Offbeat Australia
Quirky Edition
Australia has a soft spot for the odd and oversized.
You’ll find a giant lobster guarding one town, a chicken race in another, and enough rusty sculptures to fill a paddock. We’ve learned to stop asking why. It’s easier just to pull over and enjoy it.
These are a few of our favourite offbeat stops — places that made us laugh, shake our heads, or fall in love with the sheer weirdness of the road.
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Our Faves!
Katherine, NT – Sardine Tin Sculptures
In a quiet corner of Katherine, Russian-born artist Germogen Sergeef turned his collection of sardine tins into art. It’s strange, delicate, and somehow fits perfectly in the middle of the Top End.
Tambo, QLD – Chicken Races
A small town, a racetrack, and a bunch of chickens with more personality than sense. The Tambo Chicken Races are pure country chaos — all feathers, laughter, and community spirit.
Lightning Ridge, NSW – The Whole Place
Quirky doesn’t begin to cover it. Underground houses, bottle walls, and a miner’s sense of humour baked into every corner. You could spend a week here and still not see it all.
Pine Creek, NT – Car Museum in the Middle of Nowhere
You don’t expect to find a car collection out here, but Pine Creek proves otherwise. Rows of classics under corrugated roofs — a love letter to machines and miles.
Daly Waters, NT – Outback Pub Zoo
A pub full of bras, beer, and livestock strolling past the door. We stopped for one drink, stayed for three, and watched the donkeys wander down the main street.
Wirrulla, SA – Jetty Without a Tide
A jetty that never touches the sea. Someone built it anyway. It’s odd, proud, and perfectly Australian.
Murphy’s Haystacks, SA
Huge pink boulders in the middle of farmland, weathered into shapes that don’t make geological sense. Locals call them haystacks, and somehow, that fits.
Other updates you may like…
Exploring the Undara Lava Tubes was like stepping into another world…towering underground tunnels carved by ancient lava flows, part history, part geology, and all awe. A side quest well worth the detour.