Uluru, Kata Tjuta, The Pinnacles and the Twelve Apostles aren't the only strange natural phenomena you can visit if you travel on holiday to the island continent.

If there is one thing Australia is blessed with, aside from a lot of incredibly bad pub rock bands and a ludicrous traffic lights system, it is big, weird rocks. Maybe it’s that the country is, on the whole, flatter than Gwen Stefani lying down, but when something does stick out, it sticks out in weird, extremely photogenic ways. Take these little (or rather, massive) beauties, for example…

Uluru

Uluru has coped well with fame. Whereas rocks of lesser character would have been changed by the constant fawning, media adoration and groupies, Uluru remains dignified, awe-inspiring and an example to all other rocks.

Believe it or not, there are those out there who question the sanity of people who will fly to other side of the world, add on a three hour flight to Alice Springs, and then drive for six hours just to see the artist formerly know as Ayers Rock. And while they may have a point in highlighting the ludicrousness of it, there is no denying that Uluru is an absolutely awesome sight.

To the Ananga, the aboriginal owners of the land, this giant red monolith is regarded as sacred. They will not climb it, and other people are politely asked not to as well. Those that do probably deserve what they get – intensely aching limbs, pure exhaustion and heart failure being common repercussions.

You don’t need to climb it to appreciate it, though. Watching the sun set behind it is a transfixing, mesmerising experience, the walk round it jaw dropping, and as for the journey there, well, that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?

Mt Augustus

Whilst Uluru is commonly believed to be the biggest monolith (single rock) in the world, it’s all a dastardly lie. That title is still held by Australia, however, but it is the little known Mt Augustus that carries that title. This giant is about 320km east of Carnarvon in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

There are reasons for it not being as well known. First of all, it doesn’t quite have the distinctive shape of Uluru, and secondly it’s even more ludicrously out of the way. However, it is twice the size, and is an incredible sight in itself. More to the point, saying you’ve been to that is FAR more impressive than saying you went on the Ayers Rock tourist trail. Trips to it can be organized from Perth, but be prepared for a lot of barren scenery on the way.

Twelve Apostles

Victoria’s Great Ocean Road has more big rocks sticking out of the sea than someone talking to Jamie Oliver has globules of spit over them. Amongst many other picturesque spots, there is Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge and the Bay Of Martyrs. Most famous of all though, are the Twelve Apostles.

These spectacular jagged outcrops have emerged over time thanks to the absolute buffeting received from the mighty Southern Ocean, and make for a stunning photo, with headlands and ocean in the background, even when it’s overcast.

Whilst many try and see them as part of a day trip, it’s well worth taking your time to go down the Great Ocean Road, and staying in some of the gorgeous little coastal towns for a night or two. After all, there is a lot more to this stretch of tarmac than a few lumps of limestone.

The Pinnacles

If you’ve ever fancied looking at life on an alien planet, but don’t want to wait for the necessary technological advances and got turned down for that coveted role in Star Trek, then look no further than the Nambung National Park.

A couple of hours north of Perth, the Nambung is home to the Pinnacles desert, and it looks weirder than Marilyn Manson in real try-hard mode.

Seemingly out of nowhere, thousands of limestone dragon’s teeth rise out of the sand in various bizarre shapes. Walking through, you can see rabbits, tortoises, totem poles and, for the mucky-minded amongst you, unnervingly large genitalia.

With the Indian Ocean in the background, this moonscape makes for brilliant photos, as many a lazy guide book editor will attest.

Kata Tjuta

Whilst there may not be much else in the Northern Territory’s Red Centre, there sure as hell are plenty of big rocks. Uluru, obviously is the most famous, but most trips out to Uluru will also incorporate a visit to Kata Tjuta, which is also known as the Olgas.

Sticking out of the ground like 18 glamour models limbo dancing, these 36 rounded domes are often found to be more mesmerizing than their more illustrious neighbour. Highly recommended is the 7km Valley Of The Winds walk, which snakes through the mounds and the gorges around them. It’s not particularly hard going, but be prepared to be fried to within an inch of your life if you’ve not put sun cream on.

Bungles Bungles

Unfortunately, these are not shaped like the camp bear from Rainbow, but they are still amazing nonetheless. Deep in the heart of north west WA’s rugged Kimberley region, this is effectively a mountain range, but one that wears discoloured zebra suits. The stripes, caused by water down the years, make the Purnululu National Park perfect for taking a scenic flight over, although there are plenty of walks you can do around these imposing patterned beasts. Amazingly, despite them being pretty hard to miss, the Bungle Bungles were only discovered in 1980 by Australian settlers. Of course, if they’d asked the local Aborigines earlier, then they could have been given a guided tour.

Devil’s Marbles

About 105km south of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, these precariously balanced piles of boulders are believed by the local Aboriginal people to be the eggs of the Rainbow Serpent, an occasionally vengeful female who has all sorts of magical powers. Geologists, however, reckon that they are the granite remains of molten lava. Yeah, like anyone’s going to believe that…

Wave Rock

Like, woah dude, that’s gnarly. Expect that sort of nonsense to come from any surfer types who make the trip out to the east of Perth for this astonishing national phenomenon. It’s shaped like a 15m-high wave on the cusp of breaking, but anyone trying to surf it will be sorely disappointed, as it is solid rock. It’s in Hyden, a 700km round trip from Perth, but it sure makes for an impressive picture, like a giant wave has been looked at by Medusa or something.