7 Fairy-Tale Small Towns In Australia
When Europeans first arrived on the continent now known as Australia, they might as well have entered a fairytale. Bipedal, human-sized creatures that jump 10 feet high and carry their young in a pouch and duck-billed, beaver-tailed mammals that lay eggs and secrete venom were too fanciful to be believed back home. And yet, when one thinks of Down Under now, kangaroos and platypuses are often the first animals to come to mind! After such oddities were debunked, Europeans learned about the actual indigenous myths and incorporated their own folklore. Today, Australia's rich cultural heritage is celebrated in its fanciful towns. Behold seven of the most mystical, fairytale towns.
Helensburgh, New South Wales
Forget streetlights. Let glow worms be your late-night guide through Helensburgh. On the north side of town, deep down the defunct Metropolitan Tunnel, bioluminescent gnat larvae gather by the thousands to emit bright-blue, prey-attracting light. A setting fit for the next Avatar, this Pandora's box is opened by countless adventurers, who do not let venomous snakes or periodic floodings stop them from sloshing toward the spectacle. Besides blue light, the tunnel is bathed in legend, especially of a miner who was killed by a train in 1895. His spirit is supposedly said to linger with the larvae.
Another defunct train feature-turned-fantastical attraction is located nearby in Sydney. Inspired by the death of her artist ex-husband in 1992, Wendy Whiteley revitalized an abandoned railyard with a diverse array of flora, fauna, and fairytale-like figurines. It is called Wendy's Secret Garden and is truly secretive compared to other Sydney oases like the Chinese Garden of Friendship. Along with Guangzhou-style scenery, there are dragons. Water dragons. Instead of standing 30 feet tall and breathing fire, they are 30 inches long and hold their breath underwater.
Arthurs Seat, Victoria
Arthur's Seat was named for a landform in Scotland near Edinburgh Castle, which was allegedly named for King Arthur. Knowing those medieval roots, is it any surprise that Arthur's Seat, Australia, grew almost as enchanting as its namesake? This town of about 400 people occupies a comparably craggy section of the Shire of Mornington (yes, certain rural Australian areas are called shires) and boasts the 25-acre Enchanted Adventure. Comprising gardens, mazes, unique sculptures made from metal, glass, and timber, and towering trees used for "surfing," Enchanted Adventure won the "Adventure Tourism" award at the 2015 Australian Tourism Awards.
Though Arthurs Seat is verily verdant, it is part of Greater Melbourne, which abounds with urban oddities like the Fairies Tree (a carved collage of fairies, dwarfs, gnomes, and Australian animals), Bunyip Statue (which depicts an Aboriginal folklore creature outside the State Library Victoria), and SpellBox (a "haven and a place of magick" that peddles charms, crystals, and spells).
Wellington Mill, Western Australia
Wellington Mill has about 150 humans and 7,000 gnomes, yet, Gnobody knows precisely why. What is known is that, in the 1990s, Wellington Mill got a roundabout. One day, a garden gnome appeared in its center. And then another. And then another. And then another. Before long, there were so many gnomes that the roundabout became hazardous. Authorities moved the gnomes to the side, where a gnome community called Gnomesville now sprawls. Human visitors, numbering in the thousands, walk through the village and stop at the gnome homes. Some even add their own gnomes—as long as they give them proper personalities. "Bad gnomes" are removed or transferred to the Gnome Detention Center, which was allegedly built by a resident sick of gnomes left on her non-Gnomesville property. Outside the fenced "Gnome City Limits," Wellington Mill is largely gnome-free, with sites like the Peppermint Lane Lodge having minimal gnomage.
Marysville, Victoria
Marysville is a tiny town in the Shire of Murrindindi. Although bereft of hobbits, it features elves, wizards, fairies, a unicorn, and various other fantasy folk, courtesy of Bruno's Art & Sculpture Garden. This terracotta wonderland, sculpted by the titular Bruno Torfs, peeks from a lush rainforest that the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires ravaged. Thankfully, like a mythical phoenix, Bruno rose from the ashes more vibrant than before. After exploring the restored sculptures amid regrown foliage, continue your fantastic foray in the surrounding Yarra Ranges National Park. Bruno's handiwork is not needed in this park. Nature's sculpting, as seen in 250-foot eucalyptus trees and 100-foot waterfalls (including Keppel Falls), is magical enough.
Mena Creek, Queensland
Another rainforest utopia sits some 1,600 miles from Marysville in Mena Creek, Queensland. Called Paronella Park, it evokes Spanish legends like El Dorado—an opulent city hidden in the dense jungle. Indeed, Paronella, with its golden palace nestled among lush greenery, was built by a Spaniard in the 1930s as a "commercial pleasure garden." Disasters dulled and even closed Paronella for years until new owners refurbished the oasis after 1993. It has since won several dozen tourism awards.
Although you need not leave Mena Creek to see natural wonders (Paronella has over 7,500 introduced plants and myriad native animals), you can find even more woodsy wonderment in numerous nearby preserves. They include Wooroonooran National Park, Japoon National Park, and Tully Gorge National Park.
Mitta Mitta, Victoria
There is a witches' garden in Mitta Mitta, but have no fear, it is not where evil hags pluck poisonous plants for pedicidal potions. Instead, it is a slice of Mitta Valley paradise tended by a woman who, though not a witch, honors the Celtic "witches" of old. Healers, rather than killers, said witches knew the diverse and positive power of herbs. The Witches Garden extends that tradition with its extensive collection of medicinal plants. Visitors meander around the plants, learn about their properties, and bask in the overall beauty of the four-acre preserve. A Monet-inspired, wisteria-covered bridge provides a perfect backdrop for weddings and other special events, while a hedge maze with hints of hemlock offers a thrill for thrill-seekers. But the most stimulating sight in The Witches' Garden is The Witches' Cottage. Designed as if a witch actually lives there, it is filled with broomsticks.
Anakie, Victoria
Located near Melbourne in the Golden Plains Shire, Anakie boasts the fairest fairy tale attraction of all, Fairy Park. Fairy Park is a compilation of folklore faves on a hillside north of town. As you walk up the hill, you will encounter Snow White, Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, and various other characters as standalone sculptures or in scenes from their respective tales. Once at the summit, which adjoins the extinct volcano Mount Anakie, you are treated to a panoramic view of the naturally mystical landscape.
Although Fairy Park has its fair share of medieval-style sights, Kyral Castle, situated just northwest of Anakie, is the better choice for Ren-Fans. Inside the replica castle are everything from jousting displays to a dragon's labyrinth.
With unbelievable scenery and unique creatures, Australia is already a veritable fantasy land. Sprinkle some European folklore around its small towns and you have not one, not two, but seven Aussie-accented Narnias of your choosing. Between a worm-lit tunnel and an enchanted canopy and a gnome village and a sculpture gallery and a quasi-El Dorado and a witches' garden and a mountainside fairy park, which will you enter first?
