many local legends of ghost trains travelling the dark passageway, and it is also home to a colony of bats!
Wax Museum and Chamber of Horrors
Weโve all heard of wax museums like Madame Tussauds, but whatโs unusual about this wax museum on the Gold Coast? Well, not only is it the largest wax museum in the southern hemisphere, but it is also home to a grizzly chamber of horrors! From historical tortures to death warrants and shrunken heads, this is definitely for those seeking something a little different to peak their interest in the obscure and gory!
Big Avocado
We love our big things here in Australia, and thereโs one not too far from Brisbane. itโs none other than the Big Avocado at Duranbah! Marking the entrance of the awesome Tropical Fruit World, this giant avocado is a great, fun sight to visit and grab a photo next to!
Looking for more unusual things to see and do? Check out 10 Things You Didnโt Know You Could Do in Brisbane with Kids, and Secret Brisbane โ 5 Places or Activities Youโve Never Heard About.
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