Most of the Australia’s geographical regions are unique. The outstanding natural resources have attracted thousands of visitors. Here are 88 Natural Wonders Of Australia.

See also 36 Natural Wonders Of New Zealand

Australia

Belmore Falls are one of three waterfalls descending into the northern end of Kangaroo Valley and part of the Morton National Park in south eastern New South Wales, Australia. They waterfall is accessible via a short walk from a road leading out of Burrawang. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Ben Boyd is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 382 km south of Sydney. It is named after the entrepreneur Ben Boyd who had a variety of interests in the far South Coast of New South Wales including whaling and farming. Boyd commissioned the construction of a sandstone tower overlooking the entrance to the harbour of Twofold Bay to alert whaling crews of the approach of their prey. The tower was never completed. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Bondi Beachis a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, Australia. Bondi Beach is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council, in the Eastern Suburbs. Bondi, North Bondi and Bondi Junction are neighbouring suburbs. In 1809, the road builder William Roberts received a grant of land in the area. In 1851, Edward Smith Hall and Francis O'Brien purchased 200 acres (0.81 km2) of the Bondi area that included most of the beach frontage, which was named the "The Bondi Estate." Hall was O'Brien's father-in-law. Between 1855 and 1877 O'Brien purchased his father-in-law's share of the land, renamed the land the "O'Brien Estate," and made the beach and the surrounding land available to the public as a picnic ground and amusement resort. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Fitzroy Falls is a locality in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. It was previously known as Yarrunga but was renamed after the 81-metre waterfall located there. At the 2006 census, Fitzroy Falls had a population of 688 people. First discovered in the early 19th century by Charles Throsby, Fitzroy Falls (the waterfall, in Morton National Park), was named after the New South Wales governor Sir Charles Fitzroy during his visit to the beautiful area in the 1850s. While a town was planned for the area in the 1860s, little development occurred. With the advent of motor vehicles, Fitzroy Falls became, and still remains, a popular stopping point for tourists travelling towards the Highlands. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Greater Blue Mountains Area is a World Heritage Site in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 24th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Cairns from 27 November to 2 December 2000. This area is one of rugged tablelands, sheer cliffs, deep, inaccessible valleys and rivers and lakes teeming with life. The unique plants and animals that live in this natural place relate an extraordinary story of Australia's antiquity, its diversity of life. This is the story of the evolution of Australia's unique eucalypt vegetation and its associated communities, plants and animals. The Greater Blue Mountains Area consists of 10,300 square kilometres of mostly forested landscape on a sandstone plateau 60 to 180 kilometres inland from central Sydney. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Kanangra-Boyd is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 100 km west of Sydney. It lies to the southwest of and is contiguous with the Blue Mountains National Park, and is part of the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site. Two of the features most spoken of in the Kanangra-Boyd National park are the Kanangra Falls and Kanangra Walls. Kanangra Walls was used in the re-filming of the movie Jedda in 1954. Kanangra-Boyd National Park is composed of two land units, the elevated, gently undulating Boyd Plateau and the area of creeks, rivers, gorges and ridges into which the plateau falls away. The plateau is traversed by the Kanangra Walls Road and can be accessed either from Oberon or Jenolan Caves. The road leads to Kanangra Walls. There are several well known landmarks in the park, such as Mount Cloudmaker, Kanangra Walls and the Thurat Spires. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Kosciuszko National Park covers 690,000 hectares and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko for which it is named, and Cabramurra the highest town in Australia. Its borders contain a mix of rugged mountains and wilderness, characterised by an alpine climate, which makes it popular with recreational skiers and bushwalkers. The waters of the Snowy River, the Murray River, and Gungarlin River all rise in this park. Other notable peaks in the park include Gungartan, Mount Jagungal, Bimberi Peak and Mount Townsend. The Kosciuszko National Park came into existence as the National Chase Snowy Mountains on December 5, 1906. In 1944 this became the Kosciuszko State Park, and then the Kosciuszko National Park in 1967. It was farmed by cattle grazers, who have left a legacy of mountain huts scattered across the area. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Ku-ring-gai Chase is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 25 km north of Sydney located largely within the Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby, Warringah and Pittwater municipal areas. Ku-ring-gai Chase is also officially classed as a suburb by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. The villages of Cottage Point, Appletree Bay, and Bobbin Head are located within park boundaries. An isolated portion of the park; Barrenjoey Headland, is located to the north of Palm Beach east of the primary park body and is home to Barrenjoey Lighthouse. Ku-ring-gai is generally regarded as a popular tourist destination, known for its scenic setting on the edge of a southern branch of the Hawkesbury River as well as rock engravings and other art of Aboriginal origin. Picnic, boating, and fishing facilities can be found throughout the park. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Kurnell is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kurnell is located 22 kilometres (14 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. Kurnell is on the southern headland of Botany Bay. Cronulla and Woolooware are the only adjacent suburbs. La Perouse is located opposite, on the northern headland of Botany Bay. The eastern side of the peninsula is part of Botany Bay National Park, with sheer sandstone cliffs dominating the coastline. Towra Point Nature Reserve is located on the western side of the suburb. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Lord Howe Islandis a small island in the Tasman Sea 600 kilometres (370 mi) east of the Australian mainland. The Lord Howe Island Group, including nearby Balls Pyramid, is administered by the Lord Howe Island Board, and is part of the Mid-North Coast Statistical Division of New South Wales, Australia. It is not considered a Local Government Area and is therefore unincorporated (as is the Unincorporated Far West Region), but is self-governed by the Lord Howe Island Board. The Lord Howe Island group was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1982 in recognition of its unique beauty and biodiversity. The NSW Lord Howe Island Marine Park and Commonwealth Lord Howe Island Marine Park (commonwealth waters) protect the waters surrounding the island group. The remaining three members are appointed by the Minister to represent the interests of business, tourism and conservation. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia (not including its external territories). It was named by the Polish explorer Count Paul Edmund Strzelecki in 1840, in honour of the Polish-Lithuanian national hero and hero of the American Revolutionary War General Tadeusz Kościuszko, because of its perceived resemblance to the Kościuszko Mound in Krakow. The name of the mountain was previously spelt "Mount Kosciusko", an Anglicisation, but the spelling "Mount Kosciuszko" was officially adopted in 1997 by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. The traditional English of Kosciuszko is, but the is now sometimes used, which is substantially closer to the Polish . (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Mungo National Park is an isolated national park in south-western New South Wales, Australia, 876 km west of Sydney, in the Balranald Shire. It is part of the Willandra Lakes Region, a World Heritage Site covering 2,400 square kilometres, and incorporating seventeen dry lakes. This park is about 75 kilometres south-east of Pooncarie, 110 km north-east of Mildura, Victoria and approximately 145 km south-west of Ivanhoe. The roads to, in or around the park may become impassable during or after rain. The central feature of Mungo National Park is Lake Mungo, the second largest of the ancient dry lakes. Mungo National Park is most significant for the archeological remains which have been discovered there. