Travel ideas for Australia - unique sights, worth Guinness records

The largest canyon in Australia is Capertee. It has not only an impressive scale, but also a solid age. The valley was formed millions of years ago, so today its slopes don’t seem so steep. However, extreme land cliffs can be found there. Conquering them alone isn’t recommended to fans of climbing, as rocks are very fragile and may collapse.
The length of the canyon is about 450 kilometers and the width is about 30 kilometers. Since ancient times, locals used the valley of Capertee River to develop mines, as slopes of gorge were full of gifts of nature. The earliest gemstone mines have been developed here over 2000 years ago. It’s noteworthy that the field of gems didn’t depleted after thousands years. Most recently, one of the curious travelers has spent 6 days in the canyon; during that time he managed to find 77 gems. Walking through the ancient mines isn’t safe, as any loud sound or awkward movement can cause them to collapse. Abandoned mines are not the only attractive feature of Capertee. It remains an ideal place for exploring natural attractions and cycling. ... Complete sights collection

Thrilling roller coaster that can claim to be the most impressive can be found in Australia. It is situated in the popular Gold Coast beach resort, in the Dreamworld Gold Coast amusement park. Opening of the dramatic ride called 'Tower of Terror' was held in 1997. In 2010, the roller coaster was a bit modernized and became known as 'The Tower of Terror II.' Hill has an L-shape; the height of its 90-degree tower is 115 meters. To climb to such a height, a small cart with passengers has a top speed of 160 km/h; only 3 seconds are needed to reach such a speed. Such a lightning fast acceleration is due to the specially designed engine, whose power is 2.2 MW.
Departing from the unique technical characteristics of the ride, it's worth noting its main attractive feature. It allows passengers to experience the force of gravity in full; after reaching the top of the tower the cart rushes to the ground in freefall. Apart from the main cart, the most popular Australian ride has two more; they are located on the back side. Despite the fact that the Tower of fear now is far from the world championship, it never ceases to be unique. Over 600 tons of steel were used to build it and it took more than 16,000 bolts to seal the construction. Weight of the main cart, which can accommodate up to 15 passengers, is 6 tons; its engine power is enough to provide electricity for a small town for about 7 seconds. ... Complete sights collection

Badlands is a desert region in Australia that didn’t differ with temperature records. As that’s uninhabitable wasteland, it hasn’t been studied for a long time. Extensive investigation of this area began only after 2000, and a new record of global significance didn’t keep waiting long. In 2003, the air temperature at Badlands warmed up to 69.3°C; data was provided by NASA satellite.
Scientists believe this data to be quite logical, because Australia is the driest continent and the most deserted place on the planet. In 2003, El Niño convulsion largely contributed to achieving record temperature. Scientists suggest that abnormally high temperatures occur in the desert quite often. Badlands area is unsuitable for living, that's why it has got such a self-explanatory name. It’s important to note that desert regions alike are found in a variety of countries, including the United States and Spain, but the hottest of them is situated in Australia. ... Complete sights collection

Australian town of Odnadatta is situated to the south of the continent, near the Simpson Desert. According to the last census, about 300 people live in the territory of this miniature town, more than 30% of whom are local aborigines. First traveler, who visited the deserted city, was a Scot, John McDouall Stuart; that significant event happened in 1859.
The building of the Great Northern Railway is largely contributed to the development of the town. Today representatives of several mining companies stay working in Odnadatta. The main distinguishing feature of the miniature town is its arid climate. An absolute temperature record was placed in January, 1960 and made out 50.7°C.
Odnadatta is interesting for travelers; they can visit amazing sights and walk through town streets. The town has preserved the old railway station, which was once the final destination of the Great Northern Railroad. Today it houses an interesting museum. The town is also perfect for exploring surrounding desert regions. Tourists who can’t tolerate hot weather would better come here in winter. ... Complete sights collection

The biggest waterfall in Australia is the Wallaman Falls. Its height is about 300 meters. This attractive natural object finds its place in the extensive rainforest, a small river Stony Creek supply the waterfall. As far back, as 1958 the Wallaman Falls was recognized the landmark of the global value. Today it is one of the most visited natural objects of the country.
It is noteworthy that the formation of the beautiful waterfall resulted from one of the most destructive natural forces - erosion. For thousands of years such a unique natural relief has been developed in this area that nothing similar can be found. And the harmonious appearance of the waterfall underlines this uniqueness. According to scientists, the formation of the falls began over 50 million years ago. Previously the course of the Herbert River have been running here.
For millions of years the river has changed its course leaving behind a chain of high ledges and other unusual geological formations. The Queensland tropical rain forest where the waterfall is located is also a natural object of world significance. A lot of rare plants, exotic animals and insects are presented on its territory. In the study of the waterfall’s surroundings, scientists have detected about 380 species of plants. Dense rainforests are home to more than a hundred species of animals, many of which are under threat of extinction. ... Complete sights collection

