My home town of Cairns is a popular place to visit for both Australian and overseas tourists because of it’s proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. You’ll see heaps of people taking off from the marina every day to experience this natural wonder that I took for granted when I was growing up there.
Many people also undertake the Cairns to Port Douglas drive alongside one of the most spectacular highways in the world – the Captain Cook Highway. It’s a short drive, but it hugs the Far North Queensland Coast and on a clear day, the ocean looks like glass, and you’ll duck in and out of rainforest in between small beach side towns and settlements. There are also plenty of lookouts if you’re keen to rack up more selfies.
One thing that you’ll see on the side of the road that’s a bit unusual are some Balancing Rocks which are known as the Gatz Rock Piles. It looks like a place where there are plenty of people who either love Rock Art, or have way too much time on their hands!
These balancing rocks have been piled up by people who want to take a quick break from driving, and just because they feel like it, will pile up any available geological formation to create an anthropogenic landscape which fits into the natural environment. Sounds like a rock doctor’s (that’s Australian slang for geologist) wet dream!
How these rock piles started is anyone’s guess, but it doesn’t really matter as stopping on the side of the road to stack some rocks up as high as they can go without falling over sounds like a good excuse for a social event!
Some Balancing Rocks Photos
You know a place has become famous or has ‘made it’ when it starts becoming an ‘Instagrammable destination‘! You’ll probably see pics like these popping up in feeds all over the place by people who have visited Cairns and surrounds.
What’s cool about these balancing rocks and stacks is that they’re always a work in progress. And when nature does it thing like knocking over these stacks via a high tide or a cyclone, people then come back and stack these rocks all over again. Now that sounds like ‘Sustainable Tourism‘ to me!
Anyway, if you want to know where the Gatz Rock Piles are, here’s a map below – they’re near the small town of Wangetti. You can’t miss it if you’re doing the scenic drive along the Captain Cook Highway.
Just make sure you look out for other motorists and leave the rocks where you found them! Plus don’t go for a swim in the wet season (between November and April) as you’ll probably die from a lethal box jellyfish sting!
If you like getting your rocks off, there’s other places around the world for that – see Kaputar National Park, Papaseea Sliding Rocks in Samoa, Hot Rock Walking in Fiji, and the Rock Stand in Morocco.
More Things To Do In Cairns
If you’re after more offbeat things to do in and around Cairns, check out:
- Crocodile spotting on the Esplanade
- The Tree Bikini at Mission Beach
- Cane Toad World at Gordonvale
- The No Selfie Stick Sign at the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
- Eat on The Prawn Star
- The Man in The High Castle at Silkwood
- Marvel at the massive Captain Cook Statue
- Swim in a Stinger Net
- Visit the Undara Lava Tubes
- Witness heavy rainfall at Tully
- Drive up the Windiest Road In Australia
If you’re planning a trip soon, check out my best travel insurance tips, and get a quote on some Backpacker Travel Insurance.