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Namadgi National Park is located in the southwestern part of the Australian Capital Territory, bordering Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It lies approximately 40 km southwest of Canberra, and makes up approximately 46% of the ACT's land area. The park protects part of the northern end of the Australian Alps with its spectacular granite mountains. Its habitat ranges from grassy plains over snow gum forests to alpine meadows. The fauna is also varied: Eastern Grey Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, magpies, rosellas and ravens are commonly seen. The water catchment area of the park supplies approximately 85% of Canberra's water. In this sub-alpine region the weather ranges from cold winter nights to warm summer days, and it can change very quickly. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. The location of the first European settlement in Australia, the harbour has continued to play a key role in the history and development of Sydney. The land around Port Jackson was occupied at the time of European discovery and colonisation by various tribes including the Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Eora and Wangal peoples. The Gadigal people are said to have occupied the land stretching along the south side of Port Jackson from what is now South Head, in an arc west through to Petersham. The Cammeraygal lived on the northern side of the harbour. The area along the southern banks of the Parramatta River, west of Petersham to Rose Hill, was reported to belong to the Wanegal. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Founded by Sir John Robertson, Acting Premier of New South Wales, and formally proclaimed on 26 April 1879, it is the world's second oldest purposed national park, the first usage of the term "national park" after Yellowstone in the United States. Its original name was National Park, but it was renamed in 1955 after Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia passed by in the train on the way from Wollongong during her 1954 tour. (It could be argued that Royal is the oldest gazetted national park because Yellowstone's original gazetting was "recreation area.") The park includes the settlements of Audley, Maianbar and Bundeena. There was once a railway line connected to the City Rail Illawarra line but this has now closed. The Sydney Tramway Museum, at Loftus currently runs a tram line on this allotment. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Warrumbungle National Park is located in central northern New South Wales, Australia, 550 km northwest of Sydney. Outside of the Sydney metropolitan area parks, it is the most-visited national park in New South Wales. The official name is Warrumbungle National Park, based on the geographical name Warrumbungle Mountain Range. This range is sometimes shortened to the Warrumbungles, and thus the park name is often heard in the plural. The comic strip Warrumbunglers may also have played some part in this usage. The nearest towns to the park are Baradine, Coonabarabran, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Gulargambone, and Tooraweenah. Access via Coonabarabran to the east is by 27 km of sealed road called the John Renshaw Parkway which was built in 1966. Via Coonamble to the west access is by a 57 km long road with some gravel. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia formerly known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves, are the most extensive area of subtropical rainforest in the world. The reserve includes 50 separate reserves totaling 3,665 square km, clustered around the New South Wales – Queensland border. The Gondwana Rainforests are so-named because the fossil record indicates that when Gondwana existed it was covered by rainforests containing the same kinds of species that are living today. The number of visitors to the reserve is about 2 million per year. The forests were inscribed to the World Heritage list in 1986, covering only the New South Wales sites of approximately 3108 km² and extended in 1994 to cover the Queensland sites of approximately 592 km² which is a total of approximately 3700km². (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Barron Falls is where the Barron River makes its descent from the Atherton Tablelands to the Cairns coastal plain, in Queensland, Australia. Protected within the Barron Gorge National Park, the volume of water seen in the upper photo only occurs after substantial rainfall during the wet season. For much of the rest of the year, little more than a trickle is evident, due in part to the presence of a weir behind the head of the falls that exists to supply the Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station located downstream in the gorge proper. There are three ways to visit and view Barron Falls: highway, narrow-gauge railway (Kuranda Scenic Railway), and aerial tram (Skyrail). The train stops at Barron Falls overlook, where passengers are allowed to disembark for several minutes. The Skyrail stops at two rainforest mid-stations, Red Peak and Barron Falls. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Boodjamulla National Park, formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park, is a national park in the Gulf Country region of northwestern Queensland, Australia. The park is 340 km (211 miles) northwest of Mount Isa or 1,837 km (1,141 miles) northwest of Brisbane. The main attractions in the park are the sandstone ranges with deep gorges and a limestone plateau with significant fossil fields. Other attractions include crystal-clear green waters, lush vegetation and canoeing. Surrounding the park are numerous resources reserves, set aside for future mineral exploration and mining if deposits are found. Lawn Hill Gorge, the primary attraction in the park, cuts through the sandstone plateau of the Constance Range, on the eastern extremity of the Barkly Tableland. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Daintree is a national park in Far North Queensland, Australia, 1,502 km (933 mi) northwest of Brisbane and 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Cairns. It was founded in 1981 and is part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland. In 1988 it was granted listing as a World Heritage List. The park consists of two sections, with a settled agricultural area between them which includes the towns of Mossman and Daintree Village. Daintree National Park is valued because of its exception biodiversity. It contains significant habitat for rare species and prolific birdlife. The name is derived from the Daintree River which was named by George Elphinstone Dalrymple, an early explorer of the area, after his friend, Richard Daintree. The Great Dividing Range is close to the coast in this region. This section covers 56,500 ha of mostly inaccessible rainforests and mountain woodlands. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Eungellais a national park in Queensland, Australia, 80 km west of Mackay, and 858 km northwest of Brisbane. The original inhabitants are the Goreng goreng (goo-rang goo-rang) people. The park is covered by dense rainforest and is known for its platypuses. To the north-east, Mount Dalrymple and Mount William are two separate peaks, which are the same height at 1259 m. Eungella is the lowest part of the range and looks over the Pioneer Valley to the east. The average annual rainfall is in excess of 2000mm. Despite being tropical, snow has fallen at Eungella National Park twice in recorded history – 1964 and in 2000. It is quite common for the temperature around Eungella to drop below zero more than once a year. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Fraser Island, is an island located along the southern coast of Queensland, Australia, approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Brisbane. Its length is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) and its width is approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi). It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1992. The island is considered to be the largest sand island in the world at 1840 km². It is also Queensland's largest island, Australia's sixth largest island and the largest island on the East Coast of Australia. Today the island is a popular tourism destination. Its resident human population was 360 at the census of 2006. The island has rain forests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum swamps, sand dunes and coastal heaths. