Australia's Queensland province is home to more than fake beaches and angry koalas. The region also attracts tourists to the Mystery Craters, located about 17 miles from Bundaberg on the Gin Gin Highway. Why do people flock to check out a few holes in the ground? We have no clue. What the heck are they? Here's one explanation:
Some experts think the craters are part of a large meteorite while Australian geologists say the area is the roof [of] a subterranean lake that was caused by oil pressure underground, or that it was once the edge of the ocean and is the result of sea action. (The nearest beach is 24 km away)...It is probably impossible to deduce the exact manner of formation. One thing is certain, they are at least 25 million years old.
We are hoping this video, complete with audio, saves you the trouble of hitting up these holes in the ground.
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· Tourist Traps [Jaunted]
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Up in Queensland, the Qantas Founders Outback Museum has got a new baby this week. A very special Boeing 707 has been recovered from the scrap heap in the UK, restored and now flown back to Australia, ready for a new home in the Qantas Museum.
It's special because in 1959 it was the first commercial jet in Australia, and some would say that made it the beginning of mass tourism in Australia--it made the trip from Australia to the US or Europe much shorter and finally affordable for more normal people. And like most Qantas plans, it never crashed: yet. It's got a few demo flights to do before it gets tied down permanently for you all to visit in Longreach, but we're confident the Flying Kangaroo can make it.
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· First Qantas Jet To Make Final Touchdown [ABC]
· Some Qantas News That Doesn't Involve Sex [Jaunted]
· Got a Taste For Qantas? [Jaunted]
[Photo: ABC] ]]>
One of the greatest pests in Australia is not whinging Pommie tourists or even travelers insisting on drinking Fosters (true Aussies never do), but in fact an import from Hawaii called the cane toad. While the plan (some 70 years ago) was to introduce cane toads so they'd eat pesky cane beetles, it all went awry and cane toads are now a natural disaster, causing environmental havoc in Australia and especially in the state of Queensland.
Various schemes have been put into place to solve the toad problem, but the best one is the latest: a beer for a toad. A rich Queensland pub owner has backed a plan to start a bounty system: bring a bag of cane toads in, get a beer in return. Apparently the system has already worked in the nearby Northern Territory. But if you're thinking of holidaying in Queensland just for the free beer, you should know two things: these cane toads are incredibly ugly, and there's a limit on how many beer vouchers you can get per day.
[Photo: antheap]
Related Stories:
· Beer Bounty for Cane Toads [The Australian]
· Toad Hunters Offered Beer Bounty [ABC Online]]]>
For the next couple of days we are doing a quick fly-over of the world's most dangerous airports. And by dangerous we mean formidable, adventurous, and fear inspiring. Know a stomach dropping, palm sweat inducing airport we should check out? Send it along.
Dreaming of a holiday on Australia's Whitsundays? Incredibly, the tiny island has been able to build an airport big enough to accommodate jet airliners (mostly Jet Star and Virgin Blue).
Minimum runway length for jets is ~5,000 feet, while HTI clocks in at 5,591 feet, or just a bit over one mile long. Want more? There are hills on both sides of the runway and water at both ends. To line up for the approach, even the most experienced pilots fly straight past the landing strip, then turn back at a fourty-five degree angle.
What is your reward for this harrowing air experience?
Your luggage on arrival is collected by the island taxi/bus service and taken directly to your room in the hotel. Unfortunately you have to carry it to the bus on the return journey and check it in yourself.
S'alright mate. After all, you are spending time in Oz, so it is best you calibrate yourself to the Australian attitude of let-the-chips-fall-where-they-may as soon as you arrive, literally.
YouTube video of takeoff from HTI is after the jump, but it doesn't do the experience justice.
Related Stories:
· World's Most Dangerous Airports [Jaunted]
· World's Most Dangerous Airports [Google Maps]
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