Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
4 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
4 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
5 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Australia Ball's Pyramid

Ball's Pyramid

This dramatic sea spire is home to the world's rarest insect and is part of the lost continent of Zealandia.

Australia

Added By
Dylan Thuras
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Balls Pyramid   PotMart186 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Balls Pyramid   PotMart186 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Ball’s Pyramid   Natalie Tapson on Flickr
Dryococelus australis   Peter Halasz on Wikipedia
Illustration of Dryococelus australis, c. 1859   Wikipedia
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The remnants of a massive volcano, Ball's Pyramid juts 1,843 feet out of the Pacific Ocean. It's one of the surviving above-ground remnants of the once-lost (and recently found) sunken continent of Zealandia. Ball's Pyramid lies about 14 miles east of Lord Howe Island. It rises some 1,800 feet out of the water and measures about half a mile in length and 980 feet across, which makes it the tallest volcanic stack in the world. The formation is visible from Mount Gower Track on Lord Howe Island.

Discovered in 1788 by Royal Navy Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball, hence the name, the rocky spire was thought to be largely devoid of animal life until 2001 when a group of scientists discovered there what may be the world's rarest insect. 

The Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis) had not been seen alive in over 70 years. Known as "land lobsters" or "walking sausages," the six-inch-long insects were once common on the neighboring Lord Howe Island, but were assumed to have been eaten to extinction by the black rats introduced to the island when a supply ship ran aground on its shores in 1918.

In 2001, the scientists found a colony of the huge Lord Howe Island stick insects living under a single bush, a hundred feet up. Somehow a few of the wingless insects escaped and managed, by means still unknown, to traverse 14 miles of open ocean, land on Ball's Pyramid, and survive there. Just 27 of the insects have been found on the spire. They are currently being bred in captivity. 

Related Tags

Volcanoes Islands Insects Animals Natural Wonders Geological Oddities Geology Nature

Community Contributors

Added By

Dylan

Edited By

TeaAndCoffeeLover, splashmaking, EricGrundhauser, Michelle Cassidy

  • TeaAndCoffeeLover
  • splashmaking
  • EricGrundhauser
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

June 20, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball%27s_Pyramid
  • https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/balls-pyramid-is-seven-million-years-old-and-is-home-to-insects-that-were-once-thought-to-be-extinct/news-story/283f878ad208420a7bcb9167c27c5eb2
  • https://rove.me/to/new-south-wales/hiking
Ball's Pyramid
Australia
-31.753951, 159.251168

Nearby Places

Lord Howe Island's Time

Lord Howe Island, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Australia

Australia

Oceania

Places 610
Stories 94

Nearby Places

Lord Howe Island's Time

Lord Howe Island, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Australia

Australia

Oceania

Places 610
Stories 94

Related Stories and Lists

16 Tales of the South Pacific

List

By Samir S. Patel

Amazing Ways to Visit Zealandia, Earth's Lost Eighth Continent

islands

By Kerry Wolfe

Scientists Want to Make Sure They're Breeding the Right Giant Stick Insects

science

By Kelsey Kennedy

9 Essential Stops on an Entomologist’s Dream Vacation

nature

By Meg Neal

100 Wonders: The Walking Sausage Comes Home

islands

By Dylan Thuras

Curious Fact of the Week: Land Lobsters

By Annetta Black

Related Places

  • Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

    Keahole Point Blowhole

    This unusual lava tube spouts seawater during high surf.

  • Philippines

    Vulcan Point

    An island in the middle of a lake, in the middle of a volcano, in the middle of a bigger lake, in the middle of a bigger island, in an archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean.

  • Winona, Missouri

    Rocky Falls

    A 40-foot waterfall flows into this unique natural swimming hole.

  • Macquarie Island lengthwise, the research station at center.

    Australia

    Macquarie Island

    One of the only places where Earth’s mantle lies above water.

  • Lake Posta Fibreno

    Carpello, Italy

    Lake Posta Fibreno

    This serene, turquoise lake in an extraordinary nature reserve showcases a rare natural phenomenon.

  • Woods Bay State Park

    Olanta, South Carolina

    Woods Bay State Park

    This natural wonderland is a unique chance to explore a Carolina bay, a mysterious geological formation of unknown origin.

  • Painted Dunes from the top of the adjacent cinder cone.

    Old Station, California

    Painted Dunes

    Sunset-colored dunes of volcanic ash make taking a poor photo impossible.

  • Jekyll Island, Georgia

    Driftwood Beach

    Constant erosion has created a surreal landscape of bleached and preserved fallen trees.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.