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Glass House Mountains are a group of eleven hills that rise abruptly from the coastal plain on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. The highest mountain is Mount Beerwah at 556 m above sea level, but the most identifiable of all the mountains is Mount Tibrogargan which appears like a giant ape sitting by the roadside staring out to sea. The mountains were named by explorer Captain James Cook in 1770. The peaks reminded him of the glass furnaces in his home county of Yorkshire. Matthew Flinders explored the area and climbed Mount Beerburrum after sailing along Pumicestone Passage in 1799. The range was formed as molten lava cooled to form hard rock in the cores of volcanoes between 26-27 million years ago. The source of the lava was from the East Australia hotspot. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include runoff, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Heron Island is a coral cay located near the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern Great Barrier Reef, 72 km north-east of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia, and 539 km north of the state capital Brisbane. The island is situated on the leeward (western) side of Heron Reef, a fringing platform reef of significant biodiversity, supporting around 900 of the 1,500 fish species and 72% of the coral species found on the Great Barrier Reef. Heron Island was discovered on 12 January 1843 by the corvette HMS Fly. The ship was surveying the eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef together with the cutter Bramble. The expedition was commanded by Captain Francis Blackwood and the reason for the expedition was mainly to map out detailed plans for safe passages within the reef. The island was named by Lieutenant Charles Bampfield Yule RN of the Bramble. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Noosa National Park is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 121 km north of Brisbane. It is situated near Noosa Heads between the Pacific Ocean and the Sunshine Coasts's northern area of urban development and extends southwards, past Lake Weyba to Coolum. The 4,000 hectare park is divided into four sections; Headland Section, Peregian Section, Emu Mountain Section and the East Weyba Section. Noosa National Park is the most popular national park in the country, with more than 1 million visits each year. Several beaches in the park provide good locations for swimming. These beaches are not patrolled. Swimmers should be aware of strong currents at Alexandria Bay. Rockclimbing, fishing, surfing and snorkeling are other recreational activities undertaken in the park, while camping is banned. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Simpson Desert is underlain by the Great Artesian Basin, one of the largest inland drainage areas in the world. Water from the basin rises to the surface at numerous natural springs, including Dalhousie Springs, and at bores drilled along stock routes, or during petroleum exploration. As a result of exploitation by such bores, the flow of water to springs has been steadily decreasing in recent years. The Simpson Desert is an erg which contains the world's longest parallel sand dunes. These north-south oriented dunes are static, held in position by vegetation. They vary in height from 3 metres in the west to around 30 metres on the eastern side. The largest and most famous dune, Nappanerica, or more popularly Big Red (named by Simpson Desert traveller Dennis Bartell), is 40 metres in height. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Wallaman Falls are notable for their single-drop of 305 metres, which is Australia's highest permanent waterfall. With the addition of additional related minor drops the overall height of the falls is approximately 340 metres. The pool at the end of the waterfall is 20 metres deep. The waterfall is formed by a tributary of the Herbert River, Stony Creek, which plunges over an escarpment in the Seaview Range. The geological history of the formation may be traced back some 50 million years, when the uplift of the continental margin in this region resulted in the ancestral Herbert River to change its course from westwards to eastwards. As a result it began to cut through the raised igneous substrata en-route to its outflow in the Coral Sea. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km² of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range, stretching from Townsville to Cooktown, running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef (another world heritage site). The site contains many unique features such as over 390 rare plant species, which includes 74 species that are threatened. There are at least 85 species that are endemic to the area, 13 different types of rainforest and 29 species of mangrove, which is more than anywhere else in the country. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Finke Gorge is a national park in the Northern Territory of Australia, 1318 km south of Darwin. The Park covers an area of 458 square kilometres, and includes the impressive desert oasis Palm Valley, home to a diverse range of plant species, many of which are rare and unique to the area. There are good opportunities for bushwalking and bushcamping in the park. The park is noted for its ancient palms and Aboriginal cultural sites. The Red Cabbage Palm is found only in Palm Valley and prolifically here. The Finke River is claimed to be one of the oldest catchments in the world, with areas dating back 350 million years. The park and nearby areas hold cultural significance to the Western Arrernte Aboriginal people and there is also evidence of early European settlement. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Gosses Bluff (Gosse's Bluff) is thought to be an impact crater. It is located in the southern Northern Territory, near the centre of Australia, about 175 km (109 mi) west of Alice Springs., It is thought to have been formed by the impact of an asteroid or comet approximately 142.5 ± 0.8 million years ago, in the earliest Cretaceous, very close to the Jurassic – Cretaceous boundary. The original crater rim has been estimated at about 22 km (13.7 Mi) in diameter, but this has been eroded away. The 5 km (3 mi) diameter, 150 m (500 ft) high crater-like feature, now exposed, is interpreted as the eroded relic of the crater's central uplift. The impact origin of this topographic feature was first proposed in the 1960s, the strongest evidence coming from the abundance of shatter cones. Uluru (Ayers Rock) is about 132 miles to the southwest. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Jim Jim Falls is a 200 m (660 ft) high waterfall located in the Kakadu National Park, in the Northern Territory, Australia. It attracts tourists whether the falls are raging with water or the merest trickle. Set in the red ochre of the Arnhem Land escarpment, and boasting white sandy beaches and crystal clear water, it is worth the 900 metre walk across rocks to appreciate this special area. Jim Jim Falls has been seen in many[which?] calendars, books and television programs. It is believed that 140 million years ago much of Kakadu was under a shallow sea. The prominent escarpment wall formed sea cliffs and the Arnhem Land plateau formed a flat land above the sea. Today the escarpment, which rises to 330 metres (1,080 ft) above the plains, extends over 500 kilometres (300 mi) along the eastern side of the Park and into Arnhem Land. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of 1,980,400 ha (4,894,000 acres), extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres from east to west. It is the size of Slovenia, about one-third the size of Tasmania, or nearly half the size of Switzerland. The Ranger Uranium Mine, one of the most productive Uranium mines in the world, is contained within the park. After World War II a number of small-scale ventures, including dingo shooting and trapping, brumby shooting, crocodile shooting, tourism and forestry, began. The name Kakadu comes from the mis of ‘Gagadju’ which is the name of an Aboriginal language spoken in the northern part of the Park. Kakadu is ecologically and biologically diverse. