A Travel Guide to Sonic Wonders
This vast, gray arc of concrete has turned into an unlikely tourist attraction, with visitors chatting with each other from opposite ends of the dam.
(2 Votes, average 5.00)Loading...
It’s unbelievably fun to whisper across this parabolic dam and hear others across the way.
revett2016, TripAdvisor
This is the largest whispering wall I know of, as it’s 140 meters long. What happens is that the sound hugs the inside of the concrete wall and is transported with surprising loudness to the other side of the dam. Do you know of a bigger whispering wall? Please comment below.
Info from the Barossa visitor centre.
Mimics the sounds of the rainforest, from Kookaburra to chain saw.
(10 Votes, average 3.60)
The male superb lyrebird attracts females by probably the most extravagant animal call in the world. The male mimics all the sounds from the forest, includeing the calls of other birds. Ones brought up around manmade sounds impersonate the roar of a chainsaw, the screech of a car alarm and the click of camera shutters. Lyrebirds display this vocal virtuosity not just during the breeding season, implying the calls are not just about finding a mate but also used to defend territory. During the breeding season they use a display mound to sing from for hours, with the calls travelling up to a kilometre through the forest. The BBC video of the Lyrebird is very funny and was voted by viewers as their favourite Attenborough moment.
The map shows the location of Healesville Sanctuary but the Lyrebird can be seen elsewhere in south-eastern Australia.
A beautiful beach, the wind in the hair, the waves lapping on the shore, the soothing sound of squeaking underfoot!
(1 Votes, average 5.00)
The beach at Porthor is known as the Whistling Sands, which in many ways is an odd name because squeaking sands would be more appropriate. As you walk along the beach the sand squeaks underfoot. I experienced a similar phenomena on Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays, Australia beach and it’s distinctly odd.
One suggestion is that the sound is caused by friction as the grains rub against each other, but this isn’t proven. What is known is that you need the right sort of sand grains: ones that are near spherical with no sharp edges. This is probably why the effect is only heard on some beaches. The squeaking is most audible when the sand has been recently washed, and so it’s rarely heard far from the shoreline. On the beech, the sand needs to be dry (although submerged sand can also sometimes squeak) [2] so check the weather before travelling!
Owned by the National Trust
Can be reached via ferries and other boats.
Australia
USA
