Australian Town Completely Covered in Cobwebs after Millions of Spiders Rain from the Sky
Earlier this month, the residents of Goulburn – a small town in Australia’s Southern Tablelands – were spooked to discover their properties blanketed by millions of tiny spiders and mounds of their silky threads. The spiders had apparently rained down from the sky, silken thread and all, a phenomenon known as “Angel Rain”. “Anyone else […]
Being Stung by the Gympie Gympie Tree Is the Worst Kind of Pain You Can Imagine
‘Gympie-Gympie’ is hardly the name you’d expect for a stinging-tree. It looks quite harmless too, but in reality, the Gympie-Gympie is one of the most venomous plants in the world. Commonly found in the rainforest areas of north-eastern Australia, the Moluccas and Indonesia, it is known to grow up to one to two meters in height. In fact, […]
Bizarre Open-Air Urinals Spark Criticism in Australia
After nearly a decade of trying to manage public urination in a busy nightclub strip, Australia’s Gold Coast City Council finally hit upon an idea – temporary outdoor urinals. The loos are primarily aimed at drunken men who tend to relieve themselves in front of businesses and in alleyways. But the ingenious solution has sparked […]
The Wandering Stormtrooper – Man Walks 5,600 Miles across Australia in Iconic Star Wars Suit
For over a year, 47-year-old Scott Loxley has been walking across Australia dressed as a Stormtrooper. He started the quest on Nov 2 last year, with a goal of covering 15,000 kilometers on foot, non-stop, with no support crew. His unique journey has taken him from Melbourne to Tasmania, through the debilitating Nullarbor Plain, and up the west coast to […]
Two Australian Friends Turn Their Van into Free Laundry Service for the Homeless
Fresh, clean laundry is one of the most comforting things in life, but unfortunately not everyone has access to it. A couple of engineering students from Brisbane are trying to change that. They’ve started Orange Sky Laundry – Australia’s first mobile laundry service for the homeless. 20-year-old Lucas Patchett and his friend Nicholas Marchesi were […]
Australian Cafe Charges Different Prices for Coffee Depending on How Nice You Ask for It
The Seven Mile Beach Kiosk Café in Gerroa, New South Wales, doesn’t just serve its customers good coffee, but also a lesson in politeness. In order to reinforce the importance of being nice, the café’s owners are actually charging people different rates for coffee, depending on how they ask for it. Just so this doesn’t […]
The Whispering Wall of the Barossa Reservoir and Its Amazing Parabola Sound Effect
When the Whispering Wall was built over a 100 years ago, no one had a clue about its amazing acoustic properties. The concrete dam was constructed by about 400 workers over the South Parra River in Barossa Valley between 1899 and 1902. The dam holds back the 4,515-mega liter Barossa reservoir that supplies water to […]
Goanna Pulling – Playing Tug of War with Your Neck
If you’re as ignorant as I am, you’re probably scratching your head and asking yourself “what the heck is a goanna?” It’s a lizard species, but don’t worry, no animals are hurt in the unusual sport known as goanna pulling. Goanna Pulling is basically tug of war with a bizarre twist – instead of their […]
Giant Gippsland – The World’s Largest and Most Extraordinary Earthworms
What’s 31 inches long, one inch thick, has no legs, and slithers through the ground? No, it’s not a snake, it’s an earthworm! The Giant Gippsland, found in Gippsland in south-eastern Australia, is the world’s largest species of earthworms. Fully stretched, it can measure up to two meters in length. These slithering giants are surprisingly […]
Australian Family Set New Guinness Record with 502,165 Christmas Light Installation
We love it when the holidays are around the corner; there are just so many odd stories to talk about! Our first Christmas story this season is here: an Australian family who put up over half a million Christmas lights in their Canberra home and set a new Guinness World Record. This isn’t the first […]
What the Quack? Australia’s Amazing Flying Duck Orchid
Just like the Monkey Orchid we posted about a few weeks ago gets its name from its remarkable resemblance to a smiling monkey, the Flying Duck Orchid got its name for looking like a tiny duck with its head and beak held high and wings swept back. If you’ve never been to the Australian wilderness, chances […]
Your Money Is No Good Here – Australian Cafe Invites Customers to Pay for Coffee with Kisses
Metro St. James, a French-themed cafe in Sydney, Australia, has been open for only three months but it’s gaining popularity fast thanks to an ingenious promotional offer that allows customers to pay for their coffee with kisses. It’s no joke. During the month of June, people who choose to drink their coffee at Metro St. […]
The Iconic Floating Forest of Sydney
There are a lot of shipwrecks in Sydney’s Homebush Bay, near the Olympic village, but none quite like the SS Ayrfield, also known as “The Floating Forest” for the lush mangrove vegetation that now covers its rusty hull. The SS Ayrfield (originally launched as SS Corrimal), was a collier ship built in England in 1911 and used […]
Bathing in Pepto-Bismol – Australia’s Pink Lake
Would you believe it if someone told you Pepto Bismal isn’t manufactured from chemicals, but sourced from the water of a natural lake? It isn’t true, but you certainly might you certainly might be tempted to believe it after seeing pictures of the Lake Hillier, a bright, bubble gum pink body of water located on the […]
Australian Shop Charges Visitors $5 Just for Looking
Tired of having people walk into her gluten free produce store looking around and asking questions only to leave empty-handed and buy similar products somewhere else, a business owner from Brisbane, Australia, put up a sign announcing would-be shoppers they will be charged a $5 fee for “just looking”. A photo of the notice in the […]