Australian Ravenswood has been founded close to the gold fields and emptied quite recently. Earlier in 2008 there was mining of gold and precious metals in this area. Today this abandoned town with its beautiful buildings is an important tourist attraction where curious visitors walk around every day. Ravenswood was established at the end of the 19th century, the township flourished and grew to nearly 5000 residents.
Nowadays the ancient town is particularly interesting as a tourist attraction rather than an industrial element. Travellers are attracted to these places by old-timey historical monuments. The Imperial Hotel building is the city’s most spectacular architectural masterpiece of those times. Ravenswood is recognized not only for its monuments but also for the unique geological formations.
Bastard quartz deposits are found in the area, the largest of which is called White Blow because of its size and shape. In 1974 the area around the unique White Stone was declared a nature reserve. So White Blow Environmental Park enjoys the deserved travellers’ popularity. Visitors to Ravenswood always have an opportunity to stroll through the picturesque deserted streets, to observe unique natural sights and the world largest gold mine. ... Complete sights collection

The Pintupi Nine – such a name has got a small tribe of aborigins consisting of nine people and living in isolation in a remote area of Western Australia. The tribe was discovered in 1984. Unlike many “lost tribes” the Pintupi people happily joined the society and did not hesitate to break up with their centuries-old traditions. The Pintupi-speaking aborigins tracked the tribe down and told them that there is no need to wander the desert any more.
The Pintupi people have been invited to come into town where they can receive lots of food and water and, in return, they can produce handicrafts. The Pintupi have proved to be incredibly talented people. Many of them create wonderful paintings and make traditional adornments and other items nowadays. Only one of them refused to farewell his old life – Yari Yari. He stayed alone in the Gibson desert and has been living there in isolation for more than 30 years. ... Complete sights collection

Located in Australia, the Kuranda Scenic Railway is incredibly dangerous but also fabulously beautiful. It was built at the end of the 19th century. The rail line cuts through the picturesque rainforest of the Barron Reserve. During a trip, passengers have the opportunity to admire the most beautiful exotic plants, mountain scenery and waterfalls, the drops of water from which can even get into an open window.
All this natural splendor is very inspiring, but not for those travellers who are afraid of heights. Part of the way, trains pass over the bridge where one can see waterfalls and rocks covered with a bushy shrub, on the one hand and a dizzying cliff, on the other.
The most dangerous Kuranda Scenic Railway runs from Cairns to the nearby town of Kuranda. Just a few years ago, there was no alternative to the dangerous railroad. Nowadays, many people prefer the railway that passes through the suburbs of Stratford. Such a route is much longer, but is also much safer. The Kuranda Scenic Railway is still the best solution for travellers, it is only 37 kilometres in length. It takes about two hours to bridge the distance. Moving at high speed is prohibited. ... Complete sights collection

Franklin River, which flows in the western district of Tasmania, is a tributary of the Gordon River and has the length of about 129 km. At the moment the territory surrounding Tasmania's longest river is a nature reserve and attracts not only the fans of ecotourism but the rafting fans. Franklin River is one of the most dangerous and rushing rivers in the world. Not all experienced athletes dare to drive in their turbid and swirling waters.
For the courageous travelers, the exciting expeditions are performed, which take 7 - 10 days. During these river walks you can enjoy not only the ride through the river, but also the peculiarities of local nature, as well as the rarest animal and bird species of the Tasmania nature reserve. The tourists, for whom the rafting is more important than hikes through the picturesque areas, will appreciate the variety of the complicated obstacles on 'the waterway'.
You have to overcome the numerous complicated streamers, ditches and rock formations, as well as many mossy rocks around. Franklin River offers the athletes everything you need for an exciting and breathtaking adventure. One of the main advantages of this area is low number of tourists. Even during the walk on the popular hiking trails of the nature reserve one sees the other tourists extremely rare. The shores of one of the most violent rivers in the world almost always remain man-made. ... Complete sights collection

In Australia is the wonderfully beautiful unique beach with the romantic name of the White Paradise (Whitehaven Beach). The beach is located on the island of Whitsunday and is a huge lagoon that enters the island on 7 km. The water in the lagoon is turquoise, its coasts are covered with snow-white sand. The numerous shallow bays and shallow places lend the colors in the lagoon a beautiful contrast and make them simply peculiar. From the bird's eye view, this unique beach is reminiscent of the real work of art.
To the huge lagoon beach you can reach the yacht. Many tourists stay on the coast to enjoy the dawn. The unique quartz sand that covers the beach is considered the purest in the world. The beach itself took the first place in CNN's environment rides. The northern part of the lagoon is considered the most beautiful. Here, the sand and the turquoise blue water are strangely intermingled and form the contrast-rich miraculous patterns.
The tourists, who like the unusual entertainments, can book the exciting waterplane excursions on the Whitsunday Island and look at the lagoon in detail from the bird's perspective. Some coastal resorts are as found for the water sports, and the others are excellently equipped and fit nicely for picnic excursions. The holidaymakers, who want to relax alone, should not worry. On the extensive lagoon beach, there are enough quiet and deserted spots. ... Complete sights collection