Oceania

Frederick Valentich Memorial Plaque

A plaque at the lighthouse where Frederick Valentich made his last radio contact before he vanished without a trace

"That strange aircraft is hovering on top of me again … it is hovering and it's not an aircraft." Those were the last words of pilot Fredrick Valentich, as they were uttered to air traffic... »

Unusual Monuments, Memento Mori, Hoaxes and Pseudoscience | Edited by Rachel

West Wallabi Island, Australia

West Wallabi Island

The oldest known European structures in Australia are the remnants of a story filled with mutiny, murder, jealousy and greed

Sometime after midnight on June 4th 1629, “The Batavia” ran aground 80 kilometers off of the Western Australian coast. Commanded by Francisco Pelsaert and carrying 322 men, women and children, the... »

Anomalous Islands, Crime and Punishment, Incredible Ruins | Edited by Rachel

Broken Hill, Australia

Titanic Bandsmen Memorial

A modest park memorial pays tribute to one of the Titanic's most revered storylines

"And the band played on." It's a common expression – finding its way into pop culture, literature, song lyrics, snarky political blogs and touching tributes to perseverance. Almost everyone has... »

Memento Mori | Edited by Mark_Casey and Rachel

Boorook, Australia

Gippsland Lake Bioluminescence

Australian Lake set aglow by Noctiluca Scintillans

The conditions were rare, and they were perfect. Starting with a series of bush fires in 2006, followed by torrential rains in 2007, by 2008 massive amounts of ash and nitrogen rich soul was... »

Bioluminescent Spots | Edited by serflac, Rachel and others

Coromandel Forest Park, New Zealand

Hot Water Beach

Handcrafted thermal spa washes away each night with the tide

Although the average hot tub costs a couple thousand dollars, Hot Water Beach allows people to carve their own thermal hot tub right on the beach in New Zealand. With just a few thrusts of a... »

Natural Wonders, Watery Wonders, Geological Oddities | Edited by atimian

Marree, Australia

Marree Man

Not a single witness can attest to the creation of the world's largest geoglyph

The fact that there is not a single witness to the creation of the Marree Man speaks to the absolute isolation of central South Australia. Somehow in 1998, one person or a group of people were... »

| Edited by serflac and atimian

Wauchope, Australia

Devil's Marbles

Clusters of huge boulders in the Australian Outback

The Devils Marbles are a symbol of the outback in Australia and across the world. Yet the classic photo of two giant rounded boulders in the vast arid landscape hardly does justice to an area that... »

Natural Wonders, Geological Oddities | Edited by serflac and atimian

Marree, Australia

Mutonia Sculpture Park

Lonely industrial sculptures in South Australia created by a mechanic turned artist

For miles in every direction in the midst of the South Australian desert, there is only sand, rocks and desolate road. Yet in this flat, arid landscape is an oasis, made not of water and palms,... »

Outsider Art | Edited by serflac and atimian

Woombye, Australia

The Big Pineapple

A giant Australian fruit and tropical farm

Since its erection in 1971, the Big Pineapple has been a family attraction in Queensland. Children looked forward to the pilgrimage during vacations and it brought smiles to many along the... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by serflac and atimian

Wingen, Australia

Burning Mountain

6000-year-old coal fire moves one meter per year

Mount Wingen has been smoldering for 6000 years without stop. Just below the surface of the earth in New South Wales, a coal seam has been burning and slowly moving south along the mountain at a... »

Fiery Wonders | Edited by A Facebook user and atimian