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Kata Tjuta, sometimes written Tjuṯa (Kata Joota), and also known as Mount Olga (or colloquially as The Olgas), are a group of large domed rock formations or bornhardts located about 365 km (227 mi) southwest of Alice Springs, in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. Uluru, 25 km (16 mi) to the east, and Kata Tjuta form the two major landmarks within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The 36 domes, covering an area of 21.68 km2 (8.37 sq mi), are composed of conglomerate, a sedimentary rock consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt, cemented by a matrix of sandstone. The highest point, Mount Olga, is 1,066 m (3,497 ft) above sea level, or approximately 546 m (1,791 ft) above the surrounding plain (198 m (650 ft) higher than Uluru). (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Kings Canyon is part of the Watarrka National Park in Northern Territory, Australia. Sitting at the western end of the George Gill Range, it is 323 km southwest of Alice Springs and 1,316 km south of Darwin. The walls of Kings Canyon are over 300 metres high, with Kings Creek at the bottom. Part of the gorge is a sacred Aboriginal site and visitors are discouraged from walking off the walking tracks. Two walks exists at Kings Canyon. The 2 km (return) and approximately 1 hour Kings Creek Walk traces the bottom of the gorge. At the end of the walk is a platform, with views of the canyon walls above. The 6 km (loop) and 3-4 hour Kings Canyon Rim Walk traces the top of the canyon. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Litchfield National Park, covering approximately 1500 km2, is near the township of Batchelor, 100 km south-west of Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Each year the park attracts over 260,000 visitors. Charles Stead, Thomas Niciloff and Charles Claydon took out the first real lease and set about turning the mine into a commercial venture, with the assistance of local Mak Mak Marranunggu men and women and some Europeans. However, the mine was closed in 1951 after a large flood filled many of the shafts with water. A relic of old tin mine at Bamboo Creek stands as a reminder of the difficult conditions endured by the pioneer miners. Uranium was discovered outside what is now Litchfield’s eastern boundary in August 1949, by a local prospector, Jack White. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Nitmiluk National Park which is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 244 km southeast of Darwin, has been established around a series of gorges on the Katherine River and Edith Falls. Previously named Katherine Gorge National Park, its northern edge borders Kakadu National Park. These gorges and the surrounding landscape have great ceremonial significance to the local Jawoyn people, who are custodians of Nitmiluk National Park. The gorges can be explored by canoe and flat bottomed boat. In the dry season the gorges become separated as the level of the river falls. They are interconnected in the wet. There is a visitor centre located at the Katherine Gorge, about 30 km east of the town of Katherine. Information displays are set up that explain the geology, landscape and aboriginal history of the National Park. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Ormiston Pound is a ring of mountains punctuating the MacDonnell Ranges, in the West MacDonnell National Park, approximately 135 kilometres west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia. It lies at roughly the half way point in the celebrated Larapinta Trail and offers spectacular views from its circumference of Mount Sonder, Gosses Bluff crater and the surrounding range. The Pound, a ring of mountains, is dominated by Mount Giles, which forms its eastern boundary. The western boundary is formed by the Ormiston Gorge, a popular tourist destination. The pound is accessible from a road in the west, which travels between Glen Helen and Alice Springs. There is a popular waterhole at the bottom near the gorge, as well as several lookouts. The entire pound ecompasses 46.55 square kilometres. The famous Finke River passes Ormiston Gorge in the west. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Uluru, also referred to as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies 335 km (208 mi) south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; 450 km (280 mi) by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area. It has many springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a World Heritage Site. Beginning in the 1940s, permanent European settlement of the area for reasons of the Aboriginal welfare policy and to help promote tourism of Uluru. This increased tourism prompted the formation of the first vehicular tracks in 1948 and tour bus services began early in the following decade. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Blue Lake in Mount Gambier, South Australia is a large monomictic lake located in an extinct volcanic maar associated with the Mount Gambier maar complex. It is one of four crater lakes on Mount Gambier. Of the four lakes, only two remain, as the other two (Leg of Mutton and Brown) have dried up over the past 30 to 40 years as the water table has dropped. Conflicting dates have been estimated for its last eruption, of 28,000 years ago and 4300 years ago. If the more recent date is correct, this could be the most recent volcanic eruption on the Australian mainland. Blue Lake is thought to be of an average depth 72 metres, but in places reaches 75 metres deep (250 feet). (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Coorong is a national park and lagoon ecosystem in South Australia (Australia), 156 km southeast of Adelaide. Its name is thought to be a corruption of the local Aboriginal people's word kurangh, meaning "long neck"; a reference to the shape of the lagoon system. The name is also thought to be from the Aboriginal word Coorang, "sand dune", a reference to the sand dunes that can be seen between the park and the Southern Ocean. The western end of the Coorong lagoon is at the Murray Mouth near Hindmarsh Island and the Sir Richard Peninsula, and it extends about 130 km southeast. The park area includes the Coorong itself, and Younghusband Peninsula which separates the Coorong from Encounter Bay in the Southern Ocean. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Gawler Ranges are a range of mountains in South Australia to the north of Eyre Peninsula. The Eyre Highway skirts the south of the ranges. The ranges were named by Edward John Eyre after the Governor of South Australia, George Gawler in 1839. This was on one of Eyre's earlier expeditions before his famous crossing of the Nullarbor Plain further west. And it was on this expedition that Edward John Eyre made the first recorded sighting of South Australia's floral emblem, the Sturt Desert Pea, in 1839 during an early exploration of the region. The ranges were formed by volcanic activity more than 1500 million years ago is around every corner in Gawler Ranges National Park. The highest point of the ranges is Nukey Bluff at 465 m above sea level. The Gawler craton is a craton rich in mineral resources, although many are only recently discovered and not yet fully exploited. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The more generally accepted[by whom?] boundaries are from Cape Pasley, Western Australia, to Cape Carnot, South Australia – a distance of 1,160 km or 720 miles. The much more generally accepted name in Australia for the adjoining waterbody is the Southern Ocean rather than the Indian Ocean. Much of the Bight lies due south of the expansive Nullarbor Plain, which straddles the two Australian states of South Australia and Western Australia. The Great Australian Bight was first encountered by European explorers in 1627, when a Dutch navigator, Captain Thyssen, sailed along its western margins. The coast was later first accurately charted by the English explorer Captain Matthew Flinders in 1802, during his circumnavigation of the Australian continent. A later land-based survey was accomplished by Edward John Eyre. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is 112 kilometres (70 mi) southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. At its closest point to the mainland, it is 13 kilometres (8 mi) offshore from Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is 150 km (93 mi) long and between 900 m (980 yd) and 57 km (35 mi) wide, its area covering 4,405 km2 (1,701 sq mi). Its coastline is 540 kilometres (340 mi) long and highest altitude is 307 m (1,010 ft). It is separated from Yorke Peninsula to the northwest by Investigator Strait and from Cape Jervis to the northeast by Backstairs Passage. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Limestone Coast is a recently[when?] adopted name for the geographical region and tourist region of the southeast coast of South Australia from the Victoria border to the towards the city of Adelaide. From the Victoria border to the Younghusband Peninsula this coast has been settled since the 1840s and supports farming, viticulture, forestry and tourism. Towns of the coast include Bordertown, Keith, Millicent, Mount Gambier, Penola, and Naracoorte, the coastal resorts of Beachport, Kingston SE and Robe, and the wine-growing regions of Coonawarra, Padthaway, Wrattonbully and Mount Benson. Much of the Limestone Coast region is low-lying, and was inundated by sea as recently as 2 million years ago. It had previously also been flooded 15–20 million years ago. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Edward John Eyre named Mount Remarkable in June 1840. The Nukunu people, who called Mount Remarkable "Wangyarra", ("arra" meaning running water) inhabited the area before the arrival of European settlers in 1844. Alligator Gorge and Mambray Creek were dedicated as National Pleasure Resorts in 1952. These areas were added to and became managed by the National Parks Commission in the 1960s. After the National Parks and Wildlife Act of 1972, Alligator Gorge, Mambray Creek and Mount Remarkable were proclaimed as Mount Remarkable National Park. Further additions have brought the present total to more than 160 km², the most recent being the Warren Bonython Link in 1998 which joined the eastern and western sections of the park. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Murray River (River Murray in South Australia) is Australia's longest river. At 2,375 kilometres (1,476 mi) in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it flows to the northwest, before turning south for its final 500 kilometres (310 mi) or so into South Australia, reaching the ocean at Lake Alexandrina. West of the 141°E line of longitude, the river continues as the Victoria – South Australia border for 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi), this being the only stretch where a state border runs down the middle of the river. This was due to a miscalculation in the 1840s when the border was originally surveyed. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Wilpena Pound is a natural amphitheatre of mountains located 429 kilometres (267 mi) north of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia in the heart of the Flinders Ranges National Park. The Pound is the most northern point with access via a sealed road in this part of the Flinders Ranges. The closest town to the north is Blinman and to the south, Hawker. The area is part of the Adelaide Geosyncline. Despite early amateur theories that it was some kind of ancient volcano, the actual Pound is sedimentary rock in the form of a large syncline, with the fold axis running NNW-SSE through Edeowie Gorge at the northern end and Rawnsley's Bluff at the southern. A corresponding anticline is located in the adjacent Moralana Gorge, with the Elder Range on the downturned western limb. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. The word Nullarbor is derived from the Latin nullus, "no", and arbor, "tree", and is. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about 200,000 square kilometres (77,000 sq mi)[dead link]. At its widest point, it stretches about 1,100 kilometres (684 mi) from east to west between South Australia (SA) and Western Australia (WA). European settlers were determined to cross the plain, despite the hardships created by the nature of the Nullarbor. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Bluff Knoll is a peak in the Stirling Range in the south-west of Western Australia (WA). It is 1,095 metres (3,593 ft) above sea level, and is one of only a few places to experience regular snowfalls in Western Australia, with some snow reported in most years. The last heavy snowfall was on October 6, 1992 when 20 centimetres of snow was recorded and light snow was seen at the base, 450 metres (1,480 ft), above sea level). Although Bluff Knoll is sometimes claimed to be the highest point in WA, the highest peak is Mount Meharry in Karijini (Hamersley Range), which is 1,249 metres (4,098 ft) above sea level. Local Aboriginal people, from the Qaaniyan and Koreng groups (or tribes), who wore kangaroo skin cloaks in cold weather, called the mountain Pualaar Miial, meaning "great many-faced hill". (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Cape Le Grand is a national park in Western Australia, 631 kilometres (392 mi) south-east of Perth and 56 kilometres (35 mi) east of Esperance. The park covers an area of 31,801 hectares (78,580 acres) The park is a used for fishing, off-roading, tourism, and hiking. The area is an ancient landscape has above sea level for well over 200 million years and remained unglaciated. As a result the area is home to many primitive relict species. The islands and waters to the south of the park are known as the Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve, another protected area of the Archipelago of the Recherche and nearby coastal regions. The Cape Arid National Park is located to the east. The south-west section of the Park is dominated by rock outcrops of gneiss and granite. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The park contains a great variety of scenery including beaches, sand-dunes, coastal cliffs, coastal heath and pockets of Karri forest. Rivers such as the Warren, the Donnelly and the Shannon flow through the park and discharge into the waters off-shore. Broke Inlet is also contained within the park boundaries at the parks eastern end, it is the only inlet in the South West that has not been significantly altered within the catchment area. The gneiss basement rocks project through the shallow waters to form small islands in the Inlet. The park has an entry fee that applies to all visitors. Facilities available to visitors include barbecues, toilets, 4WD tracks, camp sites, disabled access and picnic areas. Canoeing facilities also exist within the park on the Deep River. Rangers regularly patrol the area. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Fitzgerald River National Park is a national park in Western Australia (Australia), 419 kilometres (260 mi) southeast of Perth, in the Shire of Ravensthorpe and the Shire of Jerramungup. The park includes the Barren Mountains and Eyre Range and the Fitzgerald River as well as incorporating the Fitzgerald Biosphere. There are 62 plant species which are unique to the 329,882 hectares (815,160 acres) park and a further 48 are rarely found elsewhere. Recording almost 40,000 visitors in 2008, the park received $20 million in funding from the federal government's economic stimulus plan with the state government contributing an additional $20 million. The investment is to be used to redevelop and seal 80 km (50 mi) of roads within the park, construct a walk trail from Bremer Bay to Hopetoun and upgrade existing recreational facilities. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Fitzroy River was discovered by the West in 1837 by George Grey in the H.M.S. Beagle. The river was subsequently named by Lt J L Stokes on 26/2/1838 after Captain Robert FitzRoy R.N. The Fitzroy River flows for 733 kilometres (455 mi) from the King Leopold and Mueller Ranges into King Sound south of Derby, and has a catchment area of 93,829 square kilometres (36,228 sq mi) The surrounding area is also known as the Fitzroy Valley and is a distinct physiographic section of the larger Canning Basin province, which in turn is part of the larger West Australian Shield division. The Fitzroy has 20 tributaries including Margaret River, Christmas Creek, Hann River, Sandy Creek, Geegully Creek, Little Fitzroy River, Collis Creek, Adcock River, Cunninghame River, Yeeda River, Mudjalla Gully and Minnie River. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Geikie Gorge National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, 1,837 kilometres (1,141 mi) (great circle distance) northeast of Perth and approximately 420 km (261 mi) east of Broome by road. The gorge was named in honour of Sir Archibald Geikie, the Director General of Geological Survey for Great Britain and Ireland when it was given its European name in 1883. Sir Archibald never visited the gorge and in due course the traditional owners, the Bunaba people, hope that it will be more generally known by its Aboriginal name, Darngku. The park is one of the most accessible in the Kimberley as it is only 20 km (12 mi) from Fitzroy Crossing and is serviced by a bitumen road. No camping is allowed in the park and visitors can only enter during the day. The park has picnic shelters, barbeque areas, toilets and water available. