Australia and Oceania Favorite Tips by Kate-Me Top 5 Page for this destination

More funny/unusual signs

Favorite thing: Some more typical & a couple of not so typical signs in Australia.

1: Duck crossing
2: The first really multicultural road sign I've seen - in the Sunraysia district of Victoria, near Mildura.
3: Who is the skipper = in this case, who's the captain/driver, designated driver?
4. Typical outback and farm sign, warning to watch out for stock on the roads.

Funny signs

Favorite thing: Funny signs and roadsigns (not that this one is meant to be humourous - it's the real thing, referring to WW2) are part of the character that is Australia.

Ghost Gums

Favorite thing: These Eucalypts are known as Ghost Gums, for their very white trunks, and are also a typical sight in many parts of the outback.

Road Trains

Favorite thing: Road Trains are another really common sight in the outback...just hope you're not stuck driving in the cloud of dust behind one!
They're extremely long - as many as 2 - 3 times the normal size of a semi trailer.

Termites II

Favorite thing: Here is hopefully a little clearer photo of a smaller Termite mound.

Termite Mounds

Favorite thing: These structures are actually termite ant mounds!
They're a rather common sight in the outback and in some instances they can be as tall as a bus. Why? Because of the wet season floods.
When the Wet Season comes, the ants move higher to escape the water.
Interestingly, these termite mounds are also magnetic, pointing north. It's scientifically proven but they don't know why. They've done experiments on the mounds, even trying to turn them around, but the ants just keep pointing north.

Frill Necked Lizard

Favorite thing: Here is another desert animal you can hope to find in the Outback, Australia's famous frill necked lizard.

Fondest memory: I particularly love the reptiles (excluding snakes!) in the Australian outback. Often you can see lizards sunning themselves by the side of the roads.

Ettamogah Pub

Favorite thing: I don't know how the Ettamogah pub idea began, but there is one of them in Queensland and another in Albury, Victoria.
The main idea seems to be for them to be pubs so Aussie that they're more than Aussie and larger than life, combining all the aspects of outback pubs - funny and rude jokes on noticeboards and walls, memorabilia, - and more, including souvenirs, plenty of beer (of course) and even the floor is on a slight lean to make you feel drunk before you are.
Outside there's more of the same - funny signs and weird things to see.

Emus

Favorite thing: You'll see plenty of Emus out in the outback as you're travelling around. You don't even have to be in the outback to see them either.
They are curious birds, and those used to humans are usually anything but shy! (ie they'll steal your picnic lunch if they're given even half a chance, so beware!...standing 5 feet tall, in the battle for your lunch, they can be a bit intimidating.)

Flooding in the Wet Season

Favorite thing: The Wet Season in Northern Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland) is normally between October - about the end of March.
As you see from the photo, this time of year really isn't a good time to go touring!
During the wet season, there always seems to be floods, at least somewhere, and they can last for weeks.