Just when you think you understand what makes the internet tick, this happens.

A video of a road in Australia being paved that runs more than three minutes has become a viral sensation. Heck, considering it's a video of a road being paved we're going to go ahead and say it's the most unlikely thing to become a viral sensation.

The paving, by the way, was part of a three-mile improvement on the stretch of road.

The fact that this clip has become such a phenomenon raises an interesting question, too: why has this clip become such a phenomenon? There's nothing gimmicky or particularly unique about it. It's not funny. It's not heartwarming. It doesn't feature people yelling at each other. All of the usual ingredients for making a viral video are not in play.

So, tell us: what is it about this video that makes it so darned compelling?

More From TheFW