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Houtman Abrolhos (often informally called the Abrolhos Islands) is a chain of 122 islands, and associated coral reefs, in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia. It is the southernmost true coral reef in the Indian Ocean, and one of the highest latitude reef systems in the world. It is one of the world's most important seabird breeding sites, and is the centre of Western Australia's largest single species fishery, the Western Rock Lobster fishery. It has a small seasonal population of fishermen, and a limited number of tourists are permitted for day trips, but most of the land areas is off limits as conservation habitat. It is well known as the site of numerous shipwrecks, the most famous being the Dutch ships Batavia, which was wrecked in 1629, and Zeewijk, wrecked in 1727. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Karijini National Park is a National Park centred in the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara region in northwestern Western Australia (Australia). It is just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, approximately 1055 km from the State's capital city, Perth. It was formerly known as Hamersley National Park. The park is physically split into a northern and a southern half by a corridor containing the Hamersley & Robe River railway and the Marandoo iron ore mine. A party led by explorer F.T. Gregory explored the area in 1861. He named the Hamersley Range, on which the park is centred, after his friend Edward Hamersley. The park is located in the Pilbara region, and is mostly tropical semi-arid climate. In summer, thunderstorms and cyclones are common, bringing 250-350 mm of rain annually. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Warren, also known as Karri Forest Region and the Jarrah-Karri forest and shrublands ecoregion, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia. Located in the southwest corner of Western Australia between Cape Naturaliste and Albany, it is bordered to the north and east by the Jarrah Forest region. Its defining characteristic is an extensive tall forest of Eucalyptus diversicolor (Karri). This occurs on dissected, hilly ground, with a moderately wet climate. Karri is a valuable timber and much of the Karri forest has been logged over, but less than a third has been cleared for agriculture. Recognised as a region under the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA), and as a terrestrial ecoregion by the World Wide Fund for Nature, it was first defined by Ludwig Diels in 1906. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, 277 kilometres (172 mi) south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River. The surrounding area is the Margaret River Wine Region and has become known for its wine production and tourism, attracting an estimated 500,000 visitors annually. In earlier days the area was better known for hardwood timber and agricultural production. The town is named after the river, which is presumed to be named after Margaret Wyche, cousin of John Garrett Bussell (founder of Busselton) in 1831. The name is first shown on a map of the region published in 1839. European migrants lived in the area as early as 1850, with timber logging commencing in around 1870. By 1910, the town had a hotel which also operated as a post office. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Mount Augustus National Park is located 852 km north of Perth, 490 km by road east of Carnarvon and 390 km northwest of Meekatharra, Western Australia. Mount Augustus itself, the feature around which the national park is based, is known as Burringurrah to the local Wadjari Aboriginal people. Mount Augustus stands 1105 m above sea level, or approximately 860 m above the surrounding plain, and covers an area of 47.95 km2. It has a central ridge which is almost 8 km long. Mount Augustus is widely claimed in tourist promotional and information literature as the “worlds largest monolith”, but the claim does not originate from the geological literature, nor is substantiated by any other scholarly research. Mt Augustus is more than twice the size of Uluru. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Mundaring Weir is the name of a dam (and historically the adjoining locality) which are located 39 kilometres (24 mi) from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. It is situated in the Mundaring locality. The dam crosses the Helena River. European populations did not grow significantly until construction of the dam in the late 1890s. This involved the building of a railway line from Mundaring to the Mundaring Weir site. The Irish Australian engineer C. Y. O'Connor was involved the design of a scheme that transported water to the Eastern Goldfields of Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie in the eastern part of Western Australia. The owner of the dam, the Water Corporation, refers to the weir as Mundaring Dam on its website, but no other authority, such as Geographic Names, or Geosciences Australia uses this term. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Purnululu is the name given to the sandstone area of the Bungle Bungle Range by the Kija Aboriginal people. The name means sandstone or may be a corruption of bundle grass. The range, lying fully within the park, has elevations as high as 578 metres above sea level. It is famous for the sandstone domes, unusual and visually striking with their striping in alternating orange and grey bands. The banding of the domes is due to differences in clay content and porosity of the sandstone layers: the orange bands consist of oxidised iron compounds in layers that dry out too quickly for cyanobacteria to multiply; the grey bands are composed of cyanobacteria growing on the surface of layers of sandstone where moisture accumulates. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Shark Bay is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. An expedition led by Dirk Hartog happened upon the area in 1616, becoming the second group of Europeans known to have visited Australia. Shark Bay was named by William Dampier, in 1699. The area has a population of fewer than 1,000 people and a coastline of over 1,500 kilometres. The half dozen small communities making up this population occupy less than 1% of the total area. Dirk Hartog Island is of major historic significance due to early explorers landing upon it. In 1616 Dirk Hartog landed at Inscription Point on the north end of Dirk Hartog Island and marked his discovery with a plate, which he inscribed with the date and nailed to a post. This plate was then replaced by a later explorer and returned to Holland. It is now kept in the National Museum of Holland. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The raw material for the limestone of the Pinnacles came from seashells in an earlier epoch rich in marine life. These shells were broken down into lime rich sands which were blown inland to form high mobile dunes. The mechanisms through which the Pinnacles were formed from this raw material are the subject of some controversy, with three mechanisms having been proposed: The Pinnacles remained unknown to most Australians until the 1960s, when the area was added to Nambung National Park. The area receives over 250,000 visitors a year. A visitor precinct and interpretive centre was completed in March 2008. The best season to see the Pinnacles is spring from August to October, as the days are mild and wildflowers start to bloom. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Torndirrup is a national park in Western Australia (Australia), 400 kilometres (249 mi) southeast of Perth and 10 kilometres (6 mi) south of Albany. Torndirrup National Park has many impressive rock formations on the coast. These include the Gap, Natural Bridge and the Blowholes all shaped from the local granite. The park is along the coast on the west side of King George Sound and consists of a range of cliffs, gullies, blowholes, beaches and promontories. The area is composed of three major rock type, one of these being gneiss. The oldest of these was formed 1300-1600 million years ago. This rock type can be seen along the cliff walls of the Gap. The granites were formed later as the Australian Plate collided with the Antarctic Plate 1160 million years ago as molten rock rose to the surface. These granites are visible in the tors atop Stony Hill. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Two Peoples Bay is a protected area located 35 kilometres (22 mi) east of Albany. The area is accessible by 2WD vehicles. The bay itself, including two small secluded beaches, faces due east and is protected from the powerful Southern Ocean by a headland formed by the granite massif of Mount Gardiner. The nature reserve was established in 1967 to protect the endangered noisy scrub bird and its habitat. Two Peoples Bay boasts unspoilt coastal scenery and is a vital area for threatened animal species. There are beaches with path access that are suitable for swimming and snorkelling. Facilities within the reserve include a boat ramp, toilets and barbecues, however there is no drinking water available and visitors need to take their own. