8 Oddball Aussie Destinations That You Might Not Have Heard About

I plugged my route into ChatGPT and then asked it to tell me about all the roadside attractions that I shouldn’t miss during my journey. I am pleased with the results.

Here is the prompt:

I am traveling from Perth to Albany, Albany to Esperance, Esperance to Norseman, Norseman to Yaleta, Yaleta to Alice Springs, Alice Springs to Mount Isa City, Mount Isa City to Townsville, Townsville to Sydney (along the coast). Tell me about 20 oddball, eccentric, hidden-gem sights along my route.

And the results, filtered for taste:

1. Gnomesville - Near Bunbury, Western Australia, there's a peculiar community of thousands of gnomes gathered in a small village, each with its own unique story. Legend has it that the first gnome appeared magically. The rest have been added so that the founder doesn’t get lonely.

2. Coober Pedy Underground Homes - Coober Pedy in South Australia is known for its opal mining and unique underground homes. More than half the townspeople live underground to survive the scorching summer heat and freezing winters. Their homes -- built into caves, hills and old mine shafts-- stay a pleasant 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit) all year round.

Crocodile Harry's is an oasis of weirdness in the middle of the Coober Pedy desert. About four miles out of town, down a winding back road, it's the home of a croc hunter and local legend who lived here in Coober Pedy's boom times. The dugout is now a relic showing what extreme life looked like in the mining heyday.

The Old Timer's Mine was owned by the local Gough family until early 2018. In 1968, Ron and Jenny Gough started digging out a new bedroom for their second baby, and discovered an old mine underneath the house, dating back to 1916. Now the Old Timer's Mine is open to tourists who can see the mines in their original condition beneath the home, as well as the dugout home above it. The family's furniture and photos are from the 1960s. 

Faye's Underground Home: The highlight of Faye's Underground Home is the swimming pool, where Faye entertained guests. Her home was a favorite venue for local events. 

3. Mad Max Museum - Located in Silverton, New South Wales, this museum celebrates the iconic Mad Max film series, showcasing memorabilia and artifacts from the movies. Fun fact about the original movie: the budget was 400K and saw a profit of 100M; Mad Max broke the Guinness world record for most profitable film.

4. The Big Lobster - At Kingston SE in South Australia, you'll encounter a giant lobster statue, standing over 17 meters (55 feet) tall, a surreal roadside attraction. (This one is completely off my route but I wanted to include it anyways - may go for the detour.)

5. Glow Worm Tunnel - Near Lithgow, New South Wales, there's a disused railway tunnel that becomes illuminated by thousands of glow worms at night, creating a magical and eerie atmosphere.

6. Camel Racing in Alice Springs - Here we get an homage to the mideast. Experience the eccentricity of camel racing at the Alice Springs Camel Cup, an annual event that draws locals and tourists alike for a day of racing and festivities.

7. Pink Lake - Lake Hillier on Middle Island, off the coast of Esperance, Western Australia, is a naturally pink lake, which offers a surreal and otherworldly sight.

8. Kalgoorlie-Boulder Super Pit - In Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, you can witness one one of the world's largest open-cut gold mines, the Super Pit, a colossal excavation site that's both awe-inspiring and somewhat surreal.

ChatGPT is giving me great ideas here. My objective with these researchings is to avoid missing anything good—since I’ll likely never come down this road again. Hopefully you’re as excited as I am to explore these weird places. Which one are you looking forward to seeing? Do you know of any interesting spots that ChatGPT is missing?

Onwards,

Ian