Our Top 10 List: Favourite Extremes of Australia
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This list is our own personal top-ten extremes we have seen in our travels around Australia, mostly from our 2008 around Australia trip. We have already listed all the Australia Big Things, just some of the extremes we have come across in our travels.
1. Biggest Barometer, Denmark, WA
When we passed through Denmark, Western Australia in 2009 we visited the Visitor Centre as usual and were surprised to find the largest barometer in the world – the 12.5 metres tall Bert Bolle Barometer. We were not sure what it had to do with Denmark but seeing something that is the biggest in the world gave us a nice feeling. Since 2011 it has been removed from the visitor’s centre and is looking for a new home.
2. Smallest Church
The Saint Nicholas Church in Australind, built in the 1840s, is the smallest church in Western Australia.
3. Biggest Shark
At the Streaky Bay Roadhouse in South Australia is a replica of a Great White Shark caught in 1990 by rod and reel weighing 1,500 kilograms and more than five metres long. It was a world-record catch.
4. Marble Masterpiece
Hidden away at the Gundagai Tourist Information Centre in New South Wales is the astonishing Marble Masterpiece, a miniature Baroque Italian palace. Sorry, we did not take a photo of it.
5. Longest Straight Road
Anyone crossing the country along the Nullarbor will drive along Australia’s longest straight roads, and one of the longest in the world – 146.6 km without a curve.
6. Biggest Sun Dial
Located in Singleton NSW. When it was made in 1987, it was the world’s largest sundial, now it is just the largest in the southern hemisphere.
7. Wallaman Falls
Australia’s Largest single drop falls, over 200m. We were lucky to see it, the mist/fog cleared just for a few minutes for us to take this photo. You can take a 300m walk down a steep slope to the base of the falls.
8. Long Slide
We found this huge slide at a random playground in Edenhope, Victoria.
9. Highest Mountain
In Australia, the highest mountain is Mount Kosciuszko, in New South Wales. We have climbed it several times, in both summer and winter. It is a great long hike but not a mountain climbing expedition at all.
10. Most Eastern Point
The most eastern point of mainland Australia is situated in Byron Bay. We have also been to the most southern point on the mainland- a Wilson’s Promontory – and the most western point – Steep Point at Shark Bay WA.
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* Extremes missing out on the top 10 are: most southeastern point of the mainland, big windmills on the Eyre Peninsula, Oldest motorhome, big trees (Walpole, WA)