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Wave Rock is a natural rock formation located east of the small town of Hyden in Western Australia. It derives its name from the fact that it is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. One aspect of Wave Rock rarely shown on photographs is the retaining wall about halfway up the rock. This follows the contours and allows rainwater to be collected in a storage dam. It was constructed in 1951 by the Public Works Department, and such walls are common on many similar rocks in the Wheatbelt. Wave Rock is composed of granite. The total outcrop covers several hectares and is part of the Hyden Rock erosional remnant. The "wave" part of the rock is about 15 m (50 ft) high and around 110 m (350 ft) long. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Wolfe Creek Crater is a meteorite impact crater (astrobleme) in Western Australia., It is accessed via the Tanami Road 150 km (94 miles) south of the town of Halls Creek. The crater is central to the Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater National Park. The crater averages about 875 metres in diameter, 60 metres from rim to present crater floor and it is estimated that the meteorite that formed it had a mass of about 50,000 tonnes, while the age is estimated to be less than 300,000 years (Pleistocene). Small numbers of iron meteorites have been found in the vicinity of the crater, as well as larger so-called 'shale-balls', rounded objects made of iron oxide, some weighing as much as 250 kg. The local Djaru (Jaru) Aboriginal people know it as Kandimalal. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Alpine National Park is a national park in Victoria (Australia), northeast of Melbourne. It covers much of the higher areas of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria, including Victoria's highest point, Mount Bogong and the associated subalpine woodland and grassland of the Bogong High Plains. The park's north-eastern boundary is along the border with New South Wales, where it abuts Kosciuszko National Park. The park has been increasingly affected by bushfires with lightning strikes starting large fires in January 2003 and again in December 2006, each fire burning over 10,000 square kilometres over a number of weeks. The largest fire previously was the Black Friday fires of 1939. While fire is a feature of most Australian ecosystems, some alpine ecosystems, such as Alpine Bogs and Fens, are susceptible due to the sensitivity of the component species. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Baw Baw is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 111 km east of Melbourne. It contains the Baw-Baw Plateau and Mount Baw Baw, a small ski resort, including nearby town, technically outside the national park. Geographically, Baw-Baw plateau is a plateau of several peaks (Mount Baw Baw, Mount Saint Gwinear, Mount Saint Phillack, Mount Erica and Mount Whitelaw) of largely subalpine terrane outcrops of weathered granite boulders dot the plateau with alpine meadows punctuated by stands of snow-gum. The area was first explored in 1860 by botanist Ferdinand von Mueller. The area was settled in the 1880s and 1890s, after the discovery of gold in the area. Baw Baw National Park was declared in April 1979. On 7 November 2008 the park was added to the Australian National Heritage List as one of eleven areas constituting the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Croajingolong is a coastal national park in Victoria, Australia, 427 kilometres east of Melbourne. It is linear in shape and bordered on the southern side by the Pacific Ocean, the western side by Bemm River and the eastern side by the township of Mallacoota. Its northern boundary consists of dense bushland and low hills. World Biosphere Reserve Croajingolong National Park along with the adjourning Nadgee Nature Reserve in New South Wales are one of only 12 World Biosphere areas in Australia. It contains eco-systems, majors habitat sites as well as gene pools that are managed in a way to protect them as well as allowing for sustainable use of their resources. The dimensions of the park are approximately 80 kilometres by 20 kilometres, and covers 875 km². (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Gippsland Lakes are a network of lakes, marshes and lagoons in east Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering an area of about 600 km sq, The largest of the lakes are Lake Wellington (Gunai language: Murla), Lake King and Lake Victoria. They are fed by the Avon, Thomson, Latrobe, Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo rivers. The lakes were formed by two principal processes. The first is river delta alluvial deposition of sediment brought in by the rivers which flow into the lakes. Silt deposited by this process forms into long jettys which can run many kilometres into a lake, as exemplified by the Mitchell River silt jetties that run into Lake King. The second process is the action of sea current in Bass Strait which created the Ninety Mile Beach and cut off the river deltas from the sea. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Grampians National Park (also Gariwerd) is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 235 kilometres west of Melbourne. The Park was listed on the Australian National Heritage List on 15 December 2006 for its outstanding natural beauty and being one of the richest indigenous rock art sites in south-eastern Australia. The Grampians feature a striking series of sandstone mountain ranges. The ranges were named in 1836 by Surveyor General of New South Wales Sir Thomas Mitchell after the Grampian Mountains in his native Scotland, but are also known by the name Gariwerd, from one of the local Australian Aboriginal languages, either the Jardwadjali or Djab Wurrung language. After a two-year consultation process, the park was renamed Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park in 1991, however this controversial formality was reversed after a change of state government in 1992. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Great Otway National Park is a national park in Victoria (Australia), 162 km southwest of Melbourne. The Great Otway National Park contains a diverse range of landscapes and vegetation types. The 103 km² park was declared in 2004 when Otway National Park, Angahook-Lorne State Park, Carlisle State Park, Melba Gully State Park, areas of the Otway State Forest and a number of Crown Land reserves were combined into one park, after a successful campaign by the local community, led by the Otway Ranges Environment Network. The park is a popular area for interstate and international tourists, with companies operating tours in the region. It contains three camping areas at Johanna, Aire River and Blanket Bay. The park is accessed from the east via Apollo Bay, from the north via Forrest or Beech Forest, or from the west via Princetown. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Mount Buffalo is a mountain plateau in Victoria (Australia), 200 km northeast of Melbourne. It is one of the oldest parks in the Australian Alps, being first established in 1898 when 1165 ha was reserved around Eurobin Falls. In 1908 it was expanded to over 105 km² and the park now covers 310 km² over the plateau and foothills of Mount Buffalo. With the beginning of tourism in the 1880s, an area around the spectacular Gorge was reserved as a national park in 1898. The park has been enlarged several times since and now takes in all the plateau and surrounding slopes. The Mount Buffalo Chalet was built in 1910, soon after the first road to the plateau was constructed, replacing some earlier more "rustic" accommodation. The park became a popular holiday destination for succeeding generations and a place for early skiing and ice skating ventures. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Phillip Island is an Australian island located about 140 km south-southeast from Melbourne, Victoria. Named after the first Governor of New South Wales, Arthur Phillip, Phillip Island forms a natural breakwater for the shallow waters of Western Port. The island area is approximately 10,000 hectares. It is 26 kilometres long and 9 kilometres at its widest. It has 97 km of coastline and is part of the Bass Coast Shire. A 640 metre concrete bridge connects the mainland town San Remo with the island town Newhaven. In the 2001 Census the island's permanent population was 7071. During the summer, the population swells to 40,000. 