Archive for the ‘Quirky Australia’ Category

Ettamogah Pub - photo credit: © Bryan Garnett-Law

Most Australian’s would remember the Ettamogah Pub as the cartoon pub featured in the old Australia Post magazine by cartoonist Ken Maynard. The first ‘Ettamogah Pub’ was built 10km north of Albury, NSW and since then others have been built in Sydney, the Sunshine Coast in QLD and in Cunderdin Western Australia.

It really is quite a quirky building where you can get a beer and most Aussies enjoy visiting them when they are in the area.

Like most countries, we have some funny place names. I would imagine when they were named they weren’t too funny but as language develops as does slang it makes for some funny signs. Below is a list of some of the funny ones in Australia – if you know of others, feel free to add a comment.

Bald Knob (QLD)
Blackbutt (QLD)
Bobbin Head (NSW)
Bogan Gate (NSW)
Boinka (VIC)
Bong Bong (NSW)
Boobyalla (TAS)
Broke (NSW)
Burpengary (QLD)
Burrumbuttock (NSW)
Coffin Bay (SA)
Come by chance (NSW)
Dark Corner (NSW)
Dicky Beach (QLD)
Dismal Swamp (TAS)
Dum Dum (NSW)
Eggs and Bacon Bay (TAS)
Gingin (WA)
Grass Patch (WA)
Humpty Doo (NT)
Humpybong (Qld)
Iron Knob (SA)
Mooball (NSW)
Nowhere Else (Tas)
Pimpinbudgie (QLD)
Poowong (VIC)
Rooty Hill (NSW)
Tittybong (VIC)
Useless Loop (WA)
Wee Waa (NSW)
Wonglepong (Qld)
Yorkeys Knob (Qld)

Henley-on-Todd Regatta

How’s this for Quirky?

Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, each year holds the famous “Henley-on-Todd Regatta”, a boat race run each year which attracts scores of locals and tourists, this year is the 48th race touted as “The Territory’s longest running iconic event!”

What’s so unusual about a boat race you ask? It’s run on the dry river bed of the Todd River, in fact in 1993 the race had to be cancelled due to – yep, you guessed it – rain, which resulted in water in the river!

Why is it that ‘big things’ become iconic? In Australia, we’re no stranger to having big things dotted around the country, the first built was the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour which was built in 1964.

We have over 150 big things in Australia and they have become almost a cult phenomenon with people always stopping by to grab a photo of them. Quite a number of our Big Things here are even being heritage listed.

Now that’s quirky!!

Some of the more well known Big Things we have are:
The Big Banana – Coffs Harbour NSW
The Big Barramundi – Daintree QLD
The Big Captain Cook – Cairns QLD
The Big Cassowary – Mission Beach QLD
The Big Cheese – Bega NSW
The Big Croc – Humpty Doo NT
The Big Dog on a Tuckerbox – Gundagai NSW
The Big Earthworm – Bass VIC
The Big Gold Panner – Bathurst NSW
The Big Golden Guitar – Tamworth NSW
The Big Guitar – Narrandera NSW
The Big Gumboot – Tully QLD
The Big Koala – Dadswells Bridge VIC
The Big Lobster – Kingston SA
The Big Merino – Goulburn NSW
The Big Murray Cod – Swan Hill VIC
The Big Ned Kelly – Glenrowan VIC
The Big Penguin – Penguin TAS
The Big Pineapple – Gympie QLD
The Big Potato – Robertson NSW
The Big Prawn – Ballina NSW