Five must-visit weird and unique Aussie locations
The 1960s writer and dedicated weirdo Hunter S. Thompson once said “when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”Well, there’s probably something in everyone that’s a little off-kilter – but some have dedicated their lives to it. Feel like jumping in the family truckster and heading out to see some FWS (fairly weird stuff)? Here are five to get you started for your next weekend family road trip.
Cactus Country, Strathmerton, Victoria
There’s something unreal about a landscape totally given over to cactus plants of every imaginable variety, but believe us, Cactus Country is very real indeed. The 11 acre garden (located between Echuca and Yarrawonga about a three-hour drive from Melbourne) is the work of Jim Hall, who has collected cacti from all over the world. Gardeners will love it, but Instagramers too for the crazy shapes and forms of the (mainly) spiky green sculptured plants.
Wycliffe Well, Northern Territory
Sceptics will say Wycliffe Well’s claim to be the UFO Capital of Australia is merely a ruse to draw tourists into this roadhouse community on the long and lonely Stuart Highway 375km north of Alice Springs. But travellers have claimed to be chased by bright lights and locals have seen weird things in the sky, so why not make the most of it? The roadhouse has UFO info, a space mural and even statues of little green men out front, and after seeing all that, it’s also a great place to stop for a feed, a drink or even a stay on this dark desert highway.
Currie Boathouse, King Island, Tasmania
This delightful, shack-style restaurant is nicely located above the swaying kelp forests of Currie Harbour on King Island and looks like the perfect place for a long lunch. Only one problem: it’s also called The Restaurant with No Food and it doesn’t have waiters, wine or anything else. That’s okay though. Bring your own hamper of local produce (crayfish, cheese, steak sandwiches, craft beer etc.) and enjoy a hilarious feed with strangers who are probably as wacko as yourself.
Big Ugg Boots, Maitland, NSW
Perhaps one of the best things about this monument to Australia’s favourite winter footwear is that their owners, Mortels Sheepskin Factory, took on the American-owned Ugg company to continue using the ugg boot name and won. So the brightly-painted 600kg replicas (the colours change often) are something of a victory for Australian history, with the style of woolly boot dating back to shearers who fashioned them in the 1920s. Feel like a two-hour drive from Sydney to see them? Yep, that’s weird!
Gnomesville, Wellington Mill, Western Australia
Picture a forest glade in the Ferguson Valley, about 30 minutes out of Bunbury that has been taken over by a community of cheerful and colourful garden gnomes. Not just a dozen or 20 of them, but thousands. Welcome to Gnomesville which is not a planned tourist attraction or theme park but kind of evolved from the first few who arrived on the site – from where? Nobody knows. Bring your own gnome to add, or buy one from the nearby visitor centre and give a gnome a home.
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