60% of the island is farmland devoted to grazing of sheep and cattle. Churchill Island and the area around it served as the location for the 1977 Australian film Summerfield. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay) is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 square kilometres (480,000 acres) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 mi). Although it is extremely shallow for its size, most of the bay is navigable. The deepest portion is only 24 metres (79 ft), and half the region is shallower than 8 m (26 ft). The volume of the water in the bay is around 25 cubic kilometres (6.0 cu mi). (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. Their proximity to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction. The site was known as the Sow and Piglets until 1922 (Muttonbird Island, near Loch Ard Gorge, was the Sow, and the smaller rock stacks the Piglets); after which it was renamed to The Apostles for tourism purposes. The formation eventually became known as the Twelve Apostles, despite only ever having nine stacks. The Twelve Apostles is a collection of eight miocene limestone rock stacks jutting from the water in Port Campbell National Park, between Princetown and Peterborough on the Great Ocean Road. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Tower Hill is an inactive volcano on the southwest coast of Victoria, Australia. It formed at least 30,000 years ago when rising basaltic magma struck the subterranean water table. A violent explosion followed and created a funnel-shaped crater maar. Within the crater the explosion also formed a series of small cones (known as scoria cones) and spheres surrounded by a crater lake.Tower Hill volcano is roughly 4 km wide and 80 m high. It has a gradient altering between 10% to 80% at the higher points. The Koroitgundidj people long inhabited this region of Australia and have lived in the area of Tower Hill since before recorded history. The first confirmed sighting of Tower Hill by Europeans was by French explorers sailing with Captain Baudin aboard Géographe in 1802. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Western Port, is sometimes called "Western Port Bay", is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in Victoria. Geographically, it is dominated by the two large islands; French Island and Phillip Island. Contrary to its name, it lies to the east of the larger Port Phillip, and is separated from it by the Mornington Peninsula. In its southern reaches, life such as Australian Fur Seals, whales and dolphins exist, while its northern reaches are inhabited by many bird species including the waterbird, migratory waders, White-faced Storm-Petrel, Silver Gull, Australasian Gannets amongst many others. It is listed under the Ramsar Convention for its habitat for migratory water birds. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Evidence of Aboriginal occupation at Wilsons Promontory dates back at least 6,500 years and the park is highly significant to the Gunai–Kurnai and the Boonerwrung Clans who call it Yiruk and Warnoon respectively. The only settlement within Wilsons Promontory is Tidal River which lies 30 km south of the park boundary and is the focus for tourism and recreation. This park is managed by Parks Victoria. The first European to see the promontory was George Bass in January 1798. He initially referred to it as "Furneaux's Land" in his diary, believing it to be what Captain Furneaux had previously seen. But on returning to Port Jackson and consulting with Matthew Flinders he was convinced that the location was so different it could not be that land. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

The Ben Lomond National Park is located in the northeast of the Australian state of Tasmania, about 50 km east of Launceston. The park has an area of 18,192 ha and was established on 23 July 1947. The namesake of the park is the mountain Ben Lomond, which is the second highest Tasmanian mountain after Mount Ossa. The highest peak of the mountain is actually named Legges Tor, but the term Ben Lomond is more commonly used. The mountain is one of the few skiing areas of Tasmania. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is located in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania (Australia), 165 km northwest of Hobart. The park contains many walking trails, and is where hikes along the well-known Overland Track usually begins. Major features are Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff in the northern end, Mount Pelion East, Mount Pelion West, Mount Oakleigh and Mount Ossa in the middle and Lake St Clair in the southern end of the park. The park is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Access from the south (Lake St. Clair) is usually from Derwent Bridge on the Lyell Highway. Northern access (Cradle Valley) is usually via Sheffield, Wilmot or Mole Creek. A less frequently used entrance is via the Arm River Track, from the east. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Locally known as the Neck the isthmus itself is around 400 metres long and under 30 metres wide at its narrowest point. It forms a natural gateway to the peninsula that was utilised by the British in 1830s when a line of dogs was chained to posts across the neck to warn of any convicts attempting to escape the prison at Port Arthur. The area was heavily patrolled by soldiers, and the guards' quarters still remains as a museum. Many attempts were made by prisoners to escape via the neck, including those of Martin Cash. The area has a beautiful and rugged terrain and several unusual geological formations. These include the Tessellated Pavement, an area of flat rock that looks to be man made but is in fact formed by erosion. Also nearby are Tasman's Arch, the Blowhole and the Devil's Kitchen, all striking natural formations. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers is a national park in Tasmania, Australia, 117 km west of Hobart. It is named after the two main river systems lying within the bounds of the park – the Franklin River and the Gordon River. The Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park lies between the Central Highlands and West Coast Range of Tasmania in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It is dissected by the only road to pass through this area – the Lyell Highway. The genesis of the Wild Rivers National Park was in the earlier Frenchmans Cap National Park which had the Franklin River as its boundary on the northern and western borders. Frenchmans Cap is a dominant feature in the region, and can be seen on the skyline from the west and north of the park. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Nicholas Baudin named the peninsula after French explorer Louis de Freycinet. Baudin also named Cape Baudin, Cape Faure, Cape Forestier and Thouin Bay, although that Bay is now known as Wineglass Bay. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Macquarie Island (or Macca) lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica, at 54°30S, 158°57E. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978. In 1997 it became a world heritage site. It was a part of Esperance Municipality until 1993, when the municipality was merged with other municipalities to Huon Valley. Ecologically, it is part of the Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra ecoregion. Since 1948 the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has maintained a permanent base, the Macquarie Island Station, on the isthmus at the northern end of the island at the foot of Wireless Hill. The population of the base, the island's only human inhabitants, usually varies from 20 to 40 people over the year. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)

Queenstown is a town in the West Coast region of the island of Tasmania. It is located in a valley on western slopes of Mount Owen on the West Coast Range. In the 1900s, Queenstown was the centre of the Mount Lyell mining district and had numerous smelting works, brick-works, and sawmills. The area at the time was finely wooded. The population in 1900 was 5051; the district, 10,451. The town was the base of the Queenstown council up until amalgamation with other west coast councils in the 1990s. The town in its heyday had a collection of hotels, churches and schools that have all significantly reduced since the demise of the Mount Lyell company. There was a brief boom in prosperity in the 1980s, with the building of several nearby dams by the Hydro. The Darwin and Crotty dams that comprise Lake Burbury (a popular fishing a recreation venue) were built during this period. (based on a wikipedia article / cc by-sa)