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Whether it’s outback UFO hotspots, giant bananas or stubborn micronations, Australia offers plenty of adventures for the novelty-seeking traveller. David Whitley picks ten of the most unusual.

Step beyond the obvious highlights in Australia, and it starts getting a little odd. The further away you get from the big cities, the weirder the country seems to get…

The Big Things

Australia has a weird penchant for putting giant fibreglass objects by the side of the road in mundane towns. Since the Big Banana was unveiled in 1964 alongside the Pacific Highway in Coffs Harbour, hundreds of variations on the theme have cropped up across the country.

Some Australians regard them as a tick list to be completed – others just want to see the most absurd. The Big Pineapple at Nambour, the Big Prawn at Ballina and the Big Merino in Goulborn are all quite superb.

Gracemere Saleyards

Rockhampton, lying on the Tropic of Capricorn in Central Queensland, is real cowboy country. It has statues of cows all over the place, hosts bull-riding sessions every Friday night and regards a dinner without a massive steak as a bit wussy.

And the Gracemere Saleyards are where most of the cows, bulls and steers are bought and sold. Over the chorus of a thousand moos, men in big hats and tight jeans do business – and tourists are allowed to come along and watch. The auctioneers gabble impenetrably, the cowboys herd the cattle through a bewildering maze of pens and the smell of dung fills the air – but it’s a fascinating look